Software that makes placemats

[djewesbury]

Aha. Thanks JDAW for drawing my attention to this, I was a little busy. Jim has been making these floor works for many years and they are often dazzling. They used to be painstakingly constructed bit by bit with PVC tape; I don't know if he still hand-makes these pieces but I suspect he might, it's all about the hours put in. And of course, it is in that sense that we really find the link to Julian's wonderful software.

[jdaw1]

(Note to self: people complained about labelling the extra Ports with ‘¶’ and ‘§’, though didn’t mind the dagger ‘†’ and apparently don’t mind the ‘‡’. AHB repeated his dislike of Greeks: α β γ δ ε ζ η θ ι κ λ μ ν ξ ο π ρ σ τ υ φ χ ψ ω. A preference was expressed for currencies: £ $ ¥ €, perhaps in that order.)

And there was also criticism of the typeface: /TitlesFont /Cardinal-Alternate def was not liked.

[jdaw1]

For The Elliotts in London on 14 August 2015, two parameters were added to the code, GlassesCirclesFadingFactor and GlassesCrossedOut.

The intention was to fade out what I’m not drinking — in this event, the Champagne that was intended mostly for our better halves.

Then we started planning a Vesuvio tasting on 24 February 2016. Bottles were missing! Some were missing because the Symingtons didn’t make them (GlassesCrossedOut), others because, as of that stage in the planning before being rescued by Axel, we didn’t have them (GlassesCirclesFadingFactor).

Daniel and I corresponded about this:

I'm not sure I like excluded years being given a space on the placemat.

Excluded in the sense of not made? I was thinking likewise. Excluded in the sense of our failure? We should own up to our failings.

Further comments would be welcomed on these new parameters, and on their proper use.

[jdaw1]

I'm not sure I like excluded years being given a space on the placemat.

Excluded in the sense of not made? I was thinking likewise. Excluded in the sense of our failure? We should own up to our failings.

As this correspondence makes clear, I was thinking of using faded circles to admit to a failure of the team. But Glenn, during his recent visit to Davy’s Woolgate, suggested a sharper purpose. When people commit to attending a tasting, then can’t make it, and fail to send their bottles, then there should still be circles for what they promised but failed to provide. Individual rather than team shame, no doubt pour encourager les autres.

[djewesbury]

I think this is unnecessary. Most often when someone is unable to attend they give good advance notice or send their bottle on. This seems pusillanimous.

[jdaw1]

I think this is unnecessary. Most often when someone is unable to attend they give good advance notice or send their bottle on. This seems pusillanimous.

Sending the bottle is commendable: that would be rightly praised, not criticised. And “good advance notice” would be entirely proper.

But what about last-moment changed-my-mind hole-in-tasting people?

[djewesbury]

I think this is unnecessary. Most often when someone is unable to attend they give good advance notice or send their bottle on. This seems pusillanimous.

Sending the bottle is commendable: that would be rightly praised, not criticised. And “good advance notice” would be entirely proper.

But what about last-moment changed-my-mind hole-in-tasting people?

Really, when did that last happen? We are all such committed and dedicated devotees of this wondrous wine, who could imagine anyone turning up an opportunity to drink it amongst friends?
I think the placemats do not need to chastise, even latently.

[jdaw1]

We are all such committed and dedicated devotees of this wondrous wine

We on this side of the Atlantic, yes agreed. But there is also a ‘they’ — the all-purpose paranoid pronoun — on the other side. And, as you might have more obviously hinted, this is not yooks-zooks equivalence: the we-they distinction in this matter is all-important.

So they might wish to do things differently. We judge not.

[Glenn E.]

We often have people who bail but fail to provide either sufficient notice or their planned bottles. This likely wouldn't correct that, but would give those in attendance further information.

[djewesbury]

We often have people who bail but fail to provide either sufficient notice or their planned bottles. This likely wouldn't correct that, but would give those in attendance further information.

Barbarians. Greyed circles will not approach the enormities of these people. I recommend wholesale social exclusion - posters in the marketplace, silent separation at the office, shunning at the school gate. Shame them, cast them out into the wilderness for seven years, sell their belongings, enslave their children, scratch out their names from public monuments.

That usually does it.

[jdaw1]

Greyed circles cannot sufficiently address the misdeeds of these people.

Not just greyed: the circle would also be crossed out.

[djewesbury]

Greyed circles cannot sufficiently address the misdeeds of these people.

Not just greyed: the circle would also be crossed out.

A modern ostrakon. The placemats should then be eaten.

[djewesbury]

Whoops. I edited. Sorry.

