1 Reply by Rainar

(14 replies, posted in Announcements)

sebi wrote:

You can still use the export csv feature if what you want is exporting capabilities. URL looks like: http://deckbox.org/sets/export/1?format … Cost,Price

Could be useful to add the URL in the export dialog now that I think of it. Maybe something for a future release.

Of course you can also use other websites for inventory purposes if they serve your needs better, no hard feelings smile. Which one did you have in mind that solves these issues, I might take a look to see how the do it.

Thanks for your reply! It is always good to see the developer/owner/whatever of a site respond so fast and be willing to help.

The CSV export actually looks promising, so I'll toy around a bit with that. So far I've been parsing the cards table for all the information I need: Tradelist count, card name, 3-letter set acronym (I try to obtain these from the set image), special things (foil, signed, card grading, language). I sort them by color/type (single colors, multicolor, colorless, land), the data for which I obtain by parsing the mana symbols and type. From what I can quickly see now it seems I could restore my old functionality if I had just an easy way to obtain the 3-letter set acronym.

To be fair, I haven't had the time to look at other options yet. I've been using Deckbox for at least a couple of years now, even though Deckbox hasn't satisfied all my needs (in particular matching up the different types of promos with the way they would be listed on local trading sites; EG: PRE for prerelease promos, REL for release, FNM for FNM, POV for 'others' etc.). Writing code to interface with my synchronization methods takes time and I currently don't have a lot of it so I'm in favor of sticking to Deckbox as long as possible. For me, the ideal situation would be if Deckbox had a way to obtain all the data I need in an easy to parse way. The CSV output is actually pretty good, but as far as I can see it is missing a way to obtain the 3-letter set acronym (and the method I used based on the set image gave the old and deprecated 2-letter acronyms for older sets. I had a lookup table for that). I guess I could make a set name to acronym lookup table.

In the end, after my code has processed my inventory on Deckbox, I have outputs in multiple different formats for various websites. Most of them are in a card-tag style format, like [c]CARDNAME|EDI|#[/c], where EDI is the 3-letter set acronym and the # is an optional collectors or item number (useful for my foil basics for instance).

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2 Reply by Rainar

(14 replies, posted in Announcements)

sebi wrote:

...

The Inventory/Trade/Wishlist were getting more and more cluttered last year, and the many columns make for a confusing first experience for new users. I have trimmed down on the defaults so that the first experience is a bit cleaner.

Sadly this means that users that wish to have the former defaults present will have to re-enable them from the Columns dropdown. Have no fear, you only have to do this one time per set type, they will be remembered for the future for you.

Hopefully this has not been too much of a nuisance. Thanks for understanding!

...

P.S. A couple of bugs regarding custom columns were also fixed in the process. (like the "Last Updated" column dissappearing after editing a card with the panel).

(Some text removed from quote for clarity)

While I like the leaner look of the new default columns, I have one minor thing to report: The column selection does not work when not logged in. There is a possibility to select columns, but when you hit apply it just reloads the page as if nothing happened. I know it isn't your every day use case, but I frequently look at my own inventory when not logged in and it bugs me. Ok, to be fair, I pull my public tradelist with a script that syncs my tradelists on other (local) websites. Unfortunately, this means I can no longer effectively use deckbox as my main inventory database and will consider moving to something else.

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3 Reply by Rainar

(17 replies, posted in Announcements)

Kammikaze wrote:
Rainar wrote:

non-full art basics do not exist as foils

Just for BFZ, just to clarify for other people reading this.

You are right, good clarification

Kammikaze wrote:
Rainar wrote:

Also, adding full art foil basics is a bit annoying with selecting arts, because there is no naming difference between full art and non-full arts.

What exactly would you want? Are you saying you want the name of the card to include the card number or something?

In the dropdown for selecting which version, card numbers are already included. However, the full art BFZ and non-full art BFZ basics have the same collectors number according to this list, making them listed under the exact same name twice, requiring a mouse over to figure out which is correct (EG: "Battle for Zendikar (Card #250)" is listed twice with that exact listing for Plains).

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4 Reply by Rainar

(17 replies, posted in Announcements)

I don't know if this has been said yet, but the non-full art basics do not exist as foils, yet you can enter them as foils. Also, adding full art foil basics is a bit annoying with selecting arts, because there is no naming difference between full art and non-full arts.

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5 Reply by Rainar

(19 replies, posted in Announcements)

sebi wrote:
Rainar wrote:

Just curious, how long does it generally take for a new set to be available for forum extensions? I'm using your scripts to get cardlinks in my phpBB forum for GP London preparations.

Should have been working immediately after the import. There might have been a cache issue though, I have cleared some caches now, could you try again?

It is working now, thanks!

