TheForge Update

I've just about completed the skeleton for The Forge search interface. I have yet to add the front end components for project name %LIKE%, select last X (integer intervals of 10 and <= 50), as well as results filtering which will allow users to filter their last query by column. The rating system came to mind here, hopefully it takes effect at some point and will direct visitors towards more interesting (according to their peers) projects.

Currenty the rating system seems to be holding, although no testing has taken place beyond basic assurances that it won't crash and burn. I'll be requesting help from a number of friends in testing this portion of the application. There are as well a few more aesthetic peices I have yet to add, namely a loading sequence for different controls and for the rating control (instead of static rectangles depicting rating through slight color variance I'll make the colors shift ever so slighty in synchronous pattern to give an emulated glimmering effect.

The next big step, however is actually completing ventures and technical analysis of projects (or peices of projects) past and added them to the database. As well, it will be a jump to forward these articles to the public and get them as much circulation as possible.

I've decided to forego adding comment functionality for the forge portion of the project as I've added prototype and technical articles (more detailed articles I will post to the BlogEngine.NET portion of digitalboon.com) buttons. I'm looking at the forge as more of a portal/portfolio.

My first couple of ideas for ventures are pretty simple, but pretty useful - I'm thinking emulated fractal (an existing less complex flash version) as well as something I at first overlooked, custom buttons for silverlight. I know it seems really simple with the ability to create custom skins/templates for the existing button control using Expression Blend, but I for whatever reason tend toward the completely customimzed approach - I like to extend the Grid control. The orange buttons currently visible within the forge app use a rendition of this custombutton class.

That's all for now, I'll have a few "real" ventures posted in the next few days.