Collectible Card Game Headquarters

Here is another .hta file that I put together to gather prices from a listing of cards exported from the magic album application. Since it reads from a simple tab formated file it should work with just about any generated list of cards as long as the columns align properly. Since I assist in pricing a local card shops cards, I have worked in the functionality of calculating a percentage price for trade-in, as well as a percentage price for retail based on the located web price.

It should work with the default file formating when you save your inventory as a .csv from the magic album application. If you wish to use it with any other list make sure you have each line formated as follows:

<cardname><tab><anyvalue><tab><setabbr><tab><anyvalue><tab><anyvalue><tab><qtynonfoil><tab><qtyfoil><tab><notes>

Example:
Abandon Hope<tab>Abandon Hope<tab>TE<tab>ENG<tab> <tab>5<tab>0<tab> <tab>

Screenshots:


Program:
v0.1 - http://rapidshare.com/files/336766453/mtg.price.gatherer.hta.html
v0.1 - MD5: CEB096715F91479AE71302E12622B1F7
v0.2 - http://rapidshare.com/files/336863870/mtg.price.gatherer.hta.html
v0.2 - MD5: 28CA4F1C193470229B91E24AA5FB95F0
v0.3 - http://rapidshare.com/files/336969179/mtg.price.gatherer.hta.html
v0.3 - MD5: 20734B4B2ED74EA99476D8932290FF85
v0.4 - http://www.megaupload.com/?d=Q0DYLP5L
v0.5 - Added As Attachment
v0.6 - Added As Attachment
v0.7 - Added As Attachment
v0.8 - Added As Attachment
v0.9 - Added As Attachment

This program is highly dependant on your internet connection. Pricing times may take a LONG while if you have a slow connection. Also though the code is there for pricing foils, foil pricing is NOT yet implemented.

NOTE
If you recieve the following error (or similar)


Please choose "no".
If you do not wish to see this message please follow these steps: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/175500

Updates:
v0.1 - Initial Release. Basic functionality with a few web sites to collect pricing information from.

v0.2 - Updated available pricing sites. I noticed a number of users like the http://www.magictraders.com web site for pricing so I have added that site as an available price guide. Also some other minor changes (such as version writing when debug mode is on, and a new routine for downloading http content.)

v0.3 - Corrected the price guide routines for the http://www.magictraders.com price guide. Thanks for informing me of the problem goldaar!

v0.4 - Updated the magictraders.com routines once again. What can I say there was a problem with the routines but hopefully *hopefully* the routines are fixed now. Now you should either get a price if the card was located or a price of 0.00 if the card was not. http://www.magictraders.com appears to not follow standard set abbr or do not list specialty sets at the moment (like elves vs. goblins)

v0.5 - Corrected rounding routines when calculating the retail pricing. Implemented the next few requirements for foil pricing.

v0.6 - Added the http://www.tcgplayers.com site as a pricing guide. Also reviewed and corrected the http://www.mtgmintcard.com site routines. They should now be functioning how ever as with every site they dont follow a standard set abbr value (mainly for core sets). If you end up with a value of 0.00 on any card please report it.

v0.7 - Changed the functionality of application in regards to how the data is outputed to the priced log. Now the application will put the identified price(s) of the card in the notes field. Then appends the tradein / retail calculations at the end of the line. With this new outputing if the price guide site supports a "high,med,low" price you will see all 3 in the notes section. Then calculate the tradein/retail price off the price range drop down box selection.

v0.8 - Added a new pricing site (http://www.supernovabots.com). Its an MTGO pricing site similar to magictraders (only for MTGO). Removed some code that was going to be implemented to try and get prices from http://www.mtgotraders.com but the owner has requested people not use his site. So I have removed any code about the site per his request. I have also implemented foil price checking for the http://www.abugames.com, http://www.abumtgo.com, http://www.magictraders.com, and http://www.supernovabots.com price guide site(s). Currently you MUST have seperate lines listing the foil and non foil versions of the card. If you have line that lists the card name and the qtyfoil and qtynonfoil is greater than 0 it will default to the NONFOIL price! As with any release if you find there is a price of "0.00" for any card please post and I will look into if there is an issue with the pricing code. Most of all sites do not have a standard abbreviation for the set names which may lead to a "0.00" price value.

v0.9 - Updated to include worldwake set. Sorry for taking so long. Was waiting to see if the next version of magic album would be released.

