The NinSheetMusic Redesign Suggestion Thread: Site features

[PetrifiedLasagna]

Also, Lasagna, PHP is used here. I'm not sure if the admins/codemonkeys use Javascript as well or not. I believe Jamaha told me once that it's all PHP

PHP is actually a server side language, which means that anybody's browser who connects to the site will never run a single bit of that code. Javascript (or JQuery, Flash, etc.) are run by the browsers themselves, i.e. it is client-side. So if there is like an outright ban on using javascript, then we might as well throw this idea out the window

Although if need be, I could host it on my web server.

[PetrifiedLasagna]

So, I have been experimenting and have got some good results so far. I can load a client-side file and decode the audio file, and have printed the number of channels, all in less than 98 lines of code. So it is definitely a feasible project. There is only one thing that describes my experience with this today...

Spoiler

[close]

[mikey]

as do most programming projects
you're like, oh, this'll only take a few lines
then the next thing you know you've had to add 3 more variables and a pair of for loops

[Sebastian]

as do most programming projects
you're like, oh, this'll only take a few lines
then the next thing you know you've had to add 3 more variables and a pair of for loops

Soooooo true. That's why I gave up on programming xD

Either that or I had no one to help me or care about helping me.

[PetrifiedLasagna]

So true Nocturne, although It is mostly just learning APIs/Web technologies. Luckily this wasn't anything like my more math involved programs where I have to figure it out. I will draw these diagrams as visual aid, and if you were to look you would swear I was coding for NASA or something!

Soooooo true. That's why I gave up on programming xD

Either that or I had no one to help me or care about helping me.

That's sad to hear that. You know I might have never even considered becoming a programmer if it wasn't for Nintendo's Wario D.I.Y. 

Although, I can say from experience that once you have learned the basics, the hurdle after that point is time (and maybe implementation).

[mikey]

programming is super addicting, cause once you finish it feels so good you want to write another program

[PetrifiedLasagna]

I couldn't agree more with that. I literally took a "Break" from [school] work today to program. Even when I have to do it as a job, I enjoy it so much.

I actually found a major bug in a 3d animation program I made, because there was a problem with my math. It was so satisfying when I had that "aha" moment and fixed it.

Have you worked on any projects Nocturne?

[mikey]

I took a semester of Python in high school, and I've taken a 100 level Problem Solving course in college that utilized the MATLAB language.  Both super great, although not as widely used as C++/Java

[PetrifiedLasagna]

Oh, that's cool. I got a little into Python, it is very nice especially as a scripting language. I have actually never heard of MATLAB, but it looks really cool from the videos. Although, I am curious as to what you mean by "100 level problem solving." Did you have to solve a problem that had a hundred things that needed to be addressed?

[mikey]

it was a 100 level class as opposed to 200 300 or 400 level
basically freshman

[PetrifiedLasagna]

This is about to get epic. The project is playing files that I select, and will be presentable after I neaten up the code and fix bugs that cause it to fail. I just have to find an elegant way to slow down the recordings without changing pitch. Any sound engineers around here? 

Even if it can't be put on the site, I will make sure to put the links where you guys can get to them. I am also going to be creating a program for midi files that I was originally making for PC, but will do a web port instead. Also, all future updates will be put into a thread that I will create leave a link to in a little bit.

The new thread, which can be found under "off-topic": http://forum.ninsheetmusic.org/index.php?topic=8486.0

[mikey]

I volunteer ben as sound engineer

[PetrifiedLasagna]

I think one thing that should be updated is the file validation for arrangement submission. I am not sure how it is setup right now, but I encountered a problem which I posted at Problems with PDF submission.

I will just summarize what happened. Basically, all of my PDFs that I attempted to submit were valid, but the only reason that it was not submitting was, because I did not have Adobe Reader installed. I think you should be checking whether a file is valid or not by reading the header information.

I posted links below that contain the header information of each file type

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portable_Document_Format#File_structure (PDF)
http://www.fileformat.info/format/midi/corion.htm (MIDI)

If any admins/mods are interested by this change, then I can PM the specs on the MUS/MUSX file format as well (avoid piracy and all that)

[The Deku Trombonist]

Hmm...so I read through your previous post. Can you still create PDFs (ones that fail to upload) via the method you used before? If so, could you do that and send it to me?

Also, all checking is done server-side so it has no way of knowing what you do/do not have installed. Some checks probably just need a little expanding/loosening. I remember having to do this for the Finale 2012-compatible .mus files exported by Finale 2014, which for some reason differ from those produced by Finale 2012 and before.

Anyway, I'd be interested to see what you have on .mus/.musx files.

[PetrifiedLasagna]

Hmm...so I read through your previous post. Can you still create PDFs (ones that fail to upload) via the method you used before? If so, could you do that and send it to me?

Nope.
My first attempt was to use an old file that I had generated. The file was generated using the adobe postscript driver and converted using the converter at "ps2pdf.com". These files had been submitted with no problem on my desktop which had Adobe Reader.

Eventually I got a new PC, and had the files on hand. I had been having some internet trouble at the time so I decided to see if it test if I would be able to upload files without any problems. I had a newly generated set of files (created on the old computer) that I had yet to upload, so I decided to try it out, but this failed with the message for "not a PDF" or whatever.

This PC can't install the postscript driver so I downloaded CutePDF and that also failed to upload, so I downloaded AR to make sure that it would load it (which it did). So I tried uploading again and it worked. Every file I have generated up to this point has worked.

I am really confused at how this behavior is occurring if all checks are done server side.

I will try uninstalling AR and see if the error occurs again.

Anyway, I'd be interested to see what you have on .mus/.musx files.

I have only looked at .mus at this point (since I use 2012), but I could dig around and find any differences between general formatting.