Web-based database

[Funkenjäger]

I seem to recall this idea has been at least mentioned before, but I wanted to "formally" propose it just because I think it would be incredibly useful.

It would be great if beersmith could have some kind of web-based database for your recipes.  Like, create an account on the site, and then you can have beersmith sync your recipe database with a virtual one online, so you could keep everything in sync between multiple computers without having to manually send the databases back and forth and manually merge all the time.

As an additional feature, it would also be REALLY great if you could view the recipes on your account by logging in on the beersmith website as well.  This way you could still have access to your recipes even if you were on a computer without beersmith installed (work, school, etc)

[KEKO482]

I have the same problem I have everything on my desktop computer and when I brew I use the laptop.

[BeerSmith]

All,
  I agree it would be a great feature.  I was thinking of working towards a php/sql based system.  The challenge is how much to put into it.

  A simple system might maintain some basic info on each recipe and store them for download and easy access.  Something like this I believe I could do pretty rapidly.  You could search using basic recipe parameters (style, user, name, etc).

  Actually developing a full system where you can enter online recipes is considerably more effort, and I'm concerned would divert me from the continued work on the main program.

  Thoughts?

Cheers,
Brad

[atarlecky]

Make the web based portion open source and collaborative. Just author the client-side component so you can send the recipes and whatnot via XML over SOAP. In fact, you will probably increase sales by not tying the app to just one site. For example, homebrewtalk could have their own recipe db tied in and it would be separate from the beersmith db. Users could hook to multiple sites simultaneously, or set primary and secondary sites.

[BeerSmith]

Hi,
  I'll see what I can do.  Unfortunately it may be difficult to make the entire thing open source and open standards as with the exception of BeerXML there are not great standards for exchanging some of the data.

  Also - its relatively easy to modify BeerSmith to transfer the XML data up, but it seems to me that the bulk of the work is in actually developing the recipe site (server, database, etc), making it efficient, and having it integrated a bit with BeerSmith so someone can easiliy access and share the recipes.

  I'm a big fan of open source - in fact I put together the first iterations of BeerXML and did a lot of work to make it available.  However, I've had only limited success in the past attracting contributors to large open projects.  At the moment I can't even find a volunteer to help moderate on BrewPoll - which is a pretty simple task compared to developing an open source recipe database.

  Finally - I'm torn a bit - I've been working towards BeerSmith 2.0 (which is a massive project).  I am interested in hearing if people are more interested in an online recipe database or BeerSmith 2.0.  I suspect the latter, but I could be wrong.

Cheers,
Brad

[Mr. P]

I'm more interested in BeerSmith 2.0, but an online recipe database would also be nice at some point.

Regards
Poul

[UselessBrewing]

I think a recipe db would be nice, but I would rather see BeerSmith 2.0 first. I love the Program, with its features and can't wait to see the next iteration.

Thanks Brad for the hard work...

Cheers

Preston

[bonjour]

I do maintain an on-line recipe "database", not with all the features that you are looking for, but if you send me your Award Winning Recipe's in BeerSmith (.bsm) format I will put them up on the web in both html and downloadable BeerSmith formats.

My criteria to be listed is that the beer MUST have won an award.  Please let me know what award your beer has won.

Fred
Fred at BeerDuJour.com

[bananskib]

Hi,

  A simple system might maintain some basic info on each recipe and store them for download and easy access.  Something like this I believe I could do pretty rapidly.  You could search using basic recipe parameters (style, user, name, etc).

Have you seen the Ikea home planner software? It lets you store your file online or on your own disk. This is the kind of feature I would like to have.
I haven't used the planner much - but found the "save"-feature really cool.

Best regards,
Robert

[wrz0170]

Sorry.  I don't mean to hijack this thread but to take this idea one step further;   Any thoughts about doing an iPhone App.?  Would be pretty neat to sync on or just before brew day and have a portable brew sheet or the ability to download recipes from online database into your iPhone, etc.

Just to throw something out there.

[Maine Homebrewer]

I'll help if you'll let me.
B.S. in Computer science with 3 years doing web based Java powered Oracle stored document managed task based search engine software.

[Maine Homebrewer]

As well as almost ten years brewing experience, three of it all grain, though none of it using your software.

[altgeeky1]

Another +1 for web-hooks in Beersmith.

Here's what's important to me:
1) Upload my recipe to beersmith.com (private to my account/public for all flag)
2) To VIEW the recipe, you just need a web browser or RSS Feed Reader, and your beersmith.com login
3) Session Notes can be saved (uploaded) using just the web browser.
These notes could later be imported when you use BeerSmith application proper.


These  open the door to my using someone else's laptop, or a non-Windows system for your brew sessions. Just


Once you've got the water heating up all I REALLY need to do is view the recipe and save my "brew session notes". Make this browser-compatible and you've just enabled users of "ultra mobile PCs" that run Linux and FireFox (I have a N800 with a bluetooth keyboard, and system runs a FireFox compat. browser great).

The ability to save/upload/share a recipe may lead to more content sharing on the website (XX beersmith users tried this public recipe, XX rating, etc) but this is all secondary to saving the recipe online.