[thelist] international friendly form

[Ben Dyer]

>So, even if forms aren't generic, as long as all of them have the crucial
>elements which could change (countries, provinces/states, postal codes,
>area codes) databased somehow, then if you change the database, the forms
>will dynamically
>change.

But that only solves one of the problems, and that's updating the
information.  What about getting the information with which to update it?
How do we know when things change?

But then we're stuck with two options in development again: developing
generically or specifying certain rules.  Back to the French example, I had
no idea that was the case!  Assuming I have databased everything, I still
would have to assume certain rule possibilites (State+Zip, State+Zip+4,
Canadian Province+Postal (A1A 1A1 Format), Generic Province+Generic Postal)
and would never have assumed no need for a province in certain cases.

And again, let me reiterate that I'm not trying to be a pig-headed American.
People from other countries tend to go off on Americans: "Why don't you dumb
Americans know?", well, make me know!!  I want to know these rules! :)

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Ben Dyer
Senior Internet Developer
Imaginuity Interactive
http://www.imaginuity.com
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

-----Original Message-----
From: thelist-admin at lists.evolt.org
[mailto:thelist-admin at lists.evolt.org]On Behalf Of Herzog, Ari
Sent: Wednesday, February 07, 2001 10:24 AM
To: 'thelist at lists.evolt.org'
Subject: RE: [thelist] international friendly form


-----Original Message-----
From: Ben Dyer [mailto:ben at imaginuity.com]
Sent: Wednesday, February 07, 2001 11:16 AM
To: thelist at lists.evolt.org
Subject: RE: [thelist] international friendly form

>How on earth can we possibly change all of our forms (and I maintain
>hundreds of them) when something changes?  And where could we learn when
>this happens?
>
>I mean, yeah, it comes with the territory, but I can't possibly do all of
>this and I'm betting almost nobody else can either.  The only solution
*HAS*
>to be to make it generic.  Or to draw a line at making it generic.  But
>where do you draw that line?
>
>U.S.? Canada? Britain? France? Germany? Spain? Italy? Russia? Scandinavia?
>Japan? Bangladesh?

One idea is to make the forms dynamic, integrated with either a database or
some
call file somewhere. For instance, if you goto http://www.usps.com/ncsc,
you can fill in parts of an address to determine the ZIP+FOUR code.
I don't know how they do it, but I imagine it is databased.

So, even if forms aren't generic, as long as all of them have the crucial
elements which could change (countries, provinces/states, postal codes,
area codes) databased somehow, then if you change the database, the forms
will dynamically
change.

How else to do it? Sure, it may be alot of back-end work, but either it can
be created
with existing data, or other, but in the longterm would be a cinch to update
the form
contents.

-Ari

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