The table currently stores both season and episode, so we won't actually need it.

This won't work for season 1

I'm confused -- how are the episodes numbered?

Well there were only 12 in the first season and 22 in all subsequent seasons, so that's why it's fiddly.

The table currently stores both season and episode, so we won't actually need it.

Mine just had numbers, but I used the formula to go back and populate the fields automatically based on the number. One of those things where figuring out a formula took longer than just typing the info in, but, cooler.

Shall we make some kind of more public announcement about the database idea, like the call for adoptions thing? Should we wait for some date when things quiet down in Christmas-celebrating countries? Should it have its own thread? Are we short of coders?

Well there were only 12 in the first season and 22 in all subsequent seasons, so that's why it's fiddly.

No, I mean, aren't they numbered 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, etc? Why would there need to be a formula at all?

Well if you've got a list of them all in some database, then they're going to be listed from one to whatever.

aren't they numbered 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, etc?

I'd assume that officially, they have some kind of boring number like ME:1:6598213 or whatever.

What you need for a fan database is something more interesting anyway, you need "Episode X over all, which is Episode Y of Season Z", and you also need to note Final Episodes too, in case someone can't remember that The Gift, ep 100 (ep 22 of season 5), is also the Final Ep of that season.

[Edit: this is one of the new features I added to Mister Pointy]

There should be more math. This could be mathier.

How do you express, in math, the idea of "if"?

I mean, the formula is more easily expressed in programming as "if x less than thirteen, season = 1; if x more than 12, season equals whatever" the thing Hil said earlier about modulus. But can you do that in maths? I'm incredibly ignorant.

I'd assume that officially, they have some kind of boring number like ME:1:6598213 or whatever.

Most televisions shows are officially numbered "Season.Episode" -- I guess I can't see why you'd need anything more complicated than that for the database. I don't see the value of knowing that ep 7.2 is also ep 120 (or whatever).

I don't see the value of knowing that ep 7.2 is also ep 120

Well the example I gave was probably an pretty unusual example, episode 100 being special, but anyway, even if you don't see it, we should still put it in the DB, because somebody will someday want to know it.

I know ita will just store all of the data in seperate fields anyway, so we can grab the two numbers and put them back together with a full stop between them if that's the official way.

My assumption that the official official title was something less obvious and boring was based on seeing episode guides for the Simpsons like this:

Some Enchanted Evening (#7G01) 13 May 1990

When Marge calls a radio shrink and tells that their marriage is failing, Homer takes Marge out to a nice dinner and a night at the Offramp Inn. However, the sitter they hired was featured that night on America's Most Armed and Dangerous. Guest starring Penny Marshall.

Bart the Genius (#7G02) 14 Jan 1990

Bart swaps IQ tests with the class brain, and ends up the butt of everyone's jokes at a school for gifted kids.

Homer's Odyssey (#7G03) 21 Jan 1990

Homer gets fired for causing another accident at the nuclear plant, and almost commits suicide. He see the light, and becomes a safety activist, and soon goes after the plant he was fired from.

where the #7G03 thing is some more obscure numbering scheme.

There are official codes for each Buffy episode that run in the credits. I'm not sure of the Angel episodes, but I would guess they have them, too.

I'll have to look at my tapes/DVDs when I get home to get actual samples and see if the code makes any sense.

I don't see the value of knowing that ep 7.2 is also ep 120

I'd like to know. I don't know why, but it seems like an interesting thing to know.