Author Topic: WeatherCat SeaMonkey web templates now available.  (Read 72807 times)

elagache

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WeatherCat SeaMonkey web templates now available.
« on: October 07, 2013, 10:58:26 PM »
Dear WeatherCat fans,

Recently, I got a compliment for my own weather station web pages - definitely a nice surprise!  [bounce]

That got me thinking and  . . . . . . .   Ya'know I never did get around to updating my old SeaMonkey web templates for WeatherCat.  So I took a look and as I suspected, the only thing that needed to be changed was the version number tag and of course update as needed for da' Cat's name.  The documentation took a little more work, but with a few new screenshots, broken links repaired, etc., it is now up to snuff.  So I can happily announce that my humble SeaMonkey web templates are now available for WeatherCat.

You can see it in action at this address:

http://www.canebas.org/Weather/SeaMonkey/

If you like what you see, you can download it here:

http://www.canebas.org/WeatherCat/Web%20templates/WeatherCat%20SeaMonkey%20web%20template%20(0.5.2).zip

Even if you don't like what you see, you might find it worth your while to download it anyway at least if you are a newcomer to web pages.  The whole point of this website is that it can be edited with program like the SeaMonkey WYSIWYG HTML editor:

http://www.seamonkey-project.org/

You can also use a number of other WYSIWYG HTML editors like Blue Griffon.

So it is a way for folks who hate coding to have a nice looking weather website.  It also has very explicit instructions on how to set up a custom website using WeatherCat so it can be helpful as a "training wheels" website to get you familiar with how custom websites are implemented using WeatherCat.

There is one more reason why you might want to download this package, it includes very easy to use instructions on how to display a Google map on your website.  So if you want a map like this on your website:



Download this package and read up on how to get the Google maps API do generate something like this for your weather website.

Hope you'all enjoy it!

Cheers, Edouard  [cheers1]

Steve

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Re: WeatherCat SeaMonkey web templates now available.
« Reply #1 on: October 08, 2013, 02:36:51 AM »
Edouard,

The page looks nice! Thanks for adding the template to the tools we can use.

I'd make one small change. WeatherCat uses a slightly different tag for statistics the LWC did. You used to only need ST1$ for the full set of statistics. Now you need:

STRECORDS$
STRECENT$
ST1$

Thanks for your continued contributions.
Steve
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Commodore

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Re: WeatherCat SeaMonkey web templates now available.
« Reply #2 on: October 08, 2013, 07:35:34 PM »
Hi Edouard,

Thank you very much for updating the template! When I get the time to order and set up my weather station, which should be in the next couple of weeks, I will use your template.

Regards,
Mark
Alas, I don't have a weather station...but I'm going to have one real soon now.  :-(

Blicj11

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Re: WeatherCat SeaMonkey web templates now available.
« Reply #3 on: October 09, 2013, 04:20:11 AM »
Thanks for sharing Edouard. I have been looking for something to add stats to my page. This looks like a great place to start.
Blick


elagache

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Probably should document (Re: WeatherCat SeaMonkey web templates)
« Reply #4 on: October 09, 2013, 07:14:40 PM »
Hi Steve, Mark, Blick, and WeatherCat fans,

Thanks guys.  Sorry it has taken me so long to do this.

I'd make one small change. WeatherCat uses a slightly different tag for statistics the LWC did. You used to only need ST1$ for the full set of statistics. Now you need:

STRECORDS$
STRECENT$
ST1$

Hmm, I recalled that something was out of whack, but I looked this over and thought that actually the annual data was a reasonable compromise to avoid overwhelming the viewer with data.  I think what I should do is add the other tags and document that they are there, but I'm not sure I should have them actually active, but instead comment them out.  What do folks prefer - is more statistics always better?

Cheers, Edouard  [cheers1]

Blicj11

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Re: WeatherCat SeaMonkey web templates now available.
« Reply #5 on: October 09, 2013, 07:28:05 PM »
Quote
What do folks prefer - is more statistics always better?

Not necessarily, but I think it is ideal to add the tags and document how to activate the ones you want to use. This let's everyone have their cake and eat it too.

I just finished reading Steve Jobs biography last night. I am reminded of a statement he made:

Some people say, ?Give the customers what they want.? But that?s not my approach. Our job is to figure out what they?re going to want before they do. I think Henry Ford once said, ?If I?d asked customers what they wanted, they would have told me, ?A faster horse!?? People don?t know what they want until you show it to them. That?s why I never rely on market research.

Isaacson, Walter (2011-10-24). Steve Jobs (p. 567). Simon & Schuster, Inc.. Kindle Edition.
Blick


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Re: WeatherCat SeaMonkey web templates now available.
« Reply #6 on: October 09, 2013, 10:26:52 PM »
The old ST1$ on LWC had records, recent, and annual, so there was no option. I guess each person may want something a little different. On mine (linked HERE) I look at records and recent, and rarely refer to annual unless we've had a particularly high/low hot/cold record and I want to compare it to previous years.

