We're in the process of rewriting the ColdFusion pages that make up www.steamlocomotive.info into the newest version of ColdFusion. This is being done on a separate server at present, and when we have all the kinks worked out (hopefully this weekend), steamlocomotive.info will be served entirely from its new server.

Having said that, and probably put most of you to sleep by now, I've added a new feature to the test site, and would appreciate feedback. In the development site, if there are latitude and longitude information stored for a locomotive, then a small globe icon will appear at the top right of the locomotive display page. Click on it and you'll get an interactive map of the locomotive's information. I've only loaded coordinates for 5 locomotives. You can view the one for Milwaukee Road 261 at the following page:

http://www.steamproject.com/vlocomotive.cfm?Display=1422

Click on the globe to view the map. Movement and zoom controls are at the left of the map image. If you click on the Hybrid button at the upper right of the map, you'll see a combination map/satellite photo which is kinda cool. You can actually see the building in which 261 is kept and maintained.

Oh, and if you click on the red marker icon in the map, you'll get a little text balloon with some useful information in it.

Would appreciate feedback, either here or in a private message. Thanks.

Doug

Doug, great idea, unfortunately it doesn't seem to work for me.

I'll need to troubleshoot this. If I click on the link in the original message it seems to work with every browser I've tried. The change isn't in www.steamlocomotive.info yet, just the test site.

Is anybody else having problems?

Ah...should have mentioned. You have to allow javascript or the page won't work properly.

Doug,

Can you contact me by email? I want to talk to you about another online database project.

tgears1@comcast.net


Thanks,

Actually, it only works if you're using Firefox, Opera, Mozilla, Netscape or ANY non-Internet Explorer browser. It is so much fun having to write non-standard, non-compliant code to cope with Microsoft's inept, broken piece of trash.

Okay...got it fixed so that it works okay with Microsoft garbage too. Whee

Doug

Nice feature. Thanks for taking the time to produce the site and database.

Wesley

Doug, works good now. Great feature!

That is really great! I've hoped someone would do this for a while. Is there any way to implement driving directions? Maybe a link in the balloon?

I think the answer to that is yes, but it'll need a bit of research, which I hope to get to this weekend. The other thing I want to work on this weekend is this:

If you zoom out from a locomotive whose map you're viewing, I want markers to appear for any locomotive that is now in the newly zoomed map...this is actually a fairly simple thing to do programmatically, but somewhat time consuming. Both our database servers and our new Cold Fusion server are fast enough to support this. I'll post here if I get either of these features working this weekend.

Regards,
Doug

Actually, I spoke too soon. The Google Maps API does NOT support driving directions (yet), and while this could be done via a direct http call to google maps, I'd need the street address of the locomotive, and at present we only have the capability to store its latitude/longitude.

Still, I'll look into this.

Doug

Could you pass the coordinates to regular Google Maps? If I put in coordinates there it will give me a pinpoint and allow me to get directions.

Maybe even a box on your page for someone to enter the starting address? I'd think it's safe to assume the locomotive coordinates are always the TO address. Then clicking a button could kick you over to the Google directions, directly.

Erich

They would need to be passed to Google maps one of these two ways:



or



With this entered as a TO address, you can get directions based on the FROM address entered by a site visitor.

Erich

I'll add the code for this either Friday night or Saturday and will let you know.