Colin Fukai`s Presentation on WebDB setup

Download Report

Transcript Colin Fukai`s Presentation on WebDB setup 

Data-Enabled Web Sites:
Classibooks.com & Internet Database
Technologies
Colin Fukai
April 4, 2000
Gonzaga University
Background

Education


My “Internet Credentials”





Gonzaga University: BBA (MIS, HR) - 2000
4 years of web design/construction experience
www.ticketswest.com
www.cavanaughs.com
www.planetquake.com
Contacting Me


www.colinfukai.com
[email protected]
Introduction

Database connectivity and the web

The web is simply a new interface for
structured data collections
DB
Internet
Web Page
Introduction Cont.

Benefits



E-commerce $$$$$
Thin clients, dumb
terminals, and
centralized
computing (web
apps)
Drawbacks



Complexity
Time & Resources
Security
Classibooks.com




A “Meeting Place”.
Registered users (sellers) post their
used textbooks.
Buyers browse the listings and then
contact the seller.
Classibooks.com does not sell anything,
it just makes the connection between
buyer and seller.
Technologies

Database


Web Server


NT Server 4, IIS 4
Server Side Scripting


MS Access
ASP
Development Tools

Interdev, Visual Basic
Databases


LOGICAL DESIGN!
Considerations




Size
Complexity
Separation of data and processes
Classibooks Database


Customer (seller)
Post (the book listings)
Web Server



Microsoft NT Server 4
Internet Information Server 4 (IIS4)
Setting up a site with NT Server 4:



Internet Service Manager
Web directory (Inetpub/wwwroot/yoursite)
ODBC Connection (DSN)
Server Side Scripting



Code that is executed on the web
server, as opposed to client side
scripting that is run on the user’s web
browser (e.g., JavaScript).
ASP = Active Server Pages
According to Microsoft:
Active Server Pages is an open, compile-free application
environment in which you can combine HTML, scripts, and
reusable ActiveX server components to create dynamic and
powerful Web-based business solutions.
Server Side Scripting Cont.



ASP is really just a way to “dynamically
generate” web pages.
It is based on the Visual Basic language
which is easy to use and familiar to
many programmers.
Provides many powerful built-in
capabilities, such as database
connectivity.
Server Side Scripting Cont.

How does an ASP page work?
USER
(Internet
Browser)
ASP Page
<html>
<h1>My Site</h1>
<%
Dim myVar
myVar = Time()
Reponse.Write myVar
%>
</html>
Static Web Page
WEB Server
processes ASP
page, returns
results
A Simple ASP Page Example
<HTML>
<HEAD>
<TITLE>ASP Page</TITLE>
</HEAD>
<BODY>
<H1>My TEST ASP Page</H1>
<P>
<%
Dim myVar
myVar = “Hello World”
Response.Write myVar
%>
</BODY>
</HTML>
A Closer Look at the Code
<%
Dim myVar
Tag indicates ASP code
Variable
myVar = “Hello World”
Initialize
Response.Write myVar
Output
%>
A More “Complex” Example
Input.htm
Input
Output.asp
Output
Input.htm
<html>
<head>
<title>Where Am I for sign-in sheets</title>
</head>
<body>
<h1>Type the information to make a sign-in sheet for the New
Products seminar.</h1>
Pass form values to this page
<br>
<form action=“Output.asp" method=post>
Input
<p><input value="name of city" name ="City">
<p><input value="date of seminar" name ="Date">
<p><input type="submit" value="Click here to submit
the information">
</form>
</body>
</html>
Submit the information
<body>
Output.asp
<h1>Spokane Clothiers
Welcome to the New Products Seminar</h1>
Held In
<%
Dim strCity
strCity = Request.Form("City")
Response.Write strCity
Get data from input box “City”
and output it
%>
on
<%
Dim strDate
strDate = Request.Form("Date")
Response.Write strDate
%>
<p align="left">
Please sign in by printing your name at the front desk.
<hr>
</body>
Get data from input box “Date”
and output it
Development Tools

Microsoft Visual
Interdev



Part of “Visual Studio”
Rapid Application
Development for the web
Overview of the
Interdev Integrated
Development
Environment
Interdev IDE
Project Explorer
Toolbox
Item Properties
Main Editing Window
InterDev Example

What do we need to accomplish a
simple page, connected to a database?




Win 9x or Win NT
IIS or Personal Web Server (PWS)
A database and working knowledge of how
a simple DBMS like MS Access works.
Time and patience… the tools are more
powerful and simple than ever, but that
means more things can go wrong.
Personal Web Server




Obtaining &
installing
Good for
workstation testing
Create a new site
Know what default
page name is
(default.asp,
index.htm)
Interdev Example Cont.







Create a new project
Create an ASP page
Create a database connection
Add a “recordset” to the page
Set that recordset’s source fields (SQL)
Connect form controls (e.g., listboxes) to the
recordset or simply output it as text
View page
ASP Issues

Connecting to the database



DSN = A file that contains commands for
connecting to a database.
DSN or DSN-less?
ASP Components


Compiled modules of code that interact
with your web site.
Separates business logic from the web
pages themselves.
ASP Issues Cont.

ASP Components Cont.



Components are written with fully featured
languages like Visual Basic or Visual C++.
Modularity, Reusability.
How to use a component:



Compile component (.dll)
Register component on the web server
Create instance of component object in ASP code to
access the component’s properties and methods.
ASP Issues Cont.

Sessions and maintaining state



The time a visitor is at your site, and all the
actions they perform while there, is called a
session.
Sometimes we want to maintain information (the
state) about a user as they move from page to
page. This is where ASP Session capabilities come
in handy.
But, don’t use it. Use cookies or query strings to
pass data between pages.
The Alternatives…

Chilisoft
(www.chilisoft.com)


Cold Fusion
(www.allaire.com)


Run ASP on any web
server, and not just NT
Cold fusion markup
language
PHPx (www.php.net)

It’s free!
ASP Resources


msdn.microsoft.com
msdn.microsoft.com/asp




Good starting point
www.15seconds.com
www.learnasp.com
www.4guysfromrolla.com
Conclusion





Know what you want to accomplish BEFORE
deciding how to construct it.
Do not invest in resources that you will not,
practically, need, but do plan for the future –
in other words, watch out for “chicken little”
salesmen.
Put yourself in the user’s shoes.
Functionality and content above
flashiness.
Data design as important as site design.
Thanks!