Is There A Way To Save Topic Index .txt Files For Other Members To Access?

If an index of a topic's thread is made, is there any place to save it so others could benefit from its use?

I realize there's search, but not every entry is identified in a way to make searching for it easy. An index to a topic with multiple pages and multiple stamp images would be handy for reference -- assuming someone wants to create it. I've done this with the Waterfalls on Stamps topic so I know if an image has already been posted.

B.G.

That is a great idea. I looked for something like that when I found this site but I couldn't find one. I hope someone does that and makes it user-friendly so we can add our particular interests.

Some considerations...

1. This is not like publishing a book where you do the work once and then sit back, it is more like publishing a magazine. Once you do the work to generate the index, there is a significant amount of work in maintaining it.

2. Many topics have hundreds of existing pages, making an index page with images would require using thumbnail images since using full sized images would result in an index page which would be exceeding large (slow to load and would be a wall of content). So every time someone makes a new post, you would also have to generate thumbnails for each post.

3. We already have two search features. The custom Google search feature is fast and powerful and it includes images. So for example, if a user wants to search on 'lighthouses' they can easily click on the 'image' tab as shown below.


4. The purpose of having an SQL database behind a forum like this is to NOT have to hand build indexes like this. If time and money are to be invested, then it is best invested in improving the indexing at the SQL level. So the best way to help is to donate money and/or support the advertisers and affiliate links venders.
Don

Considering Don's points:

1. I realize an index needs upkeep. In this case, as waterfalls are my primary collecting interest, expecting to update it is a given.

2. An index with thumbnails would be cumbersome, and I was thinking a text file with country, falls name, and year of issue (if known) to be workable.

3. The custom Google search is too good, and produces a multi page listing that is hard to look through. With index by country, you could find if a particular stamp had been posted before much easier.

4. Perhaps I need suggestions for effective search technique, but if a post has nothing but the image, or 'incomplete' text info, search wouldn't find the identifying information I'd be looking for.

Short of posting the index in the thread — and the limited edit window makes this relatively unusable — what else might work? There could be a link to it hosted somewhere else, but that has it's own set of problems and concerns. Whether there is a way to have it available here is still the question.

I have been on some forums where members have the ability to upload 'resources', and I was asking if that was possible on SCF.

B.G.