[jdaw1]

Draft of the placemats. (Do not print from this link. A few days before the tasting there will temporarily be a different link, to counteract problems with the caching of old drafts.)

This is intended to avoid the needless hassle of storing every version, whilst addressing the stated problem. Perhaps also see earlier discussion about versioning of placemats.

Comment would be welcomed.

[jdaw1]

Re the discussion a few dozen posts ago about InlineTitles, there’s also a problem with Chrome, the PDF viewer of which mangles InlineTitles. This is known, and on 21^st May a bug report was submitted.

Chrome fixed as of version 45.0.2454.85.

[jdaw1]

This google cache might amuse or appal.

[djewesbury]

Loving the new version of the software. Such an improvement.

[foomench]

I've used this software many times, and as a programmer I love it.

I also have considered trying to adapt it for another use, but the time to tweak output seems a little prohibitive to me. Here is my use case: Best of show judging at a beer competition. All beers are first judged in their individual categories. Then the best of each category goes on to a best of show round. Now we have some large number (say 30) of beers to pick from, blind. But for each we have an entry number and a style (alphanumeric indicator and description, like "4A: Belgian Golden Strong"). So all the judges get out sheets of paper, draw grids, and start writing down these descriptors as the cups are poured. It is a pain and somewhat subject to error. It seems like a place for the placemat software to come to the rescue. But we don't know the BOS beers until very shortly before judging. Typing in the information into the correct spot in the PostScript, figuring out an ideal layout, and converting to a printable form takes some time.

So I've contemplated making a front end to make it easy for people to use, possibly even interfacing with the beer competition software. Features aren't key--just put in an entry indicator (for center of circle), and category (perimeter) for each beer and generate a large placemat (te.g. abloid size).

I don't expect Julian to integrate this into his requirements. I'm just thinking out loud about this.

[jdaw1]

Please post or send me an example of the hand-drawn grid.

If you can be helped easily, it might happen.

[DRT]

I have asked for a front end for this software more than once and the idea has been rejected. I still think it is a good idea, even if only for a "Placemats Lite" version with minimal faffery.

If JDAW could put forward a stable version of the Postscript code perhaps Eric is the man for the job to create Placemat Wizard v1.0

[jdaw1]

I have asked for a front end for this software more than once and the idea has been rejected. I still think it is a good idea, even if only for a "Placemats Lite" version with minimal faffery.

Open in your preferred text editor. Change:
• Circlearrays;
• Titles and Belowtitles;
• Names;
• HeadersLeft and HeadersCenter.
Upload to ps2pdf.com. Finished.

It is not more than a mite harder than typing the same data into an HTML page.

[DRT]

I have asked for a front end for this software more than once and the idea has been rejected. I still think it is a good idea, even if only for a "Placemats Lite" version with minimal faffery.

Open in your preferred text editor. Change:
• Circlearrays;
• Titles and Belowtitles;
• Names;
• HeadersLeft and HeadersCenter.
Upload to ps2pdf.com. Finished.

It is not more than a mite harder than typing the same data into an HTML page.

Even for a seventy year old, code-illiterate, beer-enthusiast about to judge 35 beers that he has never heard of with 22 minutes to go before the tasting?

I think not.

Not everyone is you. Believe me, this would be useful to those of us who are not you.

[jdaw1]

Even for a seventy year old, code-illiterate, beer-enthusiast about to judge 35 beers that he has never heard of with 22 minutes to go before the tasting?

Yes. He could not edit the text file. He could not do it in HTML.

You seem to be under the illusion that a wizard will make things quick and easy.

[DRT]

Even for a seventy year old, code-illiterate, beer-enthusiast about to judge 35 beers that he has never heard of with 22 minutes to go before the tasting?

Yes. He could not edit the text file. He could not do it in HTML.

You seem to be under the illusion that a wizard will make things quick and easy.

You seem to be under the illusion that everyone is you, or someone like you.

This is how it could help people who are not you...

Example 1:

1. Launch Placemat Wizard and choose "Easy".
2. Enter the number of drinks to be tasted.
3. Enter the number of drinkers.
4. Print.

Example 2:

1. Launch Placemat Wizard and choose "Include Drink Names"
2. Enter a list of drinks (max 50?) in one box, one name per line.
3. Enter the number of drinkers.
4. Print.

Example 3:

1. Launch Placemat Wizard and choose "Include Drink and Drinker's Names"
2. Enter a list of drinks (max 50?) in one box, one name per line.
3. Enter a list of drinkers (max 20?) in one box, one name per line.
4. Print.

Example 4:

1. Faff around with JDAW's solution.


You need to start believing that not everyone prefers option 4.

