The Names Database

[Paradox 99]

Ok, here's version 1 of the Names Database I've created.
It may be useful for people on the hunt for names when writing. It has well over 7000 names included (from around the world) and has a search facility built in so that you can find a name that might be associated with a particular word.

e.g. if you type in the word "magic" you'll find 6 names that have a magic meaning - (Rhian, for example means magic maiden)

http://www.ezkeel.com/Downloads/Names Database.zip

At the moment I've only told you guys about it at Chronicles, but any feedback on bugs or problems will be greatly appreciated before I make it more widely available.

Enjoy.

 

[Marky Lazer]

Did you build it, Para? Swell!

 

[Paradox 99]

Yeah, cheers Marky.
Skulking around the WWW looking for all the info took a while, but hopefully it's worth it.

 

[Teresa Edgerton]

I tried to take a look at it, but when I opened it all I got was gibberish -- a word or two here and there, and a lot of numbers and symbols.

Sadly, it doesn't seem to be compatible with my software.

 

[Marky Lazer]

Well, you need to install it, right?

 

[Paradox 99]

I tried to take a look at it, but when I opened it all I got was gibberish -- a word or two here and there, and a lot of numbers and symbols.

Sadly, it doesn't seem to be compatible with my software.

Thanks for the feedback Teresa. What kind of PC do you have? Is it a mac?
I think you must have installed it because you probably wouldn't have got it to run at all without doing that.
It sounds like there's a confusion with the font.

 

[Teresa Edgerton]

Yes, I use a Mac.

 

[Paradox 99]

Ah, I bet that's what it is then. I think the default font was "MS Sans Serif".
Do you know what font your mac uses by default?

 

[Teresa Edgerton]

No idea. I wouldn't even know where to look to find out.

 

[Paradox 99]

Ok, no problem Teresa. If anyone else encounters the same problem I might be able to get to the bottom of it.

If anyone else uses a mac, I'd be gateful for any feedback.
All comments are welcome though - I'd be interested to know if people are able to use it or not.

 

[Teresa Edgerton]

Will the database eventually end up on its own website? If so, I look forward to seeing it then. (Unless some more knowledgable Mac user comes along, and you figure out the problem before that.)

 

[Susan Boulton]

Very neat!!!

 

[Paradox 99]

Will the database eventually end up on its own website? If so, I look forward to seeing it then. (Unless some more knowledgable Mac user comes along, and you figure out the problem before that.)

In the past I've put all of my programs on my website for free download, but I've been toying with the idea of selling them on e-bay. I don't have much of a business head on me, so I'm a little nervous about how how I should go about it. There are so many things to think about.

There's a tec-head in my office who uses a mac, so with his input I'll probably be able to sort it out. I've changed it to use "arial" font which might be standard on a mac too.

So that nobody gets confused with the main download, I could PM the new file to you? You wouldn't need to reinstall, as this file would just overwrite the existing one. This might be all it needs for you to see it working.

 

[Teresa Edgerton]

So that nobody gets confused with the main download, I could PM the new file to you? You wouldn't need to reinstall, as this file would just overwrite the existing one. This might be all it needs for you to see it working.

That would be very kind of you; I would be much obliged. Or you could email it, if that would be more efficient. I could PM you my email address.

 

[Aes]

Nicely done, and thank you for not making it put an icon on the desktop by default. This, combined with the links from the other thread, should be more than sufficient to satisfy my naming needs.

I salute you, sir.

 

[Paradox 99]

Thanks to those of you who've tried it out so far and find it useful.
Glad to be of service.

Teresa, I'll drop you a PM.

 

[Paradox 99]

Well there we have it, unfortunately mac users won't be able to use this tool.
Sorry everybody. If I ever find a solution I'll let you know.

 

[Sketti]

Is it possible to add to it? I'd love to be able to customize it My vision is that people who have the database can add names and meanings and share it with other users Probably not doable... ah well.

 

[Paradox 99]

There's a "notes" section where you can write additional details about a name but no facility to add any in this version. But it's easy enough to add in. I'll do the code and drop a post in here when the new version is available.

 

[Taqyon]

I've written a small web-base role playing / adventure game and I'm currently extending it a bit.

I was looking for a piece of code to automatically generate non-player character names, but found this thread in stead.

Paradox 99, may I have your permission to include your name database into my software to create names as required?

Regarding the mac issue - have you written the database using access or visual basic? If you've used access, you might be able to port it relatively easy to access for mac. If you've used anything else, you'll need a re-write unfortunately.