Does anyone know if there is a program out there that will allow you to create articles and then sort them like an encyclopedia?
I'm in the middle of universe creation, and just have a bunch of text files with all of my info. I could get a 3-ring binder and some A-Z tabs, but that could be a waste of paper and ink if I could get some kind of program that could do the same thing.
An online site where you could host your own would also work.
Anyone got any ideas?
Why not just create a file for the story, with sub-files - people, places, languages, whatever. Everything within each file would automatically be in alphabetical order.
I guess something that would be really cool would be to able to hyperlink pages as well. A wiki is cool but then I lose the Encylopedia feel.
yeah that kind of thing would be awesome. When you have a world with lots of countries/ traditions/ history/government/military/characters it is really hard to keep track off
If there was some kind of wiki site that you could also sort all of your articles by category and alphabetically I would sign up in a heartbeat. It's times like these where I wish I was a programmer and could just make my own programs!
How does a wiki lose "that encyclopedia feel"? I'm sure all those zealous editors at Wikipedia would cry a river if they heard you say that. (Not that they couldn't use it now and again. ^o^ )
Anyway, a wiki sounds like a pretty good option. You could always code your stuff into HTML so you can get all the linking and interconnection you're after. Of course, there is always the "Find" option in your word processor. I have several encyclopediae and other peripheral works for my stories, all either RTF or TXT documents or Excel spreadsheets (which I prefer to use of Access for making databases).
You could always poke around this wide wonderful web for options. You might be surprised to find who's willing to cater to your needs.
I've found a few sites that would work in certain ways, but then fall short in others. I've also found a few programs that work in certain ways, but fall short in others.Originally Posted by James Carmack
I've checked out Pbwiki.com, which has worked somewhat well but the interface is kind of clunky, and then wetpaint.com is easier, but you lose some of the functionality.
The program I've been using the most is Treepad, which has worked well, but then you can't hyperlink to other pages within the program.
My ideal program would be this: A program where you could write articles, title them, and have them all appear under headings of A,B,C, etc., and then being able to link between the articles within the program.
Using excel seems like a good idea, as I'm pretty knowledgeable of it. How do you personally use it to help you keep articles/notes/etc?
I apologize for my wiki bashing. I now realize that it's only because I don't have experience using it.
You can think what you want of wikis. I have no vested interest in what people think of them. Their functionality is hard to deny, though. A well-constructed wiki would do wonders for you, but that "well-constructed" bit is the real trick. I don't have any experience making wikis, though, just using 'em. (Might be something worth considering, though.)
I happen to use Excel for making databases. You say, "Access is for databases. Excel is for spreadsheets." Yeah, I know, but like I said, I prefer using Excel. For all my stories, I've got a character database. All the little details like height, weight, eye color, hair color, special abilities, etc. I also run numerous statistics like battlefield casualties, census results, vehicle specs, and so on.
However, Excel can be used to index your documents. Say, for instance, you make a worksheet for every letter of the alphabet (getting your tabs that way). You can then make hyperlinks to the appropriate documents. Those links can be to any file type if you're just wanting to open the file itself. If you're wanting to go to a particular place in a document, you'd have to code it (the document) in HTML and ID those specific sections. It's not that hard if that's the tack you want to take.
Interesting idea with the Excel. I tried a few wiki sites and just found it to hard to get it organized, most likely because of my lack of experience. However, I found an EXCELLENT tool to use. It's called Notebook, and it's a personal wiki program. I highly suggest it to anyone looking for something like this.
http://www.wjduquette.com/notebook/
That Notebook program is interesting. I may just have to consider downloading it. The thought of a network of links interconnecting all my encyclopedia articles has definitely got me lickin' my chops. ^_^
I am currently in the throws of doing exactly the same. To keep a track of all my ideas, I created a word document, with 3 columns: 1- object/person/entity ect, 2- relevant notes and facts. 3- see also. That way, by using the ctrl+F function you can easily see the links between things. its not exactly a wiki, but usefull all the same!
I use a mac, but I'm pretty sure this is available for PCs: Filemaker Pro (@ version 11 or 12, I think). It's great for this. It can behave like excel, but also provides a completely flexible data entry and browse modes, searches, sorts and the completed file even runs on computers who don't have filemaker (that might only be with the "Advanced" version).
Encyclopedia Creator Program
Ok here's an Encyclopedia Creator program that's quite good..Its called Encyclopedia Creator.
Here's the link to the project:
https://sourceforge.net/projects/encacreator/
Download Link:
http://sourceforge.net/projects/enca...r.zip/download
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