Interested in a cool programming problem to solve which could help far more than a million people?
Like many Independent Contractors, I use my car to go to assignments and depend on google maps for pricing services. The texting conversation and pricing for services with the Company hiring me goes something like this:
COMPANY: Hey contractor, how much will be your FEE to provide your SERVICE for 123 Any Street today?
CONTRACTOR: Let me get back to you in five minutes...
Process:
- I open google maps and enter 123 Any Street;
- I take the miles DISTANCE.
- I take the travel TIME.
Then,
- I multiply DISTANCE times $0.56/mile
- I multiply TIME times $##
- I calculate my rate for SERVICE
- I add DISTANCE + TIME + SERVICE = FEE
Then,
I text COMPANY with something like this....
CONTRACTOR: Thank you for the opportunity. My FEE is $xxx. This includes my SERVICE @ $xxx, milage at XXX miles from home-base @ $0.56 and $xxx for xxx minutes of driving time @ $xxx/hr. I have enclosed a link to Google maps for your reference and records. This offer will remain for 15 minutes.
COMPANY: You're hired!
....Programming solution: After CONTRACTOR enters 123 Any Street, Text Blaze (or whatever) goes to work and automates the calculation and text reply from CONTRACTOR to COMPANY.
Nice idea! Part of this is already possible with Text Blaze if you get the time and distance manually.
If you give me some dummy numbers, I can make the snippet for you.
Meanwhile, I'm sure Scott has already taken note of your suggestion. Thanks!
123 any street from home-base according to google maps:
Distance: 18 miles (both ways x2) x $0.56
Time: 38 minutes driving (both ways x2) x $40/per hr
Service: $65 Routine Visit
FEE = DISTANCE + TIME + SERVICE
The key @cedric would be automating between Google Maps and text output.
Of course, that's the real key here. But the second part of the process can be automated easily.
Distance: {formtext: name=distance; default=18; cols=5} miles (both ways x2) x $0.56
Time: {formtext: name=hours; default=0; cols=3} hrs {formtext: name=minutes; default=38; cols=3} mins driving (both ways x2) x $40/per hr
Service: ${formtext: name=serviceFee; default=65; cols=3} Routine Visit
{distanceFee=distance*2*0.56}
{timeFee=((((hours*60)+minutes)*2)/60)*40}
FEE = ${=distanceFee; format=.2f} (distance) + ${=timefee; format=.2f} (time) + {=serviceFee} (service) = ${=distanceFee + timeFee + serviceFee; format=.2f} (total)
Does that look good?
@B_Strong - quick question, would your starting point always be fixed? Or would you need it to be dynamically detected?
While it is not an absolute, the starting point is almost always a fixed location.
fixed means my home office.
Got it. Thanks for the clarification.