Day 87 of 100 Days Coding Challenge: Python
Because I have another commitment tomorrow, I decided to sneak today’s function into the schedule a little early. The feature of the day? Saving filters. Think of it as adding a “save game” button to history. If you’ve ever played a Nintendo game that didn’t let you save, you know the pain—hours of progress gone because your little brother unplugged the console. I didn’t want my carefully chosen filters to vanish the same way.
Of course, no feature comes without a little drama. I hit two big issues. Back when I started coding, any red error message would send me into full panic mode. Now, I’ve learned that most problems are just puzzles with bad timing. Today reminded me of that: slow down, breathe, and fix one thing at a time.
Today’s Motivation / Challenge
Why does this matter? Because sometimes you don’t want to rebuild the same filter every time you open the app. Imagine crafting the perfect view of “iron adoption in Eurasia, 800 BCE–200 CE,” then losing it forever because you clicked away. Saving presets means you can revisit your favorite “lenses” with one click, whether it’s maritime trade routes or technological revolutions.
Purpose of the Code (Object)
The code lets you save your current filter selections as JSON presets—called “theme lenses.” You can load, switch, and reuse them later. This way, your app remembers what you care about, and you can jump straight into exploring without re-selecting everything.
AI Prompt
Please add the following functions:
Theme lenses
- Save filter presets (JSON): “maritime trade”, “iron adoption”, etc.
Accept: load/switch lenses in 1 click
Functions & Features
- Save current filter selections as named JSON files.
- Load a saved filter (“lens”) instantly with one click.
- Keep taxonomy tags (like “tech” or “war”) consistent, even if not in the current tag list.
Requirements / Setup
You’ll need:
- Python 3.11
Installs:
pip install streamlit
Minimal Code Sample
def save_lens(name, filters):
with open(f”lenses/{name}.json”, “w”) as f:
json.dump(filters, f)
def load_lens(name):
with open(f”lenses/{name}.json”) as f:
return json.load(f)
One function saves filters as JSON; the other loads them back into the app.
The Civilization Timeline Builder
Notes / Lessons Learned
The first bug was almost comical: I forgot to delete the existing sidebar widget, so suddenly I had two period selectors glaring at me. That one was an easy fix. The trickier problem was when lenses like “maritime trade” or “iron adoption” triggered Streamlit errors. The issue? I had assigned values that didn’t exist in the current all_tags list. Streamlit doesn’t like when you ask for something it doesn’t offer.
The solution was to create a script that merges the database-derived options with whatever free-form values the lens needed. That way, even if the lens specifies tags like “sea” or “tech,” it still works, whether or not those appear in all_tags. After some careful debugging, everything finally clicked into place.
The real lesson: don’t try to fix every error at once. Solve one, breathe, then tackle the next. The process is a lot less stressful that way.
Optional Ideas for Expansion
- Add a dropdown of saved lenses in the sidebar for quick access.
- Allow exporting and sharing lenses with friends (history study group, anyone?).
- Include a “random lens” button for surprise explorations.