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[mollymoth]

Why do the masters of this site treat numbers as text? That means a left-to-right sort (if you don't know, that makes the order 0, 1, 10-19, 2, 20-29, 3...).  To force a proper numerical order, this requires leading zeroes: 00-09, 10-19...  Some ugly, old software handles numbers that way. Boo! Numbers are treated right-to-left! 0-9, 10-19, 20-29... You don't need leading zeroes! Happy Thanksgiving!

[OtherEric]

Because a lot of programs- including older versions of windows and some of the comic book reading programs- use the left-to-right source.  Leading zeros might be tacky, but they work with everything out there.  We don't want to exclude people with older programs.

[John C]

Specifically, the CDisplay application (which I believe most of us use to read the comics) sorts the files in the archive as text.  I doubt that anybody here has an opinion other than wanting to read pages in the correct order.

[rez]

What does the thumbs down icon on this thread's original post mean and where does it come from?

[Zog]

If you have a look when you do a message, just below Subject, there is another drop down box, message icon....

[rez]

I see said the blind man as he picked up his hammer and saw.

[Yoc]

Having leading zeroes just makes life easier for everyone gang.
PLEASE use them.  Freddyfly's last uploads have this problem.  While some, maybe many don't see anything wrong some might and why even possibly let it happen?

Add the zero, thanks!

[Aussie500]

Also even when numbering the title, l like them to line up, they will not unless you put those zero's in there, except for the Dell 4C comics everything is to have 3 digits, no matter how many issues there were, the numbering system is to be the same for any comic title that had less than 1000 issues

[rez]

Hi Aussie.

Might you elaborate on the 3 digits for the comic title statement?
Does this mean that a title that ran 50 issues should have 001 as the listing of the first book and 050 for the last?

Thanks.

Also even when numbering the title, l like them to line up, they will not unless you put those zero's in there, except for the Dell 4C comics everything is to have 3 digits, no matter how many issues there were, the numbering system is to be the same for any comic title that had less than 1000 issues

[Aussie500]

Hi Aussie.

Might you elaborate on the 3 digits for the comic title statement?
Does this mean that a title that ran 50 issues should have 001 as the listing of the first book and 050 for the last?

Thanks.

That is exactly what l mean, most sections are numbered like that but a few have probably still been missed.

[Yoc]

I didn't know about that Aussie, I wonder if there's a fast way to change the names on the site instead of doing them all manually?

-Yoc

[bchat]

Shouldn't the issue of "X-digit" numbering for the issue # be approached on a case-by-case basis?  I understand a desire to have things standardized so that any given title doesn't get thrown out of order of publication on the site (like titles that switched from "volume-issue" numbering to an "overall numbering" format like Funny Pages or Keen Detective Funnies), but something that only ran 9 issues doesn't need 001, 002, etc, while a series that didn't get past # 99 doesn't need 3 digits. 

Please bear in mind that I'm not suggesting renumbering any titles that currently use a 3-digit numbering system to eliminate unneccessary zeroes, and I whole-heartedly support following whatever standard has already been established for any given book (like "Black Terror"), but why add extra work by renumbering books that simply don't need it or by adding zeroes that serve no purpose?

[Yoc]

Hi BC,
That's the system that I personally use.  If a title only went 55 book I use 55, but if it went 4 I use 04.  It reads better when making lists.  But that's just me.  Aussie as an admin and if she wants 3 digits for all runs I can live with that.  Sadly though a set system wasn't in place from day 1 of GAC and each title seems to ave it's own system. 

[narfstar]

I pretty much leave things alone unless we have something that is not sorting because extra zeroes are needed.

[bchat]

Sadly though a set system wasn't in place from day 1 of GAC and each title seems to have it's own system.

My take is:  Each title having its own system is fine as long as the issues sort properly when people go to download what they want (issue one is on top, issue 99 on the bottom of the list).  I have seen a title that hit double-digits (can't remember which one) where the issues were out of order because some people used a single digit issue #, some used a two digit and others still used three, which throws everything out of whack.  I really wish I could remember the title, but bottom line is that when I skimmed the available files, it made it a bit of pain that issue 2, 3, and so on were listed after 19, etc.  To give a really bad idea of what I mean, let's say the books were sorted like this:  004, 02, 19, 3, etc.  It's why with the two (soon to be three) files I've uploaded, I've taken an extra minute to see how that title has already been handled so that what I'm adding will fall into the proper spot.

Again, this is all only my opinion.  Whatever the folks in-charge decide is how it's gonna be and I'll live with it.

