And, if so, I have a question for you...

I need to set up something along the lines of a style sheet for boxscores, but I was taking Comp Sci before HTML became popular (and therefore know very little about how to go about this). Is there anyone that can lend a hand in the process? I have a feeling it's pretty simple, but I've been using the tools I have available (which kinda stink) and I don't want to get bogged down on this piece as there is a lot of other work that needs to get done.

Here's the issue - the game produces the DATA for boxscores, but I need to be able to take that data and make an HTML file from it. What's the process for this? Style sheets?

Thanks in advance for any help...

-Craig

Originally posted by CraigSca

Here's the issue - the game produces the DATA for boxscores, but I need to be able to take that data and make an HTML file from it. What's the process for this? Style sheets?


Two options:
1)Write a utility that will parse the boxscores.
2)Download one of the three or four that is available already.

Stylesheets will not do it. They are for applying site wide styles (fonts, colors, backgrounds). You can have a 1000 page website using stylesheets and change the background color in every one of them simply by changing a single css file.

Sorry, Fido - not sure I understand.

I can write the boxscore data in any way I want, what I need is help in writing the "pretty" HTML code.

I'm assuming then the best way is to just download a rudimentary HTML editor, make a boxscore and then fill-in the data? The reason I ask is I used Microsoft Word to make a rudimentary "proof-of-concept" version and there was about 300 lines of "worthless" code that Word put in there. Made it very difficult for me to put my data where I needed it (let alone FIND where I was supposed to put it).

-Craig

I know some HTML, but I wish I paid attention in programming class. Anyone want to give a lesson on how to create utilities for games like FOF?

Originally posted by CraigSca
Sorry, Fido - not sure I understand.

I can write the boxscore data in any way I want, what I need is help in writing the "pretty" HTML code.


"I'm a programmer - I don't do "pretty" well. That's more in the realm of graphic designers/artists. I knew that going in, so I made my utility so that the end users could do just about anything to the HTML templates and my code would just fill in the data. It took me quite a while to get it so that it would look presentable, but what I did mostly was plagiarize. I went to a "recognized expert" site (ESPN.com) and did it how they did it. I didn't use the exact same code (they use a lot of DIVs and SPANs that I didn't feel were really necessary) but I modified my templates until they looked similar.

Originally posted by CraigSca
I'm assuming then the best way is to just download a rudimentary HTML editor, make a boxscore and then fill-in the data? The reason I ask is I used Microsoft Word to make a rudimentary "proof-of-concept" version and there was about 300 lines of "worthless" code that Word put in there. Made it very difficult for me to put my data where I needed it (let alone FIND where I was supposed to put it).


If you're making up template HTML files, stay away from Word and FrontPage. They both add in a bunch of garbage and do things poorly IMHO. All of the HTML templates used in my HTML generator were created in Visual Studio .NET. It produces relatively clean HTML and is a decent enough interface for what I needed iit to do.

(Is this a DOLA?)

Originally posted by Shorty3281
I know some HTML, but I wish I paid attention in programming class. Anyone want to give a lesson on how to create utilities for games like FOF?

Could be an interresting exercise. How about this for a counter proposal. You give me an idea for a utility and I'll do a dynasty as I create it.

Originally posted by Fido
(Is this a DOLA?)



Could be an interresting exercise. How about this for a counter proposal. You give me an idea for a utility and I'll do a dynasty as I create it.

now that would be really really cool

Make a utility that looks like pro-football-reference (but keeps defensive stats too) for FOF, much like Cato's tool for OOTP.

Now start that dynasty. :)

Originally posted by Shorty3281
Make a utility that looks like pro-football-reference (but keeps defensive stats too) for FOF, much like Cato's tool for OOTP.

Now start that dynasty. :)

Help me out by pointing me to a sample of what this "Cato's tool" (never seen it, never used it) generates and I can.

Originally posted by Fido
Help me out by pointing me to a sample of what this "Cato's tool" (never seen it, never used it) generates and I can.

http://www.alant.net/rwbl/ - generated with Cato (isn't it???).
similar to the baseball reference and pro-football-reference sites.

http://www.usba.ootp-leagues.com/USBAHistory/index.html

Just like www.baseball-reference.com

The colors and fonts can be modified with a supplied stylesheet, so the USBA colors here might look a little crazy, but this is the best example of what Cato can do.

Originally posted by Draft Dodger
http://www.alant.net/rwbl/ - generated with Cato (isn't it???).
similar to the baseball reference and pro-football-reference sites.

I was going to show the RWBL one, but at the top things have been modified from the original generated incarnation.

Originally posted by Shorty3281
I was going to show the RWBL one, but at the top things have been modified from the original generated incarnation.

I just wanted to be the first to post something.

Meh.

Originally posted by Shorty3281
Make a utility that looks like pro-football-reference (but keeps defensive stats too) for FOF, much like Cato's tool for OOTP.

Now start that dynasty. :) I'm gonna need some time to think this one over. I looked through most of the site, and I'm not sure that's something that I want to try to do. Not that I'm afraid of it or anything. Just that it is too similar to FOF Reporter (Read dats from the saved information, chew on it for a while then spit it into a HTML page). I was really hoping for something non HTML related :)

But like I said...Let me mull it over.

Originally posted by Fido
I'm gonna need some time to think this one over. I looked through most of the site, and I'm not sure that's something that I want to try to do. Not that I'm afraid of it or anything. Just that it is too similar to FOF Reporter (Read dats from the saved information, chew on it for a while then spit it into a HTML page). I was really hoping for something non HTML related :)

But like I said...Let me mull it over.

bah - the HTML is the easy part.
;)

Just FYI, Cato's history is the greatest thing to ever come across OOTP. Every multiplayer league uses it, and I even use it for solo play. It is a bit overwhelming with all that it can do, but it would be great for FOF.

Sorry if that is not what you were expecting. :)

Originally posted by Shorty3281
Just FYI, Cato's history is the greatest thing to ever come across OOTP. Every multiplayer league uses it, and I even use it for solo play. It is a bit overwhelming with all that it can do, but it would be great for FOF.

Sorry if that is not what you were expecting. :)

No, don't be. Its just not something that I could do a start to finish "dynasty" on. I have 90% of the info in place (just in diff formats) I would not want to start over.

Basically what you want is this:
http://www.pro-football-reference.com/

For any FOF league, correct?

Originally posted by Draft Dodger
bah - the HTML is the easy part.
;)
HTML sucks. Only thing worse is javascript in HTML pages.

Yeah Fido.