https://sites.google.com/view/electricfarm/home
GPG "Global Plant Guide" Download:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B-FdGMkfhc8FN01IVTNvNTNwMjg/view?usp=sharing
About Plant Identification by Computer
My first attempts at programming in the 1980's were directed at plant identification. I had helped test Dr. Ogdens Fern identifier which allowed the user to check OFF the traits not applicable to the species being identified on a paper score card. This was a first Synaptic key for plant identification. Dr. Ogdens son had made a rudementary DOS Basic program to do the data search and sort. As I became involved with programming the Amiga I desired to create a program to do the data and display pictures of the data found. This technology existed on the Amiga 6 years prior to SVGA on the PC and much of the preliminary work on the NE Fern program was done on Amiga's.
In 2008 I wrote my program George's Planting Guide and some friends and I have used it significantly to plan and execute garden, nursury, and greenhouse work. The data was all embedded in graphics and authoring data was a complicated process which was a barrier to program development. I had intended to simplify the "Authoring" process but in seven years I never got around to it. In the interim I have learned better ways to implement this type of program. PlantView is a complete rewrite of the program including data files in the .rtf format rather than images. I am busy creating the data entries and the new method I feel is simple enough for any one to accomplish authoring. With rtfView.exe it is now possible to create a .rtf file containing images, Text in various fonts, and Links.
Suggested Uses: for data - Zone4 planting
select spring seed to produce a list of all plants for seed planting
select spring division and perennial for a list of perennial plants for digging April-May and dividing
select Ph7+ for a list of all areas of the garden to apply lime.
Development:
2015.03.27 "Create List" button added copies the listBox1 to Temp.txt for printing or saving. I recently selected Propagation/Spring Seed and printed out a list of all plants for seed planting work.
I have written many identification programs over the years. When the PC became SVGA I migrated all my work to that platform.
In 1997 I took all my programming work to Linux until 2003 when I first started C# Windows programming. Well here I am 30 years later and here are some of the things that I have often thought desirable in a identification program (like my NE Fern Identifier):
● Programs like this require input from many authors to be valuable. For example an Identifier for mushrooms is laughable due to the the number of species and varieties. But if there were many authors inputting their experiences a significant amount of data would be created in time. For this reason the addition of new data must be simple for anyone to accomplish with insertion of text, graphics and links.
● Including all the data in the graphic has been our standard method of revealing data to the user. This method I used as recently as 2010. It has served quite well but time marches on and now I have discovered .rtf (RichTexFiles) which displays text in fonts, styles and colors, displays picture files, and displays URL hyperlinks. These files are easily edited with C# tools unlike images, .doc, .pdf, etc. Included with the new program is rtfView.exe a .rtf viewer/editor specific to this project. With a default background color 30,30,30 and foreground 255,255,255 and default client size.
● There is central data file called <name>.lst which contains the list of species and the search criteria for each. I have often thought it would be nice to have mutiple .dat files like garden.dat, mushroom.dat, or fern.dat and when the data file is loaded the header of the data file (all lines started with a TAB presently) is read and the buttons and checkboxes are created specific to that data set. This would allow any user to not only edit the data but also create the selection GUI without any knowledge of programming.
● I want to be able to control the placement and size of the controls on the GUI by entries in the .dat file. Presently these commands are the lines in the .dat file beginning with a TAB and the command “#Column” shifts the controls one column to the right and “#Width” increments the width by a value. I will soon have it so for example :“#Width=120” & “#Column=150” will be possible. To see this click button “Edit .dat File”.