Could this field be added to the episodes as they let people know if eps are aired out of order which is the case with a number of current nbc and cbs shows?
I 2nd that request. would be good to know in what order shows are intended to be watched.
That sounds a lot like this pending feature: http://www.tvmaze.com/threads/173/alternate-episode-numbering-eg-dvd-order
Just follow the thread to vote for it.
Aidan, it's not so much a separate numbering order as much as a field for the production code to be listed.
Unless you have a separate numbering order or some other way to see all the production codes at once (and listing the episodes in production code order), unfortunately simply showing the production code on the episode page doesn't mean much.
Seeing 404 or T17.13202 or whatever on an episode page doesn't tell you what it should have aired before and after instead of how it really aired before and after. Unless you can easily compare it to all the other production code numbers of the season.
Otherwise a field for the production code is just another Note. Which TVMaze isn't using.
BTW, production order doesn't always mean "following the story" order. Sometimes episodes are grouped by location.
Yeah production numbers have nothing to do with the intended air order, it's just the order they were produced in.
Also worth noting that the only semi-reliable source we have for production number, thefutoncritic, makes up the production numbers themselves when they don't have one.
There's only one consistent semi-reliable source, but lots of shows have them printed on the end title card, or the beginning transmission card (if you work at a station), or online scripts with the production code on the title page. Or a half-dozen other sources.
Many of the CW shows have a production code on the end title card. Whether that's the actual "production code" or not is another story. Sometimes they differ from the beginning transmission card. Sometimes they differ from the prod codes the networks put out in press releases. House, for instance, seemed to have HOU-X01, X02, X03, etc., but also a longer code at the end.
I concur with Aidan, if you're looking to display episodes in the "proper" order please vote for the linked pending feature. As Gadfly said, production codes can be quite ambiguous so they're not the best option to implement this.
david wrote:
I concur with Aidan, if you're looking to display episodes in the "proper" order please vote for the linked pending feature. As Gadfly said, production codes can be quite ambiguous so they're not the best option to implement this.
Regardless, it's more helpful to have an alternative order number than just the air order.
helmboy wrote:
Regardless, it's more helpful to have an alternative order number than just the air order.
I think it's quite clear that the admins don't intend to add production codes.
The Alternate episode numbering (e.g. DVD order) would cover a lot more scenarios and be much more useful and maintainable in the long run.
gazza911 wrote:
I think it's quite clear that the admins don't intend to add production codes.
The Alternate episode numbering (e.g. DVD order) would cover a lot more scenarios and be much more useful and maintainable in the long run.
I don't care what you call it. But the doesn't seem to be any traction on that idea either. A lot of sites and apps relied on an alt number (aka pod code) from tv.com and the defunct tvrage. And now we only have the shitty tv.com. If the admins don't add something to fill the gap then I see little use for this sites API.
Relied on it for what?
P.S There's been various apps created using TVMaze's API, as well as things like Plex, etc.
In regards to "no traction on the idea", that's just how sites operate; you're not likely to be told exactly what's being worked on unless you're in a high enough position. For all we know it could be next week, or it could be next year, we won't know until it's ready.
gazza911 wrote:
Relied on it for what?
P.S There's been various apps created using TVMaze's API, as well as things like Plex, etc.
In regards to "no traction on the idea", that's just how sites operate; you're not likely to be told exactly what's being worked on unless you're in a high enough position. For all we know it could be next week, or it could be next year, we won't know until it's ready.
If an app or site allocated space for an alt number and used the current API here, you have blanked info in the info or worse broken sorting. As for worked on, it's an extra data field in a database, not some kind of interface or complicated feature. Based on the admin comment, they have no intention adding any such field.
helmboy wrote:
If an app or site allocated space for an alt number and used the current API here, you have blanked info in the info or worse broken sorting. As for worked on, it's an extra data field in a database, not some kind of interface or complicated feature. Based on the admin comment, they have no intention adding any such field.
What if an app or site doesn't allocate space for an alt number?
It might help to know (and convince folks hat it's necessary) if an approximate number of apps that do so are quantified. If it's 90% common, for instance, that's a big difference from 10% common.
it might not make any difference, either. But there are a lot of apps and sites out there. I don't think TVMaze can add things to satisfy every app/site out there. So the more info, the better.
Gadfly wrote:
What if an app or site doesn't allocate space for an alt number?
It might help to know (and convince folks hat it's necessary) if an approximate number of apps that do so are quantified. If it's 90% common, for instance, that's a big difference from 10% common.
it might not make any difference, either. But there are a lot of apps and sites out there. I don't think TVMaze can add things to satisfy every app/site out there. So the more info, the better.
If this site doesn't take alt numbering seriously I'll just stick with the tv.com/tvtome api which does.
helmboy wrote:
As for worked on, it's an extra data field in a database, not some kind of interface or complicated feature. Based on the admin comment, they have no intention adding any such field.
I was referring to the alternate airdate, not this idea. As that requires:
1. Adding a new table to hold the type and country and add a reference to it on something else, I.e Seasons.
2. Re-writing all of the validation and/or composite indexes depending on how it's done
3. Change the show info to only retrieve data from the "main" order (by default at least)
4. Add navigation on the episodes and seasons links to switch between ordering
5. Change all of the API to support retrieving it (would have to be new endpoints or optional parameters to avoid breaking existing usage of it)
6. Allow specifying which order you want to use for the watchlist, calendar
7. Make changes to the premium API to return what type of order watched and voted episodes are on
helmboy wrote:
If this site doesn't take alt numbering seriously I'll just stick with the tv.com/tvtome api which does.
Which neglects my question. Without you telling us what the numbers approximately are, there's no way to tell what you mean by "seriously".
The first, last, and every time that I checked, the TVMaze staff takes everything "seriously". But if you think derogatory comments are going to convince people to take your desired approach...
gazza911 wrote:
I was referring to the alternate airdate, not this idea. As that requires:
1. Adding a new table to hold the type and country and add a reference to it on something else, I.e Seasons.
2. Re-writing all of the validation and/or composite indexes depending on how it's done
3. Change the show info to only retrieve data from the "main" order (by default at least)
4. Add navigation on the episodes and seasons links to switch between ordering
5. Change all of the API to support retrieving it (would have to be new endpoints or optional parameters to avoid breaking existing usage of it)
6. Allow specifying which order you want to use for the watchlist, calendar
7. Make changes to the premium API to return what type of order watched and voted episodes are on
Not if the field is informational only at first. Which apps and other sites can do with as they wish. What this site wants to do with the added data field is up to them.
Gadfly wrote:
What if an app or site doesn't allocate space for an alt number?
It might help to know (and convince folks hat it's necessary) if an approximate number of apps that do so are quantified. If it's 90% common, for instance, that's a big difference from 10% common.
it might not make any difference, either. But there are a lot of apps and sites out there. I don't think TVMaze can add things to satisfy every app/site out there. So the more info, the better.
allocate space for an alt number? The API is a set of fields that are parsed, if an app doesn't know about a new added field it will simply be ignored