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View Full Version : Feature Request Auto display handicaps - discussion



markTHEblake
9th October 2010, 10:00 AM
Just thought it might be interesting/fun if we could develop a way to automatically display our handicaps in our signatures or whatever. Particulary after seeing Choppas magnificent work with the POTY database.

* there is a certain organisation that prohibits the data mining of their website so it would be wise not to mention their name or URL in this thread. ;)

I got curious about this as my company developed a system to datamine our suppliers website to extract some information that they don't/won't/can't supply us, and this was actually very easy to do. We use Real Basic which has a httpsocket control that retrieves the web page as a string, and then we query that.

If you search my 'number' in Google, the first result is my Iphone compatible page http://www.google.com/search?client=ubuntu&channel=fs&q=4070901651

I beleive this has being indexed by google as I posted the exact URL in another thread - once. What is interesting about that is to extract a handicap from the Google page would not be defined as datamining the aforementioned website, would it. (though such pages could be removed from Googles indexing)

Anyways, once a webpage has been accessed, the capacity for an application to query the source for a particular string is not that difficult, for example my boss says in regard to the iPhone handicap page ;


In that case it could for example search for "<li>Exact handicap:" then the first occurrence of ">" after that, then the first occurrence of "<" after that, and retrieve what lies between.then its just a matter of storing this info in a sql database, preferably offsite of ozgolf, and then use another http function or script to display an image file of the actual handicap digits.

thoughts?

TheTrueReview
9th October 2010, 10:22 AM
MTB, are you suggesting a compulsory display of the handicap? Or would there be an 'opt in' option?

markTHEblake
9th October 2010, 10:25 AM
Obviously it would be optional. People that choose to display it can, just like now some people put a link in their signature, their photo in their profile, or their hometown.

Jarro
9th October 2010, 10:27 AM
We certainly need to respect the wishes of those of us who don't wish to divulge our handicaps to the golfing world

henno
9th October 2010, 10:52 AM
Piece of cake. I could probably knock it up in an afternoon. Maybe even converting the data to a small image (using GD or something), as displaying dynamic text in the sigs is almost impossible without hacking away at vbulletin.

Caching would be necessary, as would a daily/weekly refresh time or something. We wouldn't want to poll the servers too often, for obvious reasons. If I ever feel like it I might have a play around and see what I come up with.

markTHEblake
9th October 2010, 11:50 AM
We certainly need to respect the wishes of those of us who don't wish to divulge our handicaps to the golfing world

we don't need to respect anyones wishes, because those people that don't want to display it in their signature, wont display it.

I'd be interested to hear Mikes take on this. Displaying a couple of digits in your signature reveals a hell of a lot less info than a Http link to the golf link record. Such a system might encourage more people to display their handicap for that very reason.




Piece of cake. I could probably knock it up in an afternoon. Maybe even converting the data to a small image (using GD or something), as displaying dynamic text in the sigs is almost impossible without hacking away at vbulletin.
Thats exactly what i was thinking. I think some other forums do something similar where their status//scores in RPG's are displayed as a graphic.


Caching would be necessary, as would a daily/weekly refresh time or something.thats the key - If our site gets the data from the cache, which would be a private secure server not owned by this site, with no way of telling where the cache gets its data from, then no implications can be drawn from it. Unless of course the source site might have set up monitoring systems for that. Though my guess is that they haven't, the scale of their operation is too small, and the commercial opportunities that is at risk to them is extremely low.

Thats why i suggested the Google search result. To get your 'handicap' number into googles caches, like mine is, all thats needed is to post the full URL on an Ozgolf page and voila! Then your polling of the data could grab it from google or any other search engine.




If I ever feel like it I might have a play around and see what I come up with.what else to do on a rainy day

Captain Nemo
9th October 2010, 01:51 PM
Great idea!
I put my golflink link so poeple can see what im up to,no big deal to me!
I dont understand guys not wanting to show h/c's its good to see progression, and guys that are drifitng out might get help/questions as to why they are struggling atm.
Ive actaully had guys pm me about sales of stuff becauase of the fact i can play alright and not some w/end hack, my 2 cents!

Minor_Threat
9th October 2010, 09:41 PM
Sounds like a great idea.

LeftyHoges
10th October 2010, 11:28 AM
I'd be in for this. Sounds great and I have no problem displaying my handicap page / golflink number.

MAZA68
10th October 2010, 01:50 PM
Don't see any issues, then again I don't have a handicap to display!

MegaWatty
10th October 2010, 02:51 PM
Was it Henno who had a boss that found his GL number and knew every time he was playing golf?

henno
10th October 2010, 02:53 PM
Was it Henno who had a boss that found his GL number and knew every time he was playing golf?

Sure was.

mike
10th October 2010, 09:56 PM
I'd be interested to hear Mikes take on this. Why?

markTHEblake
10th October 2010, 10:11 PM
because you had a pretty strong view on the information available from a golflink number.

mike
10th October 2010, 10:17 PM
Nope. You've got me mixed up with somebody else.

markTHEblake
10th October 2010, 10:19 PM
thats not easy.

IanO
11th October 2010, 11:00 AM
I would have no problem displaying my handicap .. and it would confirm what a hack I am

Dotty
11th October 2010, 12:14 PM
Clubs with a bar levy + last 4 digits of someone's golflink number = Cheap drinks

henno
11th October 2010, 12:29 PM
Clubs with a bar levy + last 4 digits of someone's golflink number = Cheap drinks

I'm surprised no-one cleaned out SMS's bar tab at Pelican. ;-)

PeteyD
11th October 2010, 12:58 PM
Who says we didn't.

BrisVegas
11th October 2010, 01:59 PM
I'm surprised no-one cleaned out SMS's bar tab at Pelican. ;-)

you have met shorn right? He's pretty distinctive looking. :shock:

3oneday
11th October 2010, 02:05 PM
I'm not in favour of the idea, I can see it changing peoples perception of whose advice is worthwhile and whose isn't.

This could then lead to arguments and derision and trouble in the family. Unless of course they also follow NRL, and then we would leave them alone.


;)

sms316
11th October 2010, 02:16 PM
I'm surprised no-one cleaned out SMS's bar tab at Pelican. ;-)


Who says we didn't.
I cleaned it out myself beforehand. Only had $50 left on it before the weekend.


Clubs with a bar levy + last 4 digits of someone's golflink number = Cheap drinks
Going out of your way to introduce yourself (some may call it stalking) to the bar staff is a sure fire way to make sure that they only charge the owner of the account.

markTHEblake
11th October 2010, 06:35 PM
Henno, got it done yet? :-)

IanO
12th October 2010, 11:41 AM
+1 on what MTB said