WikiTimeLine

Summary

This is the page for the WikiTimeLine project, I hope you'll be interested... What I want to create is a relational timeline database for history facts of any kind.

Please note:

Everything's a DRAFT here
Feel free to modify anything that you think is incorrect (leave a comment in the bottom section)
I'm from Argentina, so my english is not very good, please correct anything that looks bad.

The Idea

A timeline database with history facts for global history, people, corporations, products, etc., a global database of timelines that could be used to show graphic interactive timelines specified by the user, e.g.:

Select U.S. History
Select Presidencies of the U.S.
Select Academy Awards (Oscars) winners

That should show a server-built timeline with all the facts from each one of the selections in a graphic way that helps the user understand the facts in relation to a context.

Similar work

Please note: As I started doing some research, I noted a lot of other similar projects exist. Refer to the time category and check them out.

One of them is EasyTimeline. Basically, it's a server side application that uses formatting commands to make graphic timelines. Check out the syntax, it can get really complex. Also, there is a list of examples of galleries made with EasyTimeline.

It's really good at what it does, but let me state some differences with my idea.

I intend to create a unification of timeline formats.
I want to specify semantic content only.
Formatting should be done by the user, special software, or...
Could be rendered with EasyTimeline (using a file format converter).

Merging

Got in touch with Wikicalendar, we're in the progress of merging both, because the goals are the same, and frankly, I don't care about implementation details (wikisyntax, xml, etc), I just want this done and working!

The File Format(s)

I don't know if this is possible, but it would be really interesting for the sake of compatibility and extensibility, that these timelines were created in XML format.

Please note that these files may not validate at all, I'm not very good at XML yet. Make the changes you feel necessary.

What it means

I decided to add this section for people that don't understand XML or DTD file formats (and also for those who can help out, since I'm not much of a coder).

The main timeline tag should be unique.
It should hold a unique summary tag and one or more event tags.
The summary tag should contain a brief explanation of the timeline.
The event tag should contain a unique title and date tag.
It can contain link and image tags, that are not mandatory.
The title tag should contain a brief explanation of the event.
The date tag should contain at least one year tag. Tags month and day are optional.
The link tag should contain a well formed URI for more information on specified event.
The image tag should contain a well formed URI that references to a valid image about the event.

The Document Type Definition (DTD or DOCTYPE)

The proposed timeline.dtd file:

<!DOCTYPE timeline [
    <!ELEMENT timeline (summary,event*)>
    <!ELEMENT summary (#PCDATA)>
    <!ELEMENT event (title,date,link*,image*)>
    <!ELEMENT title (#PCDATA)>
    <!ELEMENT date (#PCDATA)>
    <!ELEMENT link (#PCDATA)>
    <!ELEMENT image (#PCDATA)>
    <!ATTLIST event rating (1|2|3|4|5|6|7|8|9|10) #DEFAULT 10>
    ]>

The XML File Format

An example timeline XML file (facts are fabricated):

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE timeline SYSTEM "timeline.dtd">

<timeline>
<summary>About Robert Calfer's life</summary>

<event rating="10">
   <title>Robert Calfer is born</title>
   <date>
      <year>1950</year>
      <month>03</month>
      <day>15</day>
   </date>
   <image>http://www.robertcalfer.co.uk/photo.png</image>
   </event>

<event rating="8">
   <title>Robert publishes his first book "Laura"</title>
   <date>
      <year>1972</year>
      <month>10</month>
   </date>
   <link>http://www.robertcalfer.co.uk/books/laura/</link>
   <image>http://www.robertcalfer.co.uk/books/laura/cover.png</image>
</event>

<event rating="1">
   <title>Robert gets angina, it gives him the idea to write his short
   story "He died but no one told him"</title>
   <date>
      <year>1986</year>
   </date>
   <link>http://www.robertcalfer.co.uk/unpublished/hedied.html</link>
</event>

<event rating="6">
   <title>Robert publishes his second book "Carooned"</title>
   <date>
      <year>1989</year>
      <month>10</month>
      <day>25</day>
   </date>
   <link>http://www.robertcalfer.co.uk/books/carooned/</link>
   <image>http://www.robertcalfer.co.uk/books/carooned/cover.png</image>
</event>

<event rating="10">
   <title>Robert gets the Pulitzer</title>
   <date>
      <year>1992</year>
      <month>08</month>
      <day>12</day>
   </date>
   <link>http://www.pulitzer.com/1992/robertcalfer</link>
   <image>http://www.pulitzer.com/1992/robertcalfer/picture.jpg</image>
</event>

<event rating="5">
   <title>Robert dates Lucy McIntire for three years</title>
      <daterange>
         <begin>
            <year>1995</year>
            <month>02</month>
            <day>20</day>
         </begin>
         <end>
            <year>1998</year>
            <month>01</month>
            <day>05</day>
         </end>
      </daterange>
   <link>http://www.robertcalfer.co.uk/bio/1995.php</link>
   <image>http://www.paparazzi.com/1996/calferandmcintire.jpg</image>
</event>

</timeline>

I need help with

Making a correct DTD, or
Convert this to a wikisyntax format.

First published: --Julianrod 19:04, 11 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]