[ic] specs.txt (?)

[Mike Heins]

Quoting Adrian P Wilkinson (junk@puffin.org):
> Dear All,
> 
> I've been looking through the source to flypage.html and notice it refers to
> specs.txt which -looks- like the idea is to print out specifications in a
> "<b>Label:</b> Detail" format.
> 
> I assume that I need such a file to contain "sku, header, detail" fields.
> Is any additional information required and once I've created such a file,
> how I do I get Interchange to pick it up in the admin area (so I can import
> into the SQL database?)

I believe an example file was at one point supplied in foundation, but
it is no longer there.

It is as simple as 

 sku	header	detail
SKU	Spec name	The information

Note the space before the "sku" in the header line -- It does need to be 
a sorted file, as it is accessed via binary search.

This was done to provide very fast free-form additional specs support
for a large database such as a computer parts distributor would use.
It works (at least) with the one that Techdata supplies, suitably sorted
and headered. You could indeed do the same thing with a SQL table,
though you would have a hard time matching the select speed of the
IC binary search for a large database.

-- 
Mike Heins
Perusion -- Expert Interchange Consulting    http://www.perusion.com/
phone +1.513.523.7621      <mike@perusion.com>

There's nothing sweeter than life nor more precious than time.
-- Barney