From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 From: Nick Dokos Subject: Re: Org-mode to feed a database Date: Mon, 29 Dec 2014 13:06:22 -0500 Message-ID: <87k31acov5.fsf@pierrot.dokosmarshall.org> References: Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit Return-path: Received: from eggs.gnu.org ([2001:4830:134:3::10]:50023) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.71) (envelope-from ) id 1Y5eiF-0003Dq-T0 for emacs-orgmode@gnu.org; Mon, 29 Dec 2014 13:06:40 -0500 Received: from Debian-exim by eggs.gnu.org with spam-scanned (Exim 4.71) (envelope-from ) id 1Y5eiC-0003XK-Jw for emacs-orgmode@gnu.org; Mon, 29 Dec 2014 13:06:39 -0500 Received: from plane.gmane.org ([80.91.229.3]:42628) by eggs.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.71) (envelope-from ) id 1Y5eiC-0003XG-D1 for emacs-orgmode@gnu.org; Mon, 29 Dec 2014 13:06:36 -0500 Received: from list by plane.gmane.org with local (Exim 4.69) (envelope-from ) id 1Y5eiA-0004jd-Rx for emacs-orgmode@gnu.org; Mon, 29 Dec 2014 19:06:35 +0100 Received: from pool-108-20-41-17.bstnma.fios.verizon.net ([108.20.41.17]) by main.gmane.org with esmtp (Gmexim 0.1 (Debian)) id 1AlnuQ-0007hv-00 for ; Mon, 29 Dec 2014 19:06:34 +0100 Received: from ndokos by pool-108-20-41-17.bstnma.fios.verizon.net with local (Gmexim 0.1 (Debian)) id 1AlnuQ-0007hv-00 for ; Mon, 29 Dec 2014 19:06:34 +0100 List-Id: "General discussions about Org-mode." List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , Errors-To: emacs-orgmode-bounces+geo-emacs-orgmode=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Sender: emacs-orgmode-bounces+geo-emacs-orgmode=m.gmane.org@gnu.org To: emacs-orgmode@gnu.org Vikas Rawal writes: > This is, in all likelihood, a crazy idea. Please excuse me for that. > > I often need to get a number of people enter complex survey data into > a database using some kind of forms. The forms I need are fairly > complex (with several nested grids, for example). I need radio-buttons > and drop-down menus-equivalents. > > I was thinking if it would be worth it to use Org-mode for data entry. > > The idea would be something like this. We have a template org file > that is copied for each survey respondent. The template contains > “blank” org tables and some source blocks. Responses are filled into > the org tables, and then the source blocks are evaluated to feed the > data into the database. You can version-control the whole thing so > that different people can create these records and push it to a > centralised git repository. > > Has anyone done anything like this? What has been the experience? > > There are two aspects that immediately come to my mind. > > 1. Is org adequately feature rich for such a scenario? There are two concerns I can think of right now. > 1.1 Would feeding information from one Org table to another become too complicated? > 1.2 Is there a way to build in tab-completion for columns in Org-table using pre-specified categories? > > 2. In my case, people who would enter the data into org files would > not have used emacs before. So, there is a learning curve. Is it worth > it? Or should one just build a web-based graphic application for such > people to use? > My knee-jerk reaction was: Use Django, not org - but that may be a failure of imagination on my part. -- Nick