I love you.

You should see if Goblin Hero wants to work with you on integrating this into the app.

On a sidenote, rapidshare is the devil

Eit:
The Magictraders.com doesn't appear to do anything. It goes through the process, just doesn't put any data into the csv.

goldaar wrote:I love you.

You should see if Goblin Hero wants to work with you on integrating this into the app.

On a sidenote, rapidshare is the devil

Eit:
The Magictraders.com doesn't appear to do anything. It goes through the process, just doesn't put any data into the csv.

Think I found the problem. When debugmode was turned off the app was deleting the prices file downloaded from the magictraders.com website to early. Changed the routines around. Give the v0.3 a try and let me know if things are fixed.

I tried the others, mtgmint wouldn't go for me (maybe their site was down, I didn't check), ABU woked correctly (there were scipting errors that needed to be clicked through every once in a while, which is an IE problem).

As for hosts, maybe megaupload, or mediafire.

Here are the files, the input is named Rares, output Rares_Priced.

http://www.adidemgaming.com/RandomUploads/

goldaar wrote:I tried the others, mtgmint wouldn't go for me (maybe their site was down, I didn't check), ABU woked correctly (there were scipting errors that needed to be clicked through every once in a while, which is an IE problem).

As for hosts, maybe megaupload, or mediafire.

Here are the files, the input is named Rares, output Rares_Priced.

http://www.adidemgaming.com/RandomUploads/

I've noticed that mtgmint has been up and down the past few days. I think there having database problems. As far as the scripting errors, if you get them again could you snap a screenshot? I would be interested in seeing them. I don't know when you caught my post but I originally asked for the files and ended up finding the problem (i believe). I will still download your files and run it through on my end but give the v0.3 a shot and let me know if magictraders works now for you.

Any card that was only printed in one edition is not coming up in the pricing. For instance Pithing Needle (m10) gets priced correctly, but Baneslayer Angel does not. This most likely has to do with checking for the edition, but then not having an exception for items without expansion listed in the list (mtgtraders only lists editions for cards printed multiple times).

This was tested in 0.3

Also, here is the error message (it's a generic IE error)

goldaar wrote:Any card that was only printed in one edition is not coming up in the pricing. For instance Pithing Needle (m10) gets priced correctly, but Baneslayer Angel does not. This most likely has to do with checking for the edition, but then not having an exception for items without expansion listed in the list (mtgtraders only lists editions for cards printed multiple times).

This was tested in 0.3

Also, here is the error message (it's a generic IE error)

Alright. After working on things and doing some further investigation I think I have a solution. Try out v0.4. As far as your posted image there is fix for this. Its an IE setting and you can find the solution at the following link: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/175500

I personally am not going to write the registry change into the program and will let the users choose if they want to make the change to there machines. Another solution I was reading was to use firefox

Also looking into how magictraders.com works. You may not see card prices on every version of a card (especially in the case with special sets such as a card you have listed in the elves vs. goblins set). You should see card values of 0.00 for any cards that are not located using the parsing routines. Now a card could not be located by 2 reasons. 1) the card just isnt listed on the magictraders pricing sheet. 2) the set abbr is different than the abbr listed in the exported inventory file. In any case if anyone finds a card that is listed as 0.00 value let me know and I will take a look and make sure its not reason 2.

Looks like the only card not working in my list right now is Morningtide, from TO, but it doesn't even appear to be on the price list, so I would say, Good Job to you sir!