[jdaw1]

Example 1 could be pre-canned: 4 to 12 drinks (I, II, III, IV, …); 14 drinkers (A, B, C, …, N); A4 or 8½″×11″.

[DRT]

Example 1 could be pre-canned: 4 to 12 drinks (I, II, III, IV, …); 14 drinkers (A, B, C, …, N); A4 or 8½″×11″.

Let's call that Example 0. Not everyone wants to waste paper.

[jdaw1]

I also have considered trying to adapt it for another use, but the time to tweak output seems a little prohibitive to me. Here is my use case: Best of show judging at a beer competition. All beers are first judged in their individual categories. Then the best of each category goes on to a best of show round. Now we have some large number (say 30) of beers to pick from, blind. But for each we have an entry number and a style (alphanumeric indicator and description, like "4A: Belgian Golden Strong").

Is “4A: Belgian Golden Strong” a category? If so, could you use the likes of the following?

Code: Select all

/Titles [ … (4A) …  ] def
/Circlearrays [
	…
	[ (Belgian Golden Strong)  (4A)  ]
	…
] def

The vote-recorder sheets would be used. Do you need a separate v-r sheet each, with column titles being points categories (nose, taste, gets you sauced quickly, etc)? That fits into the current code, though some re-arrangements of parameters might help.

If not, what is known? Is it that there will be only one ‘4’ beer, and it could be 4A or 4B or 4C or … or 4Z?

Please could you post more data.

[jdaw1]

Example 1 could be pre-canned: 4 to 12 drinks (I, II, III, IV, …); 14 drinkers (A, B, C, …, N); A4 or 8½″×11″.

Let's call that Example 0. Not everyone wants to waste paper.

One PDF for each number of glasses; glasses sheets and TN sheets at end so user chooses last page to print and thereby chooses effective number of people. Or have 14 people on the voting sheets, and one set of glasses/TN pages with a blank name: print as many copies as needed.

[DRT]

Example 1 could be pre-canned: 4 to 12 drinks (I, II, III, IV, …); 14 drinkers (A, B, C, …, N); A4 or 8½″×11″.

Let's call that Example 0. Not everyone wants to waste paper.

One PDF for each number of glasses; glasses sheets and TN sheets at end so user chooses last page to print and thereby chooses effective number of people. Or have 14 people on the voting sheets, and one set of glasses/TN pages with a blank name: print as many copies as needed.

Yes, that would work, but includes the user picking and downloading a file from somewhere. Compare that to an App on an iPhone (or, if you are staunchly Glenn, a lesser device) >> launch >> x drinks >> y drinkers >> print. No having to find the files, no choosing the correct one, no downloading, just six or seven clicks and you have a complete set of placemats.

[foomench]

I really stirred this pot it seems. In my beer use case, we don't need score sheets, aren't really concerned about drinker names ... Detailed notes have already been recorded and entered into the competition software for the 300 or 1000 beers judged. (There are a couple different programs out there for this.) This is the final elimination round and we just want to keep from mixing things up. 3 or 5 judges take sheets of paper and stewards pour the BOS qualifiers. Judges sample everything. "Got anything you would knock out?" A whole bunch of beers go away if there are no objections. Then people start ranking them and talking about them, taking another sip, sitting them back down. You might scribble something on your grid/placement. More things get knocked out ...

I'll see if I can draw up one of these improvised placemats for inspiration some time.

[jdaw1]

I really stirred this pot it seems.

Requests have improved the software. I need to understand the request and its generality before knowing what to do with it.

• Do you know that there will be on ‘4’ beer?
• Do you know that there will be on ‘4A’ beer?
• Is there any level of the hierarchy of specification such that you know, at that level of ontology, how many beers there will be?

[DRT]

In my beer use case, we don't need score sheets, aren't really concerned about drinker names ... Detailed notes have already been recorded and entered into the competition software for the 300 or 1000 beers judged. (There are a couple different programs out there for this.) This is the final elimination round and we just want to keep from mixing things up. 3 or 5 judges take sheets of paper and stewards pour the BOS qualifiers. Judges sample everything. "Got anything you would knock out?" A whole bunch of beers go away if there are no objections. Then people start ranking them and talking about them, taking another sip, sitting them back down. You might scribble something on your grid/placement. More things get knocked out ...

A perfect use for example 2:

1. Launch Placemat Wizard and choose "Include Drink Names"
2. Enter a list of drinks (max 50?) in one box, one name per line.
3. Enter the number of drinkers.
4. Print.

[DRT]

I really stirred this pot it seems.

