Lots of updates to the database...

Over Easter I had a chance to fix and add a number of things in the database. There are a couple more things left to do, but the bulk is done. Here is a small run down of what's new:

Added a stats page that includes around 50 statistics from the database, including popular teams, numbers, jerseys and players. As well as most common names, counts, hits, created signatures and avatars plus more...

The "Who's New" and "Top Jerseys" pages now allow you to browse by lots of 100, so you are no longer limited to those displayed but can go backwards in forwards in the lists.

Page numbers are now implemented for search results of more than 100. This makes the loading faster and makes way for listings for teams with very large numbers of jerseys. (There will soon be nearly 2,000 Steelers players in the database.)

All search results now include a thumbnail of the jersey, this is not a smaller version of the regular sized one but a completely separate image. This make it easier to browse the results as well as increases loading times and the image quality in IE and Firefox.

You can now click on player names and team names as links to the results in the database that correspond to them. This saves having to do a new search when you find a player or team you want to see. To see the preview image of a jersey you now click on the thumbnail.

User created jerseys, of which there are nearly 3,000 now, are now clearly marked with a small orange jersey in the search results. Hovering over it will tell you the creator's name. Clicking on it will take you to their jersey page.

There are now small green plus buttons in the database that allow you to add to a jersey's popularity points in the database. Clicking on the button will add 1 point to their rank and also give the creator of the jersey positive feedback. You are encouraged to use these for jersey's you like, and especially if they are a completed request of yours.

Search result pages now include a "Sort by Popularity" and a "Sort by Date Added" button. The second will be especially helpful if you just want to know which jerseys were last added for a particular team.

Not exactly database related but the forum now includes some new icons...

Using the browse option in the database (the buttons with the jersey counts on them) will now simply show you a table of the teams available as well as the total number of jerseys for that team available. I removed the search area from these pages as well as the list of latest jerseys. This makes it more logical to use now that the number of teams have grown.

There is now a section for all of the mascots in the database. This will be continuously added to as we try and cover the more known mascots in the world of sports...

All listings of search results now include small list numbers that make it easier to see where you are in the results as well as find your way back to where you were. These will also tell you the exact rank of jersey by popularity etc if sorted that way.

Not available to everyone, but of interest to those who may want to be a contributor in the future, I have created User Control Panels for people actively making jerseys. These pages allow you to upload zip files and images, as well as enter your player's information. This greatly expedites the process for getting the jerseys actually into the database. In addition to this each person has a detailed list of the stats for their submissions as well as the ability to edit them.

I am now encouraging any future submissions to the site to first be posted in the forum in the "Feedback" section of "Making Jerseys". This is important since it gives people a chance to get some other opinions and possible help before doing an entire roster. It's never fun to redo 60 of these things if you forgot something...

www.jerseydatabase.com