What Format to Use and Where to Store the Maps?

Having been through ZXDB (on GitHub), I am in two minds about starting with a database. Now, don't get me wrong. I will install Postgres locally on my Mac and create a database, and everything will go in there but it is worth taking one step up and writing the output data in a JSON format in a one-file-per-magazine structure.

The advantage I see in this is that once I have the file generated, I can import it into Postgres and go from there. Should someone else pick a different database - then they will have the base files to work with as well. 

Like ZXDB I have created a GitHub project for this, and, because I should never be allowed to name anything, I have chosen the name "Total Magazine Archive Project" or TMAP for short. See? I told you I shouldn't name things.

The GitHub link is here (the project is public).

So, at least one decision has been made: GitHub will be used to store the maps.

Regarding the files themselves, I'm looking at JSON. For example;

{
  "magazine": "Bar Hill News",
  "description": "November 1986 Issue 315",

  "key": "BHN198611",
  "publisher": "BH Residents Association",
  "date": "1986-11",
  "reference": "N/A",
  "box_size": {
    "x": 1,
    "y": 1
  },
  "pages": [
    {
      "page": 1,

      "key": "P01",
      "objects": [
        {
          "orderBy": 1,

          "key": "O01"

          "parent": "P01"
          "type": "article",
          "title": "The title of an article goes in here",
          "position": {
            "x_start": 0,
            "y_start": 0,
            "width": 1,
            "height": 1
          },
          "summary": "A summary/description goes in here"
        }
      ]
    }
  ]
}

This is a straightforward example - a single page with a single article - but the point should be clear.

I think the easiest way to do this is to create files to iron out the kinks and to bravely take that first step beyond planning!