Search/browse links and tabs in the PDB

Dave, the nifty "search & browse" tools we had in the old PDB have been noticed as absent in the new design. I know you're looking for ways to make the search/browse buttons in the new site better and cleaner.

We have "Search" and "Advanced" and "Cultivars" in the top tabs, which means the search box is triplicated on the homepage and duplicated everywhere else. The "Browse popular cultivars" and "Try our Advanced Search" are also duplicated on the homepage between the links/pull-down lists and the tabs.

What if you replaced those tabs with one "Search and browse tools" tab that takes you to the page we used to have, which included a family/genus/species drill-down ability which is appreciated by subscribers and non-subscribers alike. I'd even humbly petition to bring back the Latin lookup on such a "tools" page, (though I might be the lone voice in the wilderness on that one, lolol.)

Good stuff. I have made these changes (except latin lookup, which I'll consider in a little while)

dave

Latin lookup is back! :) Available via the tools menu.

dave

Thanks! (Double big thanks for bringing back Latin lookup!!!!)

BTW, the "drill-downs" from family to genus to species work great until you get to the species level. If you try to click on any species, it doesn't go anywhere.

And the asterisk next to "search" is probably a bit misleading since non-subscribers can use it, but they are limited to ten searches per day.)

I'm confused about your drill down to the species level. The deepest you get can is the genus level, at which point you are shown all the species for that genus. But, those species aren't hyperlinked, because there's nothing under them to view.

I fixed the text on the tools page, please review.

dave

ahhhh - I thought when you clicked on the species, it would take you to the actual entries. No?

That's the "PDB" link in the right-most column in the "view all plants by genus" area.

That link only appears if the plant is actually in the PDB.

dave

Ooops, sorry - talking about two different things.

I understand how the Latin Lookup works - no problems or complaints at all (well, maybe a few about common name vs. synonym fields but that's for another time ;o)

When I said you couldn't click on a species, I meant through the drilldown. You can browse by family, select a name and browse by genus, select a genus and browse by species. (Or you can enter straight to the species list - all 6,972 of 'em.) But if you try to click on any species in that drill-down, it doesn't take you anywhere. And I *thought* (could be wrong) that it used to present a list of actual entries once you got down that far.

How are you arriving at this species list? I need a hyperlink.

dave

Directly: http://davesgarden.com/pdb/tools/names.php?z=species

or by drilling down:

1) View all families: http://davesgarden.com/pdb/tools/names.php?z=family
2) Select Acanthaceae: http://davesgarden.com/pdb/tools/names.php?family=Acanthaceae&z=genus
3) Select Acanthus: http://davesgarden.com/pdb/tools/names.php?family=Acanthaceae&genus=Acanthus&z=species

Either way, the list of species shows me WHAT species are in the PDB, but the name itself, while blue or green like a hyperlink, doesn't go anywhere.

That helps; thanks!

dave

Okay, try it now.

dave

absolutely perfect. Thanks!!!!

Is there a rhyme or reason to the sequence of the entries when I click on "Species" under the tools menu? Looks like the the list actually starts with a Cultivar.


Also on the first page of Species results there is one called Not Given with 39, 770 entries but when you click on it you get a page that says:

Viewing all plants of:

* Species: Not Given

We know of no plants with these selected search parameteres.

If you click on the first few listings that look like Cultivars, you'll see that people possibly entered those incorrectly. They have put the cultivar in the species box.

Ahhh...some more PDB editor work.

Actually those represent our taxonomical "junk drawer" - they aren't really species and they aren't really cultivars. Those are being ignored for the time being to see if some brilliant scientist can come up with standard nomenclature for them...

And don't even get me started on Orchids. It's rarefied air those hybridizers breathe, and I really think they could use more oxygen ;o)

I have made some small improvements to the journal.

Now in the "This plant is in the Plants Database" section, it shouldn't give you 5 pages anymore.

If you entered a cultivar, then it'll only match those actual cultivars. If you leave out the cultivar, then it will only show matches that also have no cultivar.

dave

Dave -

Actually something went wrong on that one.....got a "session halted" error on viewing my journal Coleus entry. Here's a screenshot.......