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6 Reply by Rainar

(19 replies, posted in Announcements)

Just curious, how long does it generally take for a new set to be available for forum extensions? I'm using your scripts to get cardlinks in my phpBB forum for GP London preparations.

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7 Topic by Rainar

(1 replies, posted in Site Discussion)

I noticed the pricing on Hero of Iroas was weird. The average price, which is used in trades, is currently listed as 3.24$. However, there's not a single copy on the Deckbox market that is over 2.50$.

Please see the attachment for details.

Edit: Welp, forgot the attachment

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8 Reply by Rainar

(42 replies, posted in Announcements)

sebi wrote:

- trade is proposed
- trade is accepted [cards from both sides are removed from inventories & wishlists]
- addresses confirmed
- person A sends [nothing happens to sets]
- person B receives [cards he received are added to his inventory]

I like this as a general idea, but it would be even better if you could set the highlighted parts as an option. I don't want to keep my complete inventory on deckbox (for reasons of my own), just what is in my trade binders. If I trade for a card, it would be added to my inventory, while it is likely I do not want that as it doesn't go into my trade binder. I remember vaguely that deckbox used to ask after a trade if I wanted to add/remove cards automatically and I've always said no, because the one time I said yes I ended up promising people cards I didn't have for trade; causing me a loss because I had to buy those cards.

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9 Reply by Rainar

(56 replies, posted in Announcements)

sebi wrote:

Coming up

Next small release (probably next week) will bring a bit of cleanup with regard to card flags. The old 'promo' and 'textless' flags are now not useful anymore since we have support for separate printings for each card. They will remain in the system, as people have set them in the past, but we will not allow them to be set anymore on new printings.

I was considering adding the following flags: 'Altered Art', 'Artist Proof' and 'Misprint'.

Altered art or (artist) signed would be awesome, as would be the ability to add a picture or comment that shows it. There is of course a big difference between a card signed by the artist, by Richard Garfield or random mister kitchen table player from some small town in the hinterlands of Russia...

Actually comments/scans with cards would be great in general, it could be used to show or explain all sorts of things, ranging from small damages to the aforementioned signatures.

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10 Reply by Rainar

(12 replies, posted in Site Discussion)

sebi wrote:

I'm not sure I understand... would you want the add-to-collection to ALSO not select the first option? I think that would make everything much much slower... you have to click again or press an arrow for EACH card you add? Or what would enter actually do then if you just type mountain and press enter?

I'm just saying it felt counter intuitive, that doesn't mean I even can propose another solution that feels better. I think the reason it felt counter intuitive is because it behaves different compared to the other locations I get to use autocomplete for magic cards.

And now that I'm thinking about it, I do think the autocomplete for add-to-collection has fine behavior, it used to be a bit slow in updating the autocompletion, making hitting enter having awkward results, but that seems to be solved.

Compiling these thoughts, I think it makes a lot of sense to have different (but overall quite similar!) precise functionality for these autocompleters. What you could do to combine the two neatly, is to have the typed text as an (preselected) option in the dropdown list created by the autocomplete. Including this option in the list could then depend on the exact function (eg the quick search vs the add-to-collection).

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11 Reply by Rainar

(12 replies, posted in Site Discussion)

Kammikaze wrote:
sebi wrote:

As I said, that's not intuitive at all, no autocompleter on this website, or in any tool I know behaves like that... people like it to be selected if it appears, and to be able to navigate it with the arrow keys, so you do not have to put your hand back on the mouse.

Perhaps we're not communicating correctly, but I've never seen an auto-completer behave the way that I think you're describing. Take Gatherer as an example. If I type "Reaper" into the search field the auto-complete list shows up beneath the search field, but none of the items are selected. At this point I can simply hit Enter and search for "Reaper" or I can use the arrows (or the mouse) to navigate the auto-complete list then hit enter when the one I want is selected.

I second this. Any other website I frequent has this behaviour (That is, our LGS's website and Gatherer) Kammikaze proposes. It is also fully how I'd expect it to work. I've always found the autocompleter for adding cards to my collection somewhat counter intuitive.

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12 Reply by Rainar

(12 replies, posted in Site Discussion)

sebi wrote:

You can still press Esc after typing Reaper, and then click on search. That way it will behave just like it did before.

I suppose that's not intuitive, though?

Well, not for me. I just loved how fast the search was the way it was and now I have to move my hand to a part of the keyboard it almost never gets to.
I guess I could get used to it, but it will bite me a couple of times before that.

edit: typo.

