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About this Site |
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IntroductionI put this site together as part of my contribution to the life of the band. It is mainly meant as an information resource for band members, but it also serves as the band's presence on the Web for the general public.This page serves to explain a little about what goes on "behind the scenes" of the Web site. Overall DesignThis site is designed for simplicity and functionality rather than glitziness. Each page has a particular purpose, and they all have a consistent visual format.The site is intentionally very light on graphics -- presently the only graphic is the logo, and the same image is used on every page. Visual organization is controlled using tables, horizontal rules and simple background colorings. I do not use frames because most browsers (still) do not do a good job with them in terms of navigation, printing, etc., which just tends to confuse users. I find that it's just as effective to have a consistent array of cross-page links at the bottom of each page for navigating around the site. Logo FontYou may have noticed a slight change in the logo if you visited here shortly after the site was created.In the years that I have been in the band, I have noticed a lot of subtle variations in the various logos that the band has used on its letterhead, programs, signs and posters. I suspect that this arises from the fact that the earlier logos were mostly hand-drawn, and the later ones were created from various computer fonts by different people at different times. The first logo here on the site was quickly generated from a standard font, but didn't look quite "right" to my eye. I have since created a PostScript Level 3 font that closely approximates the printed logo that the band was using around 1987, when I first joined. This new logo is created in PostScript using that font. The point of telling you all of this is that this font and this logo are available for general use in other CCB materials. If you are responsible for printing programs, letters or other items and would like to use the font, get in touch with me. Here's a sampler. DatabaseThe pages of this site are created from three small databases. A Perl script converts the information in these databases into the HTML that your browser can display. The three databases are Events, Music, and Personnel.Again, the point of telling you this is that I can make the databases available to band members for other uses within the band. Just get in touch with me. EventsThis is a simple text file listing dates, times, and descriptions. The Perl script generates the monthly calendars automatically.MusicThe music database is also a text file, in what I call "tagged field format". It presently contains fields for Title, Composer, Arranger, a flag for in-Folder, and Performance dates. Additional fields can easily be added.Right now, the database contains only the music that is in the folders, plus a few pieces we performed last year. I envision this becoming a complete database of the band's library, giving quick reference to what's available to both the music director and any members who want to make suggestions on what to play or what to buy next. If anyone has a library listing in electronic form, please forward it to me so that I can incorporate it. PersonnelI maintain the personnel database as an Ecco address book. This gets exported as a "comma-separated values" (.CSV) file that is readable by the Perl script and by most other spreadsheet and database programs.I will try to have a hardcopy listing of the database at each rehearsal for people to mark up with changes. To-do ListThings I'd like to add to this site:
WebmasterMy name is David Tweed. I play trombone and sometimes tuba and keyboards in the band. In real life (whatever that is), I am an electrical engineer and a software engineer. If you'd like to see some of my other Web projects, visit my Home Page. |
