The best way to create such a database would probably be to gather all the data in some xml or csv file and then import such file to the database. Question: how to create xml or csv file? The most effective way would probably be to create a program (script, macro, etc) using a programming language you know. It would have to be a program that, using available information sources, would be able to read and parse the necessary information. By "available sources" I mean:
• xml files (saved in the "data" folder and in its subfolders),
• models.lst file (saved in the "data" folder),
• playlists,
• website source code,
• external sources created by users, e.g. my database available here:
https://www.isworkshop.eu/index.php?p=isdatabase
Your database will only contain information about the cards you have in your collection. So I would start by extracting the identifiers of the cards you have, ignoring all cards you don't own. I know four ways to create such a list:
• reading the list from the "models.lst" file - too complicated,
• reading information using a query to the iStripper server - too complicated,
• collecting all identifiers manually - too time-consuming and ineffective,
• creating a playlist of all your cards - this is probably the best way, so I'll focus on that.
Launch iStripper and go to "My collection" tab. Make sure all cards are visible (all filters must be checked, if any cards have been hidden - unhide them). Sort the cards by date of purchase (ascending or descending - it's your choice). Open the "Playlists" tab to create a new playlist. Select all cards using the mouse or press Ctrl+A and ***** all selected cards to the playlist window. Save the playlist as a vpl file. Although the vpl file is not a text file, it can be opened in any text editor. I recommend using Notepad++. If you do not have it yet, download and install it. Open your playlist in Notepad++ and you should notice the identifiers you are interested in (screenshot 1). As the vpl file is not a text file, you will notice a lot of unnecessary characters in it. No matter what these characters are, the important thing is that you must get rid of them. The best way to do this is by using the Replace function with a regular expression. Place the cursor at the beginning of the first line and press Ctrl+H (shortcut for the Replace function). Set the options as in the screenshot 2.
• in the "Find what" field enter:
[^a-z0-9\r\n]
This expression tells the program to find all non-alphanumeric characters and newlines.
• the "Replace with" field should be left blank. Make sure there are no spaces there. Leaving the field empty will cause the program to replace the searched string with an empty string (in fact the searched string will be removed).
• in the lower left corner check the "Regular expression" option. If this option is checked, the string given in the "Find what" field will be treated as a regular expression.
• click the "Replace All" button.
You should get a clean and readable list of identifiers (screen 3). This list is sorted by date of purchase. With such a list, you can use any programming language to search available sources and select data related only to those cards that are on your list. Even if you don't know any programming language, such a list can still be useful even if you want to search for data manually.
This is only the beggining. Now you need to find and extract the data you need. Below is a hint where to look for them (in short).
1.
card's number - you already have them, you have created a list of ids from a playlist.
2.
card's name - you'll find them in "names.xml" file, in the "data" directory. You can also find them in xml files of individual cards. Look for these in subfolders in the "data" directory. Open the xml file and look for the <outfit> element.
3.
nudity level - these can also be found in xml files in subfolders of the "data" directory. Open the xml file and look for the <level> element.
4.
quality - these can also be found in xml files in subfolders of the "data" directory. Open the xml file and look for the <resolution> element. Based on it, you can guess the quality of the shows. If you are only interested in the quality of the show saved on your hard drive, you can find information in the a0001.vhdshows and a0001.vhdtrailers files. You will find these files in subfolders of the "models" directory.
To be continued...