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13 Topic by Rainar

(12 replies, posted in Site Discussion)

Recently, I noticed that the search in collection tool has been updated. The name field now performs autocomplete and to be honest I don't think that's an upgrade. Let me explain:

I sometimes search for cards in my own collection. It's extensive enough to not know it by heart, but small enough to be able to search through with small parts of a card name. Today, I wanted to check my tradelist (https://deckbox.org/sets/331739) for Reaper of the Wilds. What I'd always do in these cases is go to the right page, hit 'f', type part of the name ("Reaper") in this case and hit enter. Before the update, this would result in finding all cards with "Reaper" in the name, now the autocomplete behaviour makes it search for "Reaper from the Abyss".

While I think the autocomplete is a neat idea, I think it interferes with quick searches. I suggest only searching for whatever was entered in the text field if one hits the "enter"-key, while searching for a full card name when one clicks (or scrolls to with the arrow keys) on the autocomplete name.

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14 Reply by Rainar

(12 replies, posted in Announcements)

sebi wrote:

Not saying we won't change it, might be that you are right, and it's the best option, just thinking about the possibilities...

Which I approve, there is always another option, so good to keep the eyes open!

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15 Reply by Rainar

(12 replies, posted in Announcements)

sebi wrote:

Apparently this is a complicated topic smile

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Address_(g … ess_format

And that is why users should have the freedom the post their full labels in the format they desire. It used to be like this on deckbox before and that was perfectly fine. No need to implement all the rules you can find on wiki if the users can just do it for you, right?

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16 Reply by Rainar

(12 replies, posted in Announcements)

Enverex wrote:

Would a safer postal order be:

Name / Company
Number + Street
Locale (if listed)
City
Zip/Post Code
Country

That's how it's normally laid out in the UK.

You prove my point: Address labels should not be form-generated, since they differ too much in different countries and regions.

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17 Reply by Rainar

(12 replies, posted in Announcements)

sebi wrote:

International Shipping

Good news for sellers, especially ones interested in US-Canada and intra-European Union sales. We now allow shipping options for multiple destinations. Aside from setting specific ones for specific countries, you can also set one for International, or European Union.

Head over to your Seller Profile options to add some.

Thanks for paying more attention to us Europeans! About the exchange values in different currencies: I know I could use a calculator, but I'd love to be able to see at one glance what the exchange rate is that is being used.

Could you also take a look at the weird address labels? My address shows as follows (sorry, no screenies, because I'd basically have to blank everything anyway):
*name*
*Street + number*
*city*, , *zip code*
*country*

However, the proper address label in the Netherlands is:
*name*
*company, if any*
*Street + Number*
*Zip code* *City*
*country*

Incorrect labels could unfortunately cause shipping delays due to the automated mail sorting process not being able to fully identify the address. Before, we could supply our full address labels, but nowadays it is instead populated from form-fields.

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18 Reply by Rainar

(3 replies, posted in Site Discussion)

P9CO wrote:

That is correct sir. I don't need to see trades for those I can't trade with.

Funny that this seems to be changed now and it was not responded to when I posted the same request not long ago. Anyway, it would be awesome if one could load the 'interesting trades' outside the trade zone with the click of a button. Every once in a while I wouldn't mind looking outside my trade zone for specific cards.

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19 Topic by Rainar

(0 replies, posted in Site Discussion)

Hi,

I've noticed the 'Interesting cards for trade' list, which I think is a good thing. It specifically says it only lists cards of traders willing to trade towards my area (the Netherlands, Europe, to be specific). However, I've entered in my account that I'm only willing to trade within Europe, yet the interesting cards for trade list shows only traders from Canada and the USA for me.

Although I might really be interested in trading outside my 'trade zone' (given a good enough trade), I would prefer not to; there's a reason I entered Europe as my trading area. Would it be possible to only show these interesting trades from outside my zone if I push a button for it, or otherwise hide them with a button?

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20 Topic by Rainar

(0 replies, posted in Site Discussion)

I just filled out a trade and noticed my address is being passed along the following way:

*name*
*Street + number*
*City*, *something (state?)*, *postal/zip code*
*country*

The *something* part is empty for me, I guess it's for the state? Anyway, for shipping towards the Netherlands (where I live), the correct layout is:
*name*
*Street + number*
*zip code* *City*
*Country*

I remember from before that the address field was something you'd completely fill in yourself, now it is automatically generated from the data filled in. Unfortunately, incorrectly layout-ed addresses may lead to prolonged shipping times due to the automatic address recognition during the sorting process. Could we go back to allowing users to fill in the address as should be printed/written on envelopes for correct shipping?

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21 Reply by Rainar

(1 replies, posted in Site Discussion)

Quick reply for second screencap; can't seem to add more than one to a post.

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22 Topic by Rainar

(1 replies, posted in Site Discussion)

Hi!

