ShowTheBest.Com Interactive tables on your web pages

Control Tool

This tool sets several important parameters for your Interactive Table. Most are set with a checkbox:

The parameters are saved in controlfile.txt.

1. Display Importance Widgets
   If checked then display the Importance Widgets ("weights"). Otherwise, the Importance Widgets are not displayed. In either case, the weights are set to either the default values or what was assigned by the Initializing Tool.

2. Display Value Widgets
   If checked then display the Value Widgets. Otherwise, the Value Widgets are not displayed. In either case, the values are set to either the default values or what was assigned by the Initializer Tool.

3. Display Intermediate Field Scores
   If checked then display the scores for each field. The weighted score for each data record is the sum total of the weight in each field times this value, normalized to 100. The display appears as a plain vanilla table immediately after the Interactive Table.

   

   Use this as a debugging aid to see how the matches, maps, and formulas appear: make sure you press the ShowTheBest.Com button so that the scores are calculated.

4. Sort by Score
   If checked then sort the Case Database Interactive Table by score; otherwise, do not sort. Note that Display Databases configured with vertical field names are not sorted.

5. Display Scores
   If checked then display the scores; otherwise don't. Scores are displayed as whole numbers between 0 and 100. Note that you can still sort by score but the score values won't be displayed.

6. Join Widgets and Database Tables
   If checked then join the table containing the Importance Widgets and Value Widgets to the table that displays the results.

7. Display Results
   If checked then display the row(or column) with the Results label. This row (or column) contains the ShowTheBest.Com Interactive Table Button.

8. Use Display Database
   If checked then use the DDB for display in the Interactive Table. Otherwise, display the Case Database Table. Note that if the header and footer files headerfile.txt and footerfile.txtexist in the Interactive Table Directory, then these files will be fetched and displayed. (If there are no header and footer files then ShowTheBest.Com will use its own header and footer.)

9. Use RULES in tables
   If checked, the use HTML Rules in the tables for the Case Database.

10. Use Labels
    If checked then use labels you defined with the Label Tool; otherwise, use the ShowTheBest default labels. Note: ShowTheBest will use default labels if it detects an inconsistency in the label file labelfile.txt.

11. Capture Log File
    If checked then record all user selections in the Interactive Table Directory log file stbLogfile.txt. Otherwise, don't record anything.

12. Show Top Scores A number. ShowTheBest will only display the data records with the first Top Scores. This number can be bigger than the number of database records: in this case all records will be displayed. If zero or negative, then no records will be displayed.

13. External Database Calling Program The text of an external executable script that is used to create either
    • the Database Table
      (if "Use Display Database" is unchecked)
    • or the Database Table AND the Display Database
      (if "Use Display Database" is checked)
    This text should result in the execution of some program. An example of "External Database Calling Program" is perl mealzdemo.pl .