Hi Brian, Okay, I can invoke DP and run the report using a synthetic transaction log. However, it stops at the user login prompt. Can I add something to the script or transaction log to make it skip the login? Or perhaps I should create a non-secured .str db (let's call it weblink.str) with only one panel Param.DAT (if I may borrow yours) accessing a specific datafile of my real .str db. Is this what you mean in your notes regarding using one panel?
I understand that I can use the web user provided query i.e. order number "12345678" as the session id or transaction log filename created in the Param.DAT panel. Am I correct to assume the reason the record needs to be created is because this is the only way to relay this data to the report, since we can't have the DP report function prompting the web user for the report parameters? If this is so, then I should have the record deleted from the panel at the end of the report, thus keeping the panel empty. My only worry here is if additional users query the database before a record has been deleted. As for the transaction log file and the text file resulted from the report, can these files be automatically deleted after the report content has been retrieved by PERL to display on the web user's screen? Thank you for your help. Ed. -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Brian Hancock Sent: Tuesday, August 07, 2007 8:48 PM To: Dataperfect Users Discussion Group Subject: Re: [Dataperf] Linking DataPerfect data to the Website Hi Ed, In DP version 2.x there is the ability to start DP from the command line, and have it process a transaction log. eg dp.exe app.str /w /ei=tlog.log /sid=uniqueid /w= Latin ISO char set /ei=reference to a synthetic transaction log file /sid=unique identifier, which can be retrieved from reports using the user.field[0] variable The Transaction log is one which I create with the Perl scripts... it could be created in VB, VB.NET, C+, C#, or any other language.. Transaction Logs are created by DP when you turn the feature on, in this case the Transaction is not created natively by DP so it is referred to as a "synthetic" transaction log. In DP v 2.x an additional command, the =R: so that a DP report can be run... Although you could use the TLog to import data directly into the target panels, I prefer to import it to a parameters panel where the report can loop through each of the values. Because web is multiuser you need a way to bind the data in the TLog (which needs to be uniquely named) to that particular execution instance of DP. By including the value used in the /sid parameter as a field in each import record in the TLog, you can retrieve the execution "session identifier" with the user.field[0] and bind it to the data in the paramaters import table. Although you can create HTML and use CSS to style it directly from DP, I prefer to deliver XML and then use XSLT and CSS to present it. This means I can deliver the data to a variety of client programs, and not just a web browser. I run it on a hosting company's Linux server using DOSEMU... It runs on Windows, using the Apache web server for Windows, but I had problems running it on Windows Internet Information Server IIS... (although it has been a while since I tried it, and perhaps newer versions make it possible). I never have to touch the system, it just keeps running... I have served many pages, and I find it completely reliable. I cannot rememeber exactly but I have run at least 10 concurrent sessions (each session only lasts a few seconds), and so it can handle quite a large loading... Good luck, I really hope someone else starts running with this, as I am sure others will come up with good ideas... Regards Brian ----- Original Message ----- From: "E. Marfil, MAST UNITED" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "'Dataperfect Users Discussion Group'" <[email protected]> Sent: Wednesday, August 08, 2007 12:26 PM Subject: RE: [Dataperf] Linking DataPerfect data to the Website > Hi Brian, > > I read the reference in the DP Manual regarding the Transaction Log but it > doesn't explain much of anything regarding it's use in a web environ. > If I understood your article right ... > The PERL script (which I assume is a type of CGI script) invoked from the > website, triggers DP in the server to run a specific panel's transaction > log > report, then shuts down DP again, reads the log file searching for a match > to the parameters selected by the web user, retrieving said data and > displaying to the web user's screen. > Unfortunately, I didn't understand where (or how) you triggered DP to > start > and run the specific report. > > Please let me know if my very limited understanding is at least in the > ballpark or if I'm not even in the same zip code that maybe I should get > professional help. > > Thanks. > > Ed. > > > > > -----Original Message----- > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of E. Marfil, MAST > UNITED > Sent: Monday, August 06, 2007 1:25 PM > To: 'Dataperfect Users Discussion Group' > Subject: RE: [Dataperf] Linking DataPerfect data to the Website > > Hi Brian, > > Thank you for the link and for posting your process. There is a lot of > new > information to digest and more research on my part to understand the info. > Even understanding only a small portion of it I can see that you must have > spent a lot of effort in keeping the construction as simple as possible > but > still derive the results you aimed for. > > Regards, > > Ed. > > > -----Original Message----- > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Brian Hancock > Sent: Sunday, August 05, 2007 6:59 PM > To: Dataperfect Users Discussion Group > Subject: Re: [Dataperf] Linking DataPerfect data to the Website > > Hi Edward, > > I have put some notes together on my website about the web enabling of an > application.. > http://brileigh.net/bws/story/ > > I was hoping to release a commerical application based on it for this > year, > but I have been snowed under with other work, so I have stilled used the > pilot of it again this year... It is working well, and is very reliable. > I > > have served up hundreds of thousands of session on it now... > > Regards > Brian > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "E. Marfil, MAST UNITED" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: "'Dataperfect Users Discussion Group'" <[email protected]> > Sent: Monday, August 06, 2007 5:28 AM > Subject: [Dataperf] Linking DataPerfect data to the Website > > >> Hello all. >> >> I'm seeking advice on how to provide data from a DP database to a website >> inquiry prompt. >> >> I'm trying to build a website where users can query an order number and >> the >> result will show the historical and current status of that order. The >> status data is stored in a DataPerfect database on my server. All I need >> is >> to have the webpage extract it from DataPerfect. I'm not HTML savvy so >> I'm >> not sure if this is simple to do or not. >> >> Right now, my option is to have DP run a report creating a file for each >> order number (using the number as the filename) with its status history >> and >> when queried, the website opens the filename and displays the data. >> Unfortunately, this means the data is only as fresh as when the DP report >> was most recently run, as well as having to manually run the report >> frequently. I'm wondering if there is a more "real-time" method to this >> and >> hopefully automatic or less human involvement to keep the data current. >> >> Thanks for any opinion. >> >> Ed. >> >> _______________________________________________ >> Dataperf mailing list >> [email protected] >> http://lists.dataperfect.nl/mailman/listinfo/dataperf >> > > _______________________________________________ > Dataperf mailing list > [email protected] > http://lists.dataperfect.nl/mailman/listinfo/dataperf > > _______________________________________________ > Dataperf mailing list > [email protected] > http://lists.dataperfect.nl/mailman/listinfo/dataperf > > _______________________________________________ > Dataperf mailing list > [email protected] > http://lists.dataperfect.nl/mailman/listinfo/dataperf > _______________________________________________ Dataperf mailing list [email protected] http://lists.dataperfect.nl/mailman/listinfo/dataperf _______________________________________________ Dataperf mailing list [email protected] http://lists.dataperfect.nl/mailman/listinfo/dataperf