[Yoc]

Hi bchat.  That's something I can easily fix if I spot them.  I admit I haven't had time to check the entire site though so if you spot something like you mentioned please send me a Private Message and I'll clean it up.  Actually any of the mods can edit a file name as it appears on the site.  But we can't change the download names.

-Yoc

[bchat]

Yoc-  I'll see if I can figure-out which title it was and let you know.

But we can't change the download names.

That's not such a big deal for me.  Sometimes I'll adjust the names when I go to download the files or after I DL them.  I usually do that to make the files names shorter or to standardize files that were uploaded by different people so that they're organized in a way that works best for me.

[John C]

I tend to do the same thing, which is why I haven't been much interested in this thread other than "don't put too much of a burden on scanners."  Since I'm probably going to rename most things anyway, it really doesn't matter to me how they're named on the site.

As a prime example, unless I'm in a hurry, I get rid of all the underscores in the file's name.  As long as I'm doing that, I fix up the numbering, whether or not I include the word "Comics" in the title, and so on.

My concern isn't for the names themselves.  It's for people deciding not to bother uploading because they're worried about conforming to the site's (possibly changing) rules.

[Yoc]

People can upload a file named however they want.  That's the file name that appears when downloaded.  The name as it appears on the site can be easily changed by a moderator and we quite often do change them to conform with all the others already on the site and perhaps include if they are fiche, incomplete, missing ads, or from the JVJ Collection.
People should not hesitate to upload because they are worried about conforming to the site's name rules.  For example Freddyfly has been uploading some lovely and rare Fox books.  He uses his own file name standards and that's ok with me.  We're thrilled to get paper scans of these books and can easily adjust the name as it appears on the site to conform.  Bottom line is we want to be home to the BIGGEST and BEST online collection of Public Domain comics IN THE WORLD!!! 

Our thanks to all the scanners and uploaders out there keeping our world domination plan on schedule.
-Yoc

[John C]

I get that.  I'm just (without blame, because I know how easy it is to get carried away in discussion) seeing a lot of "just add the leading zeroes" and "every book should have leading zeroes."

It's only a quick trip from there to the fascist "you didn't follow all the arcane rules, so now we all have to yell at you and pretend that it's a privilege to be part of this community" garbage you see in "collaborative" spots like Wikipedia.  I like to think that the group here is far nicer than that, but you only need a couple of jerks passing through to give the impression of an inbred community.

So, really, I just want to make sure that the bar of entry is set as low as possible and that you File Transfer Elves don't put yourselves to too much trouble in renaming things when (a) a good number of us are just going to rename everything again anyway and (b) there are shoes that need fixing and sleighs to load.

(That's not to say that I'd be averse to the prominent scanners leading by example and using their own standards, but they seem to already do that, pretty much, so I'm just rambling at this point...)

[Yoc]

Ok will somebody take that stein of coffee away from JC... carefully now... don't wanna spook him.  *joke*

Yes John, nobody here is in a position to dictate to any scanner how to name his files.  First of all we are always going to depend on them to be generous and upload new scans our we quickly loose our place as THE place to debut PD scans to the world.  I learned my own file naming format from another great collector and former scanner - OldWayne who might have some scans around here and perhaps is even a member.  He's a great guy.  Anyways when I saw his system I thought - hey, that's for me!  Proving you can teach an old monkey a new trick.
And as you say JC, it's Very Easy for a downloader to rename a file to fit his personal file name format.  I only like to see file names follow a system that shows books in a logical order as they appear to the users browsing the collection.  But how the files are actually named when uploaded is totally up to the scanner.

So before any scanner feels bored reading all of this remember - GAC LOVES YOU!


-Yoc

[John C]

I don't drink coffee, actually.  I'm like this all.  The.  Time.  (Feel free to picture me pounding the desk with my fist to puncutate.)

But I've seen more than a few communities become insular because of these sorts of barely-relevant issues, so I figured I'd bring it up before someone cooks up the One True Naming Convention.  I'd rather talk about oddball Golden Age characters than the right number of digits in a number.

[Yoc]

Sounds good to me.
I expect big reviews on those Fox books - The Moth, The Linx, The Button Down Mind of Bob Newhart... what?  That wasn't Fox?  Oh, sorry, I'm terrible without my morning coffee!

[OtherEric]

The Mad Dog series is a royal pain to find, though.  And it has some great Templeton work in it, but was totally lost as an obscure TV tie-in.  I still haven't found the whole run.