Scribbly Thoughts

This is a small fix for the bugs that I unfortunately introduced in 1.4.0.

There had been some discussion over at DonationCoder.com, but it's taken me a little while to get to it.

I'm hoping that 1.4.1 fixes both the recent bugs: it seems to on my machine, so fingers crossed!

One bug was the codepage of the javascript file was accidentally set to UTC-8 and XP disliked that.

Download here: TimeZone Website


Leave comments here or discuss over at DonationCoder.com.

I've had a bit of a break from the main ContactFX application to get my head around Vitaly's FARR C# Plugin SDK, which has meant navigating around a new language: It's been fun (once the penny dropped with the SDK).

FARR will be providing Desktop integration including searching contacts, adding contacts and other actions with the contact data (emails, maps, urls, etc). So I wanted to at least get a bare bone working, just to relieve the nerves

This is not what the final FARRCfx will look like, but just my initial foray to get a link between ContactFX data and FARRCfx:
FARRCfx Menu

Display Contact

FARRCfx will display ContactFX data in the FARR HTML window. Each card will be displayed using HTML in a format similar to how they are designed in the main application: i.e. each card can be unique with it's own layout, sorting order, TABS, sections and colours, etc.

The HTML will have the usual functionality that will include: mailto links; hyper-links to webpages, maps, etc; micro-format integration including hCard, XFN, hCalendar, etc.

This will be the same format that will be used for HTML Export (for storing on a USB for example).

Ever since Adam I guess naming things correctly was important and I thought I should explain how I got to Cfx...

I actually started with FarrContacts, which got shortened to fc and had an x added for xml... therefore fcx.

Then I realised that even although Farr was going to be an important part of the development it wasn't critical.

It was the Contacts that was the central part... but I wanted to keep the xml and farr as they were both important... and they sort of merged into Effects!

So Cfx :: Contacts Effects works pretty well for me

But it's just a name after all...

The basic requirement for Cfx is to be an address book, but there are huge numbers of address books already available, ranging from on-line applications or modules to on-line applications to desktop software and phone software, etc, etc.

For a long time I've attempted to use Open Contacts, which, by the way, I think is a very good programme, it just never seemed to click with me. I think it is the interface, because the functionality, in many respects, is pretty much what I'm aiming at too. In fact the Open Contacts "Big Picture" is very similar to my overview.

The Open Contacts Big Picture

The Proposed Cfx Requirements

Not that I'm basing Cfx on Open Contacts in any way; OC is just the closest application I found to what I wanted in an Address Book.

Why on earth make a new one?
Probably the main reason is that I've wanted to for some time because I didn't want my address book to be based somewhere else (FaceBook, Google Contacts, etc), and the next is NANY 2011 has given me the impetus

But apart from that I'm hoping to make these general additions / improvements:

• Flexible import and export: very easy to get contacts both in and out of Cfx.
• Off-line access: not dependant on a website or web application.
• Non-Cfx dependant search [e.g. via FARR]: FARR integration will give Cfx very flexible system integration on the desktop.
• Non-Cfx dependant access [e.g. via HTML on USB]: can take address book anywhere and access just via a browser.

I'm taking the plunge this year with NANY and have pledged to release a new application on January 1 2011.

After a few years of helping out behind the scenes a change to the timing of the event this year has allowed me to consider pledging an entry (and hopefully getting it done).

Cfx is the working title of my entry: Contacts Effects.

The basic aims are:

• Flexible addressbook and contact creation and editting
• Export to html for FTP to webspace / usb (allowing easy viewing from any PC)
• FARR integration (allowing easy searching / viewing on home PC)

More details as I progress (but thankfully I've got a good amount of time )