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Astralis
Senior Member
USA
1218 Posts |
 Posted - 24 November 2007 : 15:31:48
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FYI: This should have been posted in the W/O Code forum ... oops.
I just added a some code to my forum that will allow users to list the ISBN of the book they're reading and it will display the cover art (works for movies and albums, too) by grabbing it from Amazon's server, writing it to a folder, and displaying it as an avatar. When clicked, it takes the user to Amazon's page where they can read the description of the book (to comply with Amazon's TOS, at least, but also because it is a good service). The members change the image over time and have really enjoyed this and they say it's much more meaningful to them than regular avatars.
It's basic ASP so I'm just giving the idea out to others -- almost every Snitz forum member knows ASP. If you need to see the code, I can supply instructions. There are only two pages you need to edit, one field you need to add to the db, and you need to include a saveimage.asp page that grabs the image from Amazon to save it to a write folder (probably one that you already have available). I use a hacky method by hardcoding a password in the url that I pass to the saveimage.asp page and I feel comfortable with it, but it's not for everyone.< |
Edited by - Astralis on 24 November 2007 15:43:41 |
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balexandre
Junior Member
Denmark
418 Posts |
Posted - 24 November 2007 : 18:52:54
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its an easy MOD, and if you what to include the Book image as well, here is a good reading on how you could accomplish that.
http://aaugh.com/imageabuse.html< |
Bruno Alexandre
(Strøby, DANMARK)
"a Portuguese in Danmark"
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Astralis
Senior Member
USA
1218 Posts |
Posted - 24 November 2007 : 21:16:27
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| It's very easy. I wish I did it a long time ago. My system includes the book image but only goes to Amazon.com once via MSXML, grabs the image, then places it on my server. That way there is no leeching and Amazon's server doesn't get abused. And it links back to the book, thereby driving traffic to Amazon which fulfills the TOS. You can even put your Associate tag in it and get about six percent of all orders if anyone clicks through.< |
Edited by - Astralis on 24 November 2007 21:21:01 |
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Etymon
Advanced Member
United States
2385 Posts |
Posted - 25 November 2007 : 23:06:33
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I'd like to see/use your work, Astralis!  < |
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muzishun
Senior Member
United States
1079 Posts |
Posted - 26 November 2007 : 01:50:35
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| Definitely. It has a lot of promise.< |
Bill Parrott
Senior Web Programmer, University of Kansas
Co-Owner and Code Monkey, Eternal Second Designs (www.eternalsecond.com)
Personal Website (www.chimericdream.com) |
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MarkJH
Senior Member
United Kingdom
1722 Posts |
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JJenson
Advanced Member
USA
2121 Posts |
Posted - 26 November 2007 : 12:05:53
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| I agree with the others sounds like a very good thing. < |
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scorpius
Starting Member
United Kingdom
29 Posts |
Posted - 21 February 2008 : 08:45:22
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| Could this mod ever work so that a sites affiliate details would insert into the product link automatically?< |
shadowharmony.com
The Community To Belong To |
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"What I'm reading now" avatars
