Rich asked for an update so here's where I am.

I've been learning the necessary programming and drawn a model of the database. It appears that the basic engine here will be relatively simple to put together.

I've had a few technical setbacks.

First Although my friend who has donated the server space gave me a Id and password I was unable to connect using my windows client for Mysql (mysql is the database which is running on the server). I emailed my friend about it and just today was able to connect to the database.

After connecting it appears that my friend for got to grant me the necessary permissions to create a new database. So I will be speaking to him this evening.

I expect that i will have the database structure fully defined by the end of the first week in June, the interfaces will take me longer but I think a bar bones interface will be available before the convention. It may be the end of August before all the bells and whistles are added.

my current plans (I don't have my drawings in front of me so I might leave something out) will be to have two tables one with user information (userid,password (unless my friend can provide me with another security option),email address,website URL,CCGTCC#(not required), date of last update) and one table of chip information (userid of the person posting, casino, state, city,denomination, mold, whether it is LE or obsolete, ChipId (so that you can use Id numbers from applicable guides if you are so inclined, and a description field (which will be searchable for Keywords), and a url field so that users can post a scan (I will not be hosting images)) I think I am leaving something out right now.

The idea will be that you can search by casino,sate,city,userid,mold, (obsolete or LE) denomination (including NCV, or roulette as denominations), or by keywords in the description field) and by combining these fields, so you could search for Obsolete $5 Chips from Reno with a large key mold.

The result of the search will show
for each chip that matches the criteria

the UserID of the owner, the email address, The date the user last updated his list, and all of the fields in the Chip Table.

I am not including a place for condition of the chip, because I believe it is more important for the people considering a trade to discuss that by email instaed of just categorizing it as mint or good.

I may add a quantity available field.

I will ask that the database not be used to post chips for sale and only for chips for trade, however it is not my intention to prevent the occasional sale of a chip, I will only enforce the rule if I find a user is abusing it.

As always if you have any suggestions email me

I am not including a