Pricing (Scripts and Notes)

[woogerboy21]

Interested. Obviously it would be nice to be able to basically Update All, then have a fully updated MA with pricing.

Well I can externally to the app control downloading the prices allowing for the collection of data from a site for one or all of the scripts. However having only 1 .lua script, with the method that the MA application works, would make the high / med / low price averaging application functionality useless. The way things are designed right now is I have 1 vbscript and 1 lua script for each site. The vbscript collects the data and the lua script imports it into MA application. You still have to select each lua script individually inside the MA application and click the update button. Using this method allows for the pricing functionality of the MA application to still operate properly and offload the data collection from the pricing sites onto something that would allow you to schedule the data collection at other times. When the vbscript is executed to collect the pricing data (in whatever method you use) the price collecting may take an hour. But once the data is collected when you open the MA application and go into the price manager. Clicking the "update" button on the LUA script only takes moments.

Is this implying that they only update M11, Zen, WW, Roe, Scars, and MBS?

Each script simply use a listing of site to set locations for prices. With there current revision they only have the standard sets listed in your question but adding additional sets is as simply as adding the site information into the scripts.

I haven't had alot of time lately to work on the concept but my thoughts were to eventually get all the sites with all the information on the site available for collection. As well as include a method for selecting either individual sets or grouping of sets as well as compiling the code so you have a method for choosing a single set, multiple sets, or using it in a method for automation for scheduling. I don't know how much effort I really plan on putting forward since I am not certain the direction that Goblin Hero is taking with the pricing portion of the Magic Album application. If he adds the options of updating all price scripts as well as passing in an argument to the pricing scripts for which sets to collect and makes the price collection functionality operate in the background would make this effort pointless.

[zeka711]

recently german "Revised (Limited)" was added to the database.
this edition is based on revised, but with some fixes/updates.
is it possible to use the grabbed revised-prices for this edition too?
due a fix to the price-scripts / or some cut 'n paste at the csv files?

[woogerboy21]

recently german "Revised (Limited)" was added to the database.
this edition is based on revised, but with some fixes/updates.
is it possible to use the grabbed revised-prices for this edition too?
due a fix to the price-scripts / or some cut 'n paste at the csv files?

The scripts can probably be updated. What revisions were made? The pricing scripts pretty much rely on the site to have the exact card name as it appears in the database as well as the set id defined in the sites sets array. If either of them are missing or incorrect the set information would need added to the sets array in the pricing script and/or the corrected card name would need added to the sites mispelled card name array that gets processed duringprice collection since most sites dont follow any one naming format standard.

which site (or sites) were you interested in and what specific setid would be helpfull?

[zeka711]

well i am referring to "Revised Edition (Limited)", a foreign, non-english "Revised" variant.
you probably dont find any major site with prices.
but thats not my concern, no script needs to load any additional prices.
magic album displays for any foreign (in my case german) cards the english-card-value, thats ok - for a 1st look / rating.
the sripts load the 'revised' prices.
so currently prices for 'german-revised edition' are there, 'german-revised edition (limited)' are missing.
and i asked (how) to use the existing prices, for both.

[Mr.C]

You could add maybe magiccardmarket.eu as a source for German Limited? Better than nothing.

[kristijanH]

I finally tried the new scripts. Everything works for me now. Thanks.

[woogerboy21]

Updates out that should include NPH in almost all the sites. Biggest thing I remember that jumped out at me is the MTG Mint Card site looks like they have a page layout change that is causing price collections to fail to that site. I will have to work on the script when time allows. Let me know if I missed anything.

edit:
here shortly i think i am going to change the method in which I collect pricing data. the lua scripts are working but i don't like the current restrictions involved with not really being able to schedule price collections, background price collection, or offering the ability to choose specific sets or blocks. to enable this additional flexibility im debating on taking and writing external price collection script. if i do i will probably discontinue updating the lua forms and use them to collect the prices. more to come but feel free to post oppinions, questions, etc.

[Goblin Hero]

i don't like the current restrictions involved with not really being able to schedule price collections, background price collection, or offering the ability to choose specific sets or blocks.

You're very impatient It will be implemented sometimes.

im debating on taking and writing external price collection script.

Not compatible with MA?

[woogerboy21]

You're very impatient It will be implemented sometimes.

Maybe, I just know what I use the application for and pricing is the main use. I understand others may not. I'm sure you will get additional pricing functionality worked in, until then I figure while your focus is elsewere I can have a workaround created.

Not compatible with MA?

The basic idea is have something create a text file that contains the prices and then a lua script that sucks the prices into MA. If you still wanted to keep the HIGH/AVG/LOW pricing functionality you would have seperate price text files and seperate lua files for each site (no different than it is now really). How those text files containing the price data are generated the MA appilcation could care less.

This way the price grabbing or generating scripts can be scheduled or managed externally to the MA application and decreasing the time needed to import prices into the MA application (since you can't background the MA price injection process). This also allows users to use any scripting language they are familiar with to collect the prices as well as simplifies the LUA script used to inject the prices into the MA application.

If you want to see it in action there already is a LocalPrices.lua script that does the injection of prices from a text file in the pricing script zip release.

I've been tinkering with the idea using vbscripts and its kind of nice to set a scheduled task to download pricing data and when I want to update the prices in MA it only takes maybe 30 seconds to import the collected prices. The ability to choose specific sets or blocks of sets require arguments regardless of the language.

[woogerboy21]

Corrected the problem with the MTGMintCard price collection script. Updated the zip file. Please download version 2.2a to correct the MTGMintCard lua script.

[kristijanH]

I get this error when I try to get prices for TCGPlayerHIGH. Everything else works.

[woogerboy21]

I get this error when I try to get prices for TCGPlayerHIGH. Everything else works.

Is it happening to you right away or does it take awhile? I'm able to start the script without errors. Also could you double check its TCGPlayerHIGH? And does the MED or LOW run ok?

[kristijanH]

Everything else is ok. It stops after a few minutes - probably gets to NPH (or something) then stops.

[dukemb]

Hi! I would like to know where MA saved data when which price was updated?

Thanks!

[woogerboy21]

Hi! I would like to know where MA saved data when which price was updated?

Thanks!

The prices are stored in a .csv file that is named the same as the LUA script being run. Inside the .csv each card's db id is listed with the associated card price next to it. If you have multiple copies of MA loaded on different machines and you wanted to collect the prices on 1 box and duplicate those prices to other all you need to do is copy the .lua and .csv file to the appropriate machine. When MA loads it reads in the pricing content of the .csv.