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PROPOSAL: Database/Application development to track shaving history and gear

I've been bitten by the DE razor bug (and I partially blame all of you). As such I was interested in creating a way to track both my growing razor collection as well as track my results with different gear and hopefully contribute something here...this happens to align to some of my background.

So I've been working on creating a database and associated input forms to track this stuff. I've seen a few inquiries about this here but wasn't able to find anything that worked. I'm proposing to try to create something, open source (free), available and supported by all. Here are some thoughts around this:

Tooling
I am moderately experienced in developing and supporting database schemas using relational databases. I have some experience developing apps (forms/queries) using Microsoft Access - though I'm not current. So Microsoft Access is a possibility, but it is not free/open source. There appears to be an open source database app similar called Base in LibreOffice which might be a good option. Access also used to have a 'free' distribution version, perhaps could look at that as an options.

However, Access/Base is AFAIK not accessible on mobile (IOS or Android) or web browsers...that would be a great goal to make it easier for data entry. Help would be needed here.

We should use some form of source control to do this. That being said, my background is in infrastructure support (think major data centers and everything associated with them) and not application development - so I would probably need help here to make that happen. In addition I don't know how to do source control with Access or Base db's, since the code / structure is all saved in the database file AFAIK.

I am totally open to other suggestions.

Collaboration Method
I think it makes sense to have some area for developers to communicate / interact. Again I am not a dev, so open to suggestions....Discord? Something else? Use B&B forums? I am not a SME here...

Database Design
I've already started doing a relational database design based on what I think this should contain, but would welcome feedback/suggestions. I made a bunch of suggestions I've detailed below which may or may not be right, and this was done quickly so there are probably mistakes. Here is my current design, with assumptions / documentation following.

ShavTrak_Schema.png


  1. A Razor is defined a handle + top cap, and can be used with many plates. [should I separate out the top caps as well as the plates? Each razor can have multiple top caps, and each top cap can be used with multiple razors? I thought this was too much]
  2. A Plate can be used with many razors
  3. A ShaveLogEntry is the object that will store details about a given shave. This includes the date, the Razor/Plate combination used, the Soap used, the RazorBlade used, the brush used, and one or more SkinCare entries
  4. A RazorBlade will detail attributes about the blade (manufacturer, model, description, purchase info, etc). I don't right now accommodate purchase history here (i.e. you might buy blades over time, and want to track where you bought them and how much -- should I? I think it's more info than needed but dunno).
  5. A ShaveSoap will detail attributes about the soap you used (manufacturer, model, description, purchase info, etc). I don't right now accommodate purchase history here (i.e. you might buy soap over time, and want to track where you bought it and how much -- should I? I think it's more info than needed but dunno).
  6. A SkinCare entry will detail attributes about the skin care product -- my thinking here is pre and post shave lotions, whatever. This includes manufacturer, model, purchase info, etc). I don't right now accommodate purchase history here (i.e. you might buy these products over time, and want to track where you bought them and how much -- should I? I think it's more info than needed but dunno).
  7. A SkinCare entry can be used with many ShaveLogEntries, and many ShaveLogEntries can be used with many SkinCare entries. [in English, you can use one or more SkinCare entry with each log entry].
  8. A Brush entry will detail attributes about the brush. This includes manufacturer, model, purchase info, etc.
  9. I've included some standard attributes like PurchaseDate, PurchaseAmount, PurchaseLocation, and Attachments in all (I think) objects, but may be extraneous in some cases.
  10. This was designed for DE razors...perhaps down the road could be modified for straights or others.

UI Interface
Ideally I would need some help here - I'm not great visually. If I continue in Access or move to Base, I can create basic forms to do this. I am not a visual designer though, and anything I do will probably be mediocre.

Financial Considerations
None. It wouldn't make sense to ask for money for this. If we get this off the ground (BIG if), and if people find it useful then I'd consider asking people who want to contribute to make a donation to their local food pantry or homeless shelter.

About me
I'm a technology professional working for a large financial in the Northeast US. Honestly I have a lot going on in my life. However right now I'm interested/excited in working on this, hopefully with a few like minded techies. I do have a tendency of starting projects and not always seeing them through when something gets in the way...it's a real possibility. However, I hope that if that happens here at least I'll have delivered a basic foundation that someone else can build upon, or provide some thoughts on how someone else can make this happen.

Anyone interested in working on this with me? Reply here and/or PM me.
 

Eben Stone

Staff member
What your proposing sounds interesting. A nice fun and challenging project. But your also re-inventing the wheel (at least for android). Search google play for "shave buddy"
 
If I no longer know what I am buying or have bought. Need an app to track how I shaved with what….
Then it is a sign that I need to thin out the den heavily and possibly should no longer be trusted with a sharp knife near my throat.
not for me wish you luck 🍀
 
welcome to B&B, Sir Ctbjdm!
Looks like you've been bitten pretty badly!
In early days, I experimented with wordpress and other apps.
Quickly abandoned, just too time-consuming and not much fun.
instead, i started taking a photo of the setup, and added key words into the description field.
the photo metadata already keeps date info.
so i can search the photo folder based on whatever key word i'm looking for.
i also post to pinterest with the description, which is also searchable.
here are thumbnails from just two recent years...

shaves 2016 2017.jpg
 
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