Now for feature requests

Think it would be possible to put a checkbox to allow for price to be dropped into the notes column (One selected price, or all three seperated by pipes etc?) That would make it easier to get pricing back into Magic Album.

Why not attach file here instead of using file shares?
P.S. I'll look at this and think about implementing prices in MA.

Goblin Hero wrote:Why not attach file here instead of using file shares?
P.S. I'll look at this and think about implementing prices in MA.

I think we would all just be completely smitten with you if you were to integrate pricing into this.

Goblin Hero wrote:Why not attach file here instead of using file shares?
P.S. I'll look at this and think about implementing prices in MA.

To be honest I didnt even think about just attaching the file or hosting it directly from here. Next version I will see about just attaching the file rather than use some other file hosting service.

And as far as implementing pricing into MA. The code to parse for pricing shouldn't be to hard. The difficult part I have come to find is finding a reliable site with pricing. Of the ones I have implemented in this are:

http://www.abugames.com (found to be the most reliable but adding new sets can be troublesome since you first must find there db structure)

http://www.mtgmintcard.com (db isnt always up / reliable but easiest to query if it is)

http://www.magictraders.com (quickest since you can download one giant list and query locally how ever they dont follow any type of standards when it comes to set abbr. Plus there prices are what I would consider clue-g at best. Its based on ebay sales and that presents the possibility of either card prices barely fluctuating or possibly not even showing up.)

goldaar wrote:Looks like the only card not working in my list right now is Morningtide, from TO, but it doesn't even appear to be on the price list, so I would say, Good Job to you sir!

Now for feature requests

Think it would be possible to put a checkbox to allow for price to be dropped into the notes column (One selected price, or all three seperated by pipes etc?) That would make it easier to get pricing back into Magic Album.

Just to make sure I understand you correctly, you want an output seperated by pipes so you can copy and paste it into the notes section of MA? Or did you have some other means of importing into the application?

woogerboy21 wrote:

goldaar wrote:Looks like the only card not working in my list right now is Morningtide, from TO, but it doesn't even appear to be on the price list, so I would say, Good Job to you sir!

Now for feature requests

Think it would be possible to put a checkbox to allow for price to be dropped into the notes column (One selected price, or all three seperated by pipes etc?) That would make it easier to get pricing back into Magic Album.

Just to make sure I understand you correctly, you want an output seperated by pipes so you can copy and paste it into the notes section of MA? Or did you have some other means of importing into the application?

By default when you output to CSV, there is a column for notes, placing the prices there would make them visible when the csv was opened in MA.

Have you considered snatching the tcgplayer pricing structure, they average out all the vendors for high mid and low pricing. It also looks like the link formatting is pretty simple, and consistant across every set.

goldaar wrote:By default when you output to CSV, there is a column for notes, placing the prices there would make them visible when the csv was opened in MA.

I wasnt aware you could open up the csv files in magic album. Infact when I try and reopen a saved csv from a previous session I get a "database error". Are you sure you can open csv's up in MA? If so whats the secret?

goldaar wrote:Have you considered snatching the tcgplayer pricing structure, they average out all the vendors for high mid and low pricing. It also looks like the link formatting is pretty simple, and consistant across every set.

Yea this site looks promising. I should be able to add it into the price guide section. Will take me a bit to get in. I managed to somehow wake up sick this morning but when I get a chance will take a look at adding this site.

goldaar wrote:By default when you output to CSV, there is a column for notes, placing the prices there would make them visible when the csv was opened in MA.

Have you considered snatching the tcgplayer pricing structure, they average out all the vendors for high mid and low pricing. It also looks like the link formatting is pretty simple, and consistant across every set.

Alright (v0.6) is up. Added the tcgplayers.com site and worked in the ability to put the pricing information in the notes section. I don't know if I like the functionality of the notes section additions since it creates yet another dependency on column location so we shall see if the option stays in the application