Steve
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Re: WeatherCat SeaMonkey web templates now available.
« Reply #7 on: October 09, 2013, 10:40:47 PM »
Steve:

I was just pounding over your site one more time. Great job, with lots of cool details. I did find one typo or perhaps just a missing link.

In your About the weather station section, you state the following:

Quote
The local weather information on this web page is generated by Trixology WeatherCat [link] software.

It appears you should either provide the link to WeatherCat or delete the word "[link]".
Blick


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Re: WeatherCat SeaMonkey web templates now available.
« Reply #8 on: October 10, 2013, 03:08:53 AM »
It appears you should either provide the link to WeatherCat or delete the word "[link]".

Thanks for the nice comment on my site. I still have a coupls of ideas to do, but for teh most part I'm pleased with the current state.

Regarding the Trixology link; It is a live link. But the style sheet I'm using doesn't use the typical blue underline for links. It only shows a live link when passing a mouse over it (or clicking on a mobile device.) That's why I added the word link to let folks know it went somewhere.

Thanks,
Steve
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Re: WeatherCat SeaMonkey web templates now available.
« Reply #9 on: October 10, 2013, 03:43:15 PM »
Steve:

Thanks for the explanation. I should have figured that out on my own. May I ask if you are using a template for your site or did you code it from scratch?
Blick


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Re: WeatherCat SeaMonkey web templates now available.
« Reply #10 on: October 10, 2013, 05:11:44 PM »
May I ask if you are using a template for your site or did you code it from scratch?

Both. I started with the AtkinsFamily template, heavily modified it, added bits of Edouard's template, the SteelSeries Gauges, and a bunch of my own additions. It has changed substantially over the past two years since it was just the basic Atkins template.
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elagache

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Working on something. (Re: WeatherCat SeaMonkey web templates)
« Reply #11 on: October 10, 2013, 09:44:39 PM »
Dear Steve, Blick, and WeatherCat web tinkerers,

Okay, I got some ideas on how to make a longer statistics page easier to navigate.  So give me a little time to fuss with this and I'll update the template.

The old ST1$ on LWC had records, recent, and annual, so there was no option.

So this tag is deprecated in WeatherCat - correct?  When I started to update the template I went to see my live site and was surprised to see I hadn't changed this tag yet, so I didn't bother to change it in the template.  However, this is a mistake I now believe.

I guess each person may want something a little different. On mine (linked HERE) I look at records and recent, and rarely refer to annual unless we've had a particularly high/low hot/cold record and I want to compare it to previous years.

Hmm, definitely different strokes for different folks.  I rarely look at anything but the year to year  . . . . .  rainfall data! *Sniff* definitely a victim of "DISS" (Drought Induced Stress Syndrome.)  [sweat2]

However, I'm surprised Steve that you would be looking at your weather records very often - why is that?  At least for me, I have a reasonable idea of what my station's records are etched in memory (sometimes in infamy no less!)  [thunder]  Is this a case of the very wild weather you'all have in the eastern parts of the USofA making those records never standing for every long?

I find the weather records so uninteresting that I was comtemplating moving them to the Station/Region page of the template.  How to folks feel about that?  Are the records much more useful for most WeatherCat weather watchers?

Curious minds want to know!

Cheers, Edouard  [cheers1] 

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Re: WeatherCat SeaMonkey web templates now available.
« Reply #12 on: October 11, 2013, 03:24:39 AM »
I guess I check the records because I have a lousy memory. I never can remember how much rain we had on the wettest day, and when I get a 1.6" day I have to go look to see if it is a record. We just set a station record high temperature one month ago today. And I can never remember if the highest wind speed was 42 or 45 MPH.

I look at the recent data probably more than the records. I don't know why I don't seem to use the year over year data other than I only have two years worth.
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Commodore

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Re: WeatherCat SeaMonkey web templates now available.
« Reply #13 on: October 11, 2013, 05:12:11 AM »
Greetings,

Historical data is nice to have but I rarely look at it so my personal preference is to have a single link to a separate page for historical data. One of the many things I really like about your weather site, Edouard, is how easy it is to find the information I want to see. It has a simple and elegant interface. This is in stark contrast to many weather sites. For example, I love the data on Weather Underground but it's overwhelming when I look at it because of all of the different data on a single page. My first reaction when it loads is to just move on because it's so busy looking. I think the old adage had it right: Less is more.   ;D

Regards,
Mark
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Blicj11

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Re: WeatherCat SeaMonkey web templates now available.
« Reply #14 on: October 11, 2013, 05:27:57 PM »
Edouard:

You asked for opinions and if there is one thing in this world upon which I am a known expert, it is my own opinion. No one in the entire world knows more about my opinion than me.  :)

I agree with Mark about less is more. However, I draw a different conclusion than his. I like to see historical records (perhaps because I am getting old and can't remember stuff). However, if you add them as a separate tab, you have too many tabs. I don't think historical records is a good fit under Region. Therefore, I like what Steve did with it. It fits under Statistics, either at the beginning like Steve did it, or at the end.
Blick