Requests have improved the software. I need to understand the request and its generality before knowing what to do with it.

By your own admission elsewhere in this thread writing a wizard is not your forte. You therefore do not need to know what to do with this request other than to give a stable version of the code to someone who does.

[jdaw1]

give a stable version of the code to someone who does.

Actually, it suffices for it to be a version of the code the parameters of which the wizard might change are stable.

Calling for volunteers to write Derek’s wizard?

[jdaw1]

Eric: please don't be distracted by Derek's enthusiasm for a wizard. Please do answer the beer questions.

[djewesbury]

Actually, it suffices for it to be a version of the code the parameters of which the wizard might change are stable.

A perfect example of how to render the language impenetrable through the thoroughly correct use of grammar. Brown star for you.

[jdaw1]

Actually, it suffices for it to be a version of the code the parameters of which the wizard might change are stable.

A perfect example of how to render the language impenetrable through the thoroughly correct use of grammar. Brown star for you.

Agreed. It’s a mess. (which is our lowest grade of star) indeed.

• What matters is the stability of the parameters that the wizard might alter. The code and the other parameters need not be stable.

[DRT]

Actually, it suffices for it to be a version of the code the parameters of which the wizard might change are stable.

A perfect example of how to render the language impenetrable through the thoroughly correct use of grammar. Brown star for you.

Agreed. It’s a mess. (which is our lowest grade of star) indeed.

• What matters is the stability of the parameters that the wizard might alter. The code and the other parameters need not be stable.

Semantics. It is a single file and to a non-programmer is reasonably considered to be a file of "code". By stable I mean "not being tinkered with by JDAW".

[jdaw1]

Semantics. It is a single file and to a non-programmer is reasonably considered to be a file of "code". By stable I mean "not being tinkered with by JDAW".

Not semantics. Later improvements to the code that do not effect the parameters controlled by the wizard could be very easily included in the wizard version.

What is missing is somebody volunteering to build your wizard. You find the volunteer; I will assist that person.

[foomench]

I really stirred this pot it seems.

Requests have improved the software. I need to understand the request and its generality before knowing what to do with it.
• Do you know that there will be on ‘4’ beer?
• Do you know that there will be on ‘4A’ beer?
• Is there any level of the hierarchy of specification such that you know, at that level of ontology, how many beers there will be?

The general answer to all the above is no. There need not be any hierarchy maintained, but ordering would be nice. The style guidelines are set (but subject to update, as the 2015 just came out to supersede the 2008), but at any given competition categories may be split or combined based on the number of entries. A BOS judging may have one "11" English Bitter, which happens to be an "11A" Ordinary Bitter, but there could be both an 11A and an 11B, or no 11s at all. Some competitions exclude certain categories, and judges in the early rounds may choose not to award a 1st place, which means nothing from that pool will advance.

I might volunteer to make a wizard some day, but it won't be too soon. The next beer competition that I will help out with, beyond just judging, will probably be next March. That might be the time I work on something.

[jdaw1]

That was helpful. But what output do you want? What is it that you hand-scribble?

[PhilW]

A question/request; I am hosting a tasting next month where I will not know the names of the attendees in advance. I wish to print sets of glasses and tasting note pages for each attendee, and it would seem sensible to provide a location (on both pages?) for the attendee to put their initials/name.

Various solutions come to mind - I could potential use blank definitions for the attendees initials, or perhaps "....." or "Name: .........." in the initials field. Before I start testing what might look best, is there already an intended method/approach for this scenario?

[jdaw1]

One possibility includes something like

Code: Select all

/Names [ () ] def
/NamesVoteRecorder [ 14 {()} repeat ] def

That makes only one set of glasses and TN pages, which are printed as many times as are needed. But the vote-recorder page would have enough for columns for its purpose.

[jdaw1]

Usually bugs are fixed silently. But notice should be given of the most recent bug fix: the code used an incorrect size for A4.

Erroneously I had believed that A4 was 250mm÷√√2 by 250mm×√√2, which ≈ 210.224mm×297.302mm. No, not so: in a different conversation mention was made of ISO 216, which iteratively rounds the A and B paper sizes to integer numbers of mm. A4 is actually 210mm×297mm, precisely, the area of which is 0.208% smaller than that in the previous code (0.06237m² rather than 0.0625m²).

The code (HTML, PostScript) now uses the slightly smaller but on-standard A and B page sizes, and hence radii and titles and such like features are also slightly smaller.

But only slightly. Unless you look carefully, you might not notice.

