Re: [O] Org-mode to feed a database
> > It is possible, but not worth the effort. > > Even with moderately experienced users, you will be amazed at how > org-files can get mangled by users. In a recent course I taught, I used > links for some data entry; the links stored data as properties in a > headline. Even then a handful of users found some ways to delete > headlines, modify what got stored, etc... Thanks, John. Vikas
Re: [O] Org-mode to feed a database
Vikas Rawal writes: It is possible, but not worth the effort. Even with moderately experienced users, you will be amazed at how org-files can get mangled by users. In a recent course I taught, I used links for some data entry; the links stored data as properties in a headline. Even then a handful of users found some ways to delete headlines, modify what got stored, etc... As someone else mentioned, if Emacs is the input interface, widgets is the way to go. Otherwise, a webform is a much better idea. Alternatives include a PDF form, an MS Word or Excel form, or one of the online survey tools. > This is, in all likelihood, a crazy idea. Please excuse me for that. > > I often need to get a number of people enter complex survey data into > a database using some kind of forms. The forms I need are fairly > complex (with several nested grids, for example). I need radio-buttons > and drop-down menus-equivalents. > > I was thinking if it would be worth it to use Org-mode for data entry. > > The idea would be something like this. We have a template org file > that is copied for each survey respondent. The template contains > “blank” org tables and some source blocks. Responses are filled into > the org tables, and then the source blocks are evaluated to feed the > data into the database. You can version-control the whole thing so > that different people can create these records and push it to a > centralised git repository. > > Has anyone done anything like this? What has been the experience? > > There are two aspects that immediately come to my mind. > > 1. Is org adequately feature rich for such a scenario? There are two concerns > I can think of right now. >1.1 Would feeding information from one Org table to another become too > complicated? >1.2 Is there a way to build in tab-completion for columns in Org-table > using pre-specified categories? > > 2. In my case, people who would enter the data into org files would > not have used emacs before. So, there is a learning curve. Is it worth > it? Or should one just build a web-based graphic application for such > people to use? > > Vikas > -- --- John Kitchin Professor Doherty Hall A207F Department of Chemical Engineering Carnegie Mellon University Pittsburgh, PA 15213 412-268-7803 http://kitchingroup.cheme.cmu.edu
Re: [O] Org-mode to feed a database
> > Have you considered the Emacs Widget library? > Thanks. Did not know about this. Very interesting. Vikas
Re: [O] Org-mode to feed a database
>> >> 2. In my case, people who would enter the data into org files would >> not have used emacs before. So, there is a learning curve. Is it worth >> it? Or should one just build a web-based graphic application for such >> people to use? >> > > My knee-jerk reaction was: Use Django, not org - but that may be a > failure of imagination on my part. > You are perhaps right. I will perhaps end up using Django. But there would be many interesting things one could do in an emacs/org-based solution. My biggest worry is that it would require continuous training of people coming in to enter data. Vikas
Re: [O] Org-mode to feed a database
* Vikas Rawal wrote: > This is, in all likelihood, a crazy idea. Please excuse me for that. Hehe. > I often need to get a number of people enter complex survey data > into a database using some kind of forms. The forms I need are > fairly complex (with several nested grids, for example). I need > radio-buttons and drop-down menus-equivalents. > > I was thinking if it would be worth it to use Org-mode for data > entry. > > The idea would be something like this. We have a template org file > that is copied for each survey respondent. The template contains > “blank” org tables and some source blocks. Responses are filled > into the org tables, and then the source blocks are evaluated to > feed the data into the database. You can version-control the whole > thing so that different people can create these records and push > it to a centralised git repository. Never done this. But if I'd do this, I'd definitely take a look at yasnippet and using it for default values, dropdowns, ... -- mail|git|SVN|photos|postings|SMS|phonecalls|RSS|CSV|XML to Org-mode: > get Memacs from https://github.com/novoid/Memacs < https://github.com/novoid/extract_pdf_annotations_to_orgmode + more on github
Re: [O] Org-mode to feed a database
Vikas Rawal writes: > This is, in all likelihood, a crazy idea. Please excuse me for that. > > I often need to get a number of people enter complex survey data into > a database using some kind of forms. The forms I need are fairly > complex (with several nested grids, for example). I need radio-buttons > and drop-down menus-equivalents. > > I was thinking if it would be worth it to use Org-mode for data entry. > > The idea would be something like this. We have a template org file > that is copied for each survey respondent. The template contains > “blank” org tables and some source blocks. Responses are filled into > the org tables, and then the source blocks are evaluated to feed the > data into the database. You can version-control the whole thing so > that different people can create these records and push it to a > centralised git repository. > > Has anyone done anything like this? What has been the experience? > > There are two aspects that immediately come to my mind. > > 1. Is org adequately feature rich for such a scenario? There are two concerns > I can think of right now. >1.1 Would feeding information from one Org table to another become too > complicated? >1.2 Is there a way to build in tab-completion for columns in Org-table > using pre-specified categories? > > 2. In my case, people who would enter the data into org files would > not have used emacs before. So, there is a learning curve. Is it worth > it? Or should one just build a web-based graphic application for such > people to use? > My knee-jerk reaction was: Use Django, not org - but that may be a failure of imagination on my part. -- Nick
Re: [O] Org-mode to feed a database
On 2014-12-29, at 03:01, Vikas Rawal wrote: > This is, in all likelihood, a crazy idea. Please excuse me for that. No. Have you considered the Emacs Widget library? HTH, -- Marcin Borkowski http://octd.wmi.amu.edu.pl/en/Marcin_Borkowski Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science Adam Mickiewicz University