I saw a trading opportunity with about equal values and decided to take a look into it and see if I can get to a trade, when I noticed the following:
I have Chaos Warp in my wishlist and I don't care about the edition, so I left that blank. The other party has one, to be specific a German from the Commander set. The unspecified version is listed as $14.99 (Commander's Arsenal value), whereas the Commander version is listed as $8.89. Obviously, the latter value is the appropriate one, since that is what can be offered by the other party. However, for the total value of the trading opportunity, the Commander's Arsenal value is used. See screenshot for clarification.

Small issue, easy solution I assume; so thanks in advance for looking into and fixing it.

Edit: added the actual screenshot. Interestingly, The pricing on another card (Prophet of Kruphix) also seems weird; the other party has not specified an edition, but there is only one, yet there is a discrepancy in value with the card I offer. See second screencap.

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23 Reply by Rainar

(47 replies, posted in Announcements)

sebi wrote:

The problem is there are no official edition icons for these sets sad

That's fine, just having 20 files with different names and the same content would be awesome. Additionally, this would easily allow you to just replace the icon later, if you do obtain newer, more representative icons for them.
Edit: alternatively, you could add alt-text for the set-images, which contains the full name and abbreviation. The "alt" property in HTML is specifically designed to show if the image can't be loaded, so it should be used anyway!

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24 Reply by Rainar

(47 replies, posted in Announcements)

sebi wrote:

Hello,

As most of you know, our card database has been based 100% on the information provided by Gatherer (the official Wizards db). But gatherer is not complete, sadly, and many promo printings were missing, along with other sets such as holiday specials.

http://deckbox.org/system/images/forum/3_1_ann/bunny.png

Happily though, the Easter Bunny has now added these missing sets to our database, so users can properly tag their cards. The old promo flag is still here, but we will phase it out in a future release as it is not necessary anymore.

The new editions and printings we added

15th Anniversary
Grand Prix
Pro Tour
Magic Game Day Cards
Worlds
World Magic Cup Qualifiers
Dragon Con
Prerelease Events
Release Events
Magic: The Gathering Launch Parties
Summer of Magic
WPN/Gateway
Champs
Two-Headed Giant Tournament
Arena League
Friday Night Magic
Magic Player Rewards
Super Series
Happy Holidays
Judge Gift Program
Portal Demogame
European Land Program
Guru
Asia Pacific Land Program
WotC Online Store
Celebration Cards
Media Inserts
Legend Membership
Duels of the Planeswalkers
Coldsnap Theme Decks
Multiverse Gift Box Cards
Anthologies
Deckmasters
Unhinged Alternate Foils
Introductory Two-Player Set
Collector's Edition
International Collectors' Edition

Happy Easter!

Just a little semantic thingy: would you mind giving the icons used for the promo's file names that reflect them? I wrote a tool that allows me to use deckbox as a sweet trading platform and database and get offline snippets from it to save for in-person trades. I use the icon filenames to detect the edition of cards since no other similar data is available; but all these new sets use the same file for their icon.

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25 Reply by Rainar

(197 replies, posted in Announcements)

sebi wrote:
BlackLotusGo wrote:

It's going to be a messy period while trying to establish deckbox-based pricing, but there is no reason it can't happen.

To be honest, I'm surprised at the number of people who were relying directly on TCGPlayer prices blindly for their trades or sales. They provided multiple data points in the form of low, mid, and high, and there were often large discrepancies between the reliability of these prices, especially for small-value cards.

All it takes for deckbox to get its own pricing system in place is a bit of sales data. Sellers should be pricing cards at their own prices, based on what they want to receive for their card (whether they prefer to get this information based on other retail sites, tcgplayer, ebay, amazon, their LGS, etc is up to them). Over time more sellers will have more cards available, and more sales will occur. In order to provide maximum pricing data to buyers and traders, deckbox would do well to include any of the following data:

- Most recent sold price
- Average sold price (last [1/7/30] days)
- Volume sold in last [1/7/30] days
- Lowest sold price in last [] days
- Highest sold price in last [] days
- Average volume available on deckbox marketplace in last [] days

With even a small volume of transactions on any individual card, with enough of these types of data points, it is easy to see a ballpark for what people are willing to pay for a card, and that range will get more precise over time.

Very true and insightful!

I am preparing a post with more information for later today.

Considering you take into account our opinions, I would like to ask for some split in the American, European and Asian market, as well as intra-continental exchanges. For some expensive cards (let's say duals) the differences are huge and since I only trade in Europe, I'd like my trades not to be based solely on the American market as it was before.

To be honest, I think it's a bummer that you decided to turn into a marketplace kind of website. I don't know about other users, but I feel like the marketplace might dominate over the possibility to trade and I'm just not willing to dive into selling and/or buying, thus possibly rendering maintaining my deckbox account 'useless'. A choice is a choice and I definitely don't expect it to be changed, but I did want to voice my concern.

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