[jdaw1]

Re the placemats for the 1985 horizontal on Wednesday 25^th November:

…

Code: Select all

/ExternalLinks [  % Array, length a multiple of three:  indented0-boolean, (Descriptor0), (http://URL0),  indented1-boolean, (Descriptor1), (http://URL1),  ...
	false   (Review at ThePortForum.com)     (http://www.theportforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=10381&view=unread#unread)
		true    [(C) /aacute (lem 1985, TN)]     (http://www.theportforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=10394&view=unread#unread)
		true    (M Gonzalez 1985, TN)            (http://www.theportforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=10395&view=unread#unread)
		true    (Delaforce 1985, TN)             (http://www.theportforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=10396&view=unread#unread)
		true    (J. H. Andresen 1985, TN)        (http://www.theportforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=10397&view=unread#unread)
		true    (Quinta do Noval 1985, TN)       (http://www.theportforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=10398&view=unread#unread)
		true    (Offley Boa Vista 1985, TN)      (http://www.theportforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=10399&view=unread#unread)
		true    (Churchill 1985, TN)             (http://www.theportforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=10400&view=unread#unread)
		true    (Sandeman 1985, TN)              (http://www.theportforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=10401&view=unread#unread)
		true    (Martinez 1985, TN)              (http://www.theportforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=10402&view=unread#unread)
		true    (Gould Campbell 1985, TN)        (http://www.theportforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=10403&view=unread#unread)
		true    (Quarles Harris 1985, TN)        (http://www.theportforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=10404&view=unread#unread)
		true    (Smith Woodhouse 1985, TN)       (http://www.theportforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=10405&view=unread#unread)
		true    (Ramos Pinto 1985, TN)           (http://www.theportforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=10406&view=unread#unread)
		true    (Taylor 1985, TN)                (http://www.theportforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=10407&view=unread#unread)
		true    (Fonseca 1985, TN)               (http://www.theportforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=10408&view=unread#unread)
		true    (Dow 1985, TN)                   (http://www.theportforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=10409&view=unread#unread)
		true    (Graham 1985, TN)                (http://www.theportforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=10410&view=unread#unread)
		true    (Warre 1985, TN)                 (http://www.theportforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=10411&view=unread#unread)
	false   (Planning at ThePortForum.com)   (http://www.theportforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=10175&view=unread#unread)
	false   (Latest version this placemat)   (http://www.jdawiseman.com/2015/20151125_1985s.pdf)
		true    (in list of placemats)           (http://www.jdawiseman.com/papers/placemat/placemats_list.html#a20151125)
		true    (parameters by which made)       (http://www.theportforum.com/viewtopic.php?p=96335#p96335)
	false   (Food order)                     (http://www.jdawiseman.com/2015/20151125_ThePortForum_food.pdf)
	false   (Boot & Flogger)                 (http://www.davy.co.uk/wine-bar/boot-and-flogger/)
		true    (SE1 1TA, streetmap.co.uk)       (http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?x=532409&y=180083&z=106&pc=SE1+1TA)
		true    (SE1 1TA, maps.google.co.uk)     (https://maps.google.co.uk/maps?z=20&t=k&layer=c&cbll=51.50428,-0.0935&cbp=11,260,,0,0)
		true    (SE1 1TA, bing.com)              (http://www.bing.com/maps/default.aspx?where1=SE1+1TA&cp=51.50428~-0.0935)
] def

…
• ExternalLinks contains the TN threads — at least those created before the tasting. Is this a good idea?

Is it a good idea? (See “§ External Links” area in image.)

[Glenn E.]

Is it a good idea? (See “§ External Links” area in image.)

Maybe? Not for me, as I never use external links. (PDF is never used digitally. I use the .ps to create it, then print it, so any functions requiring opening the PDF on a computer are lost to me.)

[flash_uk]

Is it a good idea? (See “§ External Links” area in image.)

I would say not vital. Implies a level of preparedness and planning to create the TN threads in advance of finalising the pdf.

[DRT]

I am struggling to think of any downside.

[PhilW]

Is it a good idea? (See “§ External Links” area in image.)

I would say that it would only be worthwhile if it might be used. If looking to find details of an old tasting, I expect most people would be more likely to search the forum than to search an archive of post-tasting-modified placemat sheets. However, I also see no down-side except for the whole "placemats should serve as a permanent record and therefore should not be altered after the event" argument, where I am outnumbered; once post-tasting update of placemats is allowed, I see no problem with this, but also little likelihood of use.

[foomench]

It is kind of a neat feature in the PDF, but in my use no one would ever use it. Attendees at my events will use the paper, and have other means of finding the relevant threads on forums, etc.