recipe links in search pages

[SwordMage]

I have a suggestion to make the search engine a bit more useful.

If there could be a link similar to "Find recipes that use this item" in each entry of table returned by the "Find recipes that use this item" link it would make navigation much faster. This became very clear to me as I was searching the Pottery recipies and needing to link through the unfired items to get to the complete items to see what they were used for.

(maybe something small on the right side of the Yield line?)

Thanks for this site, it is great.

[Ngreth Thergn]

give me an example of your search. I say this becasue there ARE recipe links in the search pages...

[Ranayna]

I think what he means ist, that in the list you get when you click on recipes that use this item, there ist no such link.

For example, using the searchword "grinning" yields in Grinning Goblin Brew. When you click on the find recipe link, you get Goblin Temper, but under Goblin Temper is no find recipes link.

Ranayna, Kael Drakkal

[SwordMage]

Yes, thats the idea. What I am looking at is a way to follow chains of combines faster (the type of query I am looking at is "what is this component used for"). Some times you may go through three or four pairs of screens before you find the really interesting product.

For instance: what is thunder salmon used for (should I buy it from the vendor and put it aside for later)?

look up thunder salmon
get recipes table
see "fresh eggs" and click on it's page (with all sorts of neat stuff that doesn't add much to the current question)
get recipes table
see "fish oil" and click on it's page (again only a way of getting to the recipes link)
get recipes table
see "Tormentor Stir Fry" and say "oh boy; but what else"

go back to thunder salmon recipes
see "Salmon bones"
get recipes
. . .

The "problem" is that the recipes table has so much good stuff (less the recipes link) that the individual recipe pages are not always needed. Adding the link to each entry of the table will eliminate a whole passel of unnecessary database queries while actually making life easier for your users.

Or to put in in Executive Ogre tongue: User happy, server less busy, programmer loses another night sleep.

[Ngreth Thergn]

Ok I don;t think it will... but... I ahve to look at this carefully before I implement anything like it to be sure I do NOT create any infinite loops... (Again... before you say it, I do not think it will... I just have to be SURE becasue it is mucho bad!!!)

[SwordMage]

I am confused about the loop comment, I am not asking for any new query logic, just adding the "find recipes..." hyper-link currently on the recipe page somewhere in each recipe list table entry so that I can follow it as needed.

something like:

Acrylia Bits
WT: 0.1 Size: TINY
Class: ALL
Race: ALL
----------
Components: small piece of acrylia(2), water flask
In: forge
Yield: 1 -- Find recipes that use this item
-----------
24

where the value of the hyperlink would be "http://www.eqtraders.com/search/reverse_recipe_search.php?item=1588&menustr=010000 000000"

(I didn't want to try and actually format the three colums so I just pasted the column entries one after another)

[Fluteria]

It sounds like they've had a problem with infinite loops in the past, and before they make changes they like to just verify they're not recreating the situation. Sometimes what appears obvious on the front can have a hidden side effect that you weren't expecting. I think he was just qualifying that it isnt' a *done* deal until he's sure it's not gonna have negative effects.

Then again, I could be wrong. That's what I got out of it though.

And yes... infinite loops on a web server = VERY BAD

[KyrosKrane]

Originally posted by Fluteria
And yes... infinite loops on a web server = VERY BAD

Learned the hard way after crashing my company's Web server ... repeatedly ... by just loading the home page ...

I now ALWAYS code in an extra check for infinite loops and make sure any time there's a loop, there's also an exit condition for it.

[Ngreth Thergn]

as I said. I do NOT expect it to be a problem here. My thoughts on why it will not be a problem is the user must click...

BUT we are in a posision where a page is calling itself... which *CAN* create an infinite loop. I just want to be REALLY careful Haven't we had enough problems lately with the server being down?

[SwordMage]

Sorry, I was just making sure we were talking about the same feature. I was afraid you were thinking of something more complex than I was and wanted to be sure.

[SwordMage]

House Ogre,

Thank you, for your quick response. This change will make things much easier.

Now, if you can do something about the skill up rates ...

[KyrosKrane]

If I may offer a suggestion.

On pages like this one, I've found that the Item Info column always has more lines (and thus takes up more vertical space) than the Recipe column. In order to reduce the need to scroll a bit, would it be possible to move the new "Find recipes that use this item" link into the Recipe column?

Thankee in advance!

[Ngreth Thergn]

I tried it there... but with it bold it messed up the look of the page, made it look really weird. Without bold it was jsut not noticable enough there to be usefull. It jsut plain looked better under items, despite the extra space it takes, and it was more noticable there.

And despite this not being a "Glamor" site, looks do count in good UI design, if it looks unapealing people tend to shy away from a feature.