Bill
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| Posted: 02/11/2006, 9:07 AM |
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I thought I had it all figured out with MS Access. Can create complex normalised tables, crosstab queries, forms/subforms/subsubforms, reports etc. All work beautifully.
But come the net and CodeCharge and I am stopped dead in my tracks. Have created a PostgresQl db, hosted on a remote server. No real problems communicating with this db, use a desktop program called EMS PostgresQl Manager.
Have also put together and published a few CodeCharge grids and am slowly getting this together. But have major problem trying to create forms. Not the CodeCharge forms but freeform forms, like when you fill in an order to buy something online. You know, say three of four text boxes across the page, a few a list boxes, options boxes etc. THey might be grouped, for example contact details might be grouped and the product details might be in another group etc. But it seems to me that the form controls are placed and grouped individually. If there are too many for a page there might be some down-scrolling.
Now I am not even sure if the form details are captured in a database or as a text file somewhere. For sure the forms I have in mind do go across many tables, unless the db is not normalised. This is unlikely. And I believe that Codecharge cannot edit and add data to multiple table simultaneously. So I guess that these online order type forms are outputting their payload to some text file which is then downloaded (?how) into the appropriate db fields.
Is this how it works? I use FrontPage 2003/CodeCharge3/PostgresQL.
Have been reading up on FrontPage's form capabilities, web server has extension installed. Is this the way to go.
Thank you
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Walter Kempees
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| Posted: 02/13/2006, 5:01 AM |
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Bill,
Very explicit and large post, will try and give you some of my thoughts.
Given the difference between desktop (ClientServer) applications and the
Way-of-the-Web
there are bound to be some design changes going from the one to the other.
Not taking into account alternative techniques (Ajax, Web2) you would
consider web applications to be a
little less advanced in technique than what one could accomplish on the
Desktop C/S side.
CCS builders, help you build Record Forms in a pre-defined way delivering
functional Forms.
Nothing stops you from redesigning these Forms, in a way giving the
Freestyle Froms you are after.
It is however true that a Form normaly has 1 main table to work on for
insert/update/delete.
But again nothing stops you from adressing additional secondary tables,
using standard SQL, stored procedures and the likes,
to be called in for instance the AfterInsert AfterUpdate AfterDelete embed
points of the Form.
The limitations of updating a single table are most likely to come from the
Database used.
Consider this:
If one has to build a form that should grab UderDetails, OrderDetails,
Delivery address and so on, two (at least) approaches could
be taken, build a large Form and use the Custom SQ, or split the Form up
into logical unist and give it a Wizzard like interface taking
your user from block to block storing the data as you go along.
(Usage of Transactions)
Another road less travelled, would be to create a temporary table containg
all the datafields needed for the Freeform, build the Form on that.
After successful completion of the form fire several SQL statements
transferring data from temptable to the various others.
Hope this gets you on track, assistance available if needed.
Walter Kempees
"Bill" <Bill@forum.codecharge> schreef in bericht
news:243ee19d3cc593@news.codecharge.com...
>I thought I had it all figured out with MS Access. Can create complex
>normalised
> tables, crosstab queries, forms/subforms/subsubforms, reports etc. All
> work
> beautifully.
>
> But come the net and CodeCharge and I am stopped dead in my tracks. Have
> created a PostgresQl db, hosted on a remote server. No real problems
> communicating with this db, use a desktop program called EMS PostgresQl
> Manager.
>
> Have also put together and published a few CodeCharge grids and am slowly
> getting this together. But have major problem trying to create forms. Not
> the
> CodeCharge forms but freeform forms, like when you fill in an order to buy
> something online. You know, say three of four text boxes across the page,
> a few
> a list boxes, options boxes etc. THey might be grouped, for example
> contact
> details might be grouped and the product details might be in another group
> etc.
> But it seems to me that the form controls are placed and grouped
> individually.
> If there are too many for a page there might be some down-scrolling.
>
> Now I am not even sure if the form details are captured in a database or
> as a
> text file somewhere. For sure the forms I have in mind do go across many
> tables, unless the db is not normalised. This is unlikely. And I believe
> that
> Codecharge cannot edit and add data to multiple table simultaneously. So I
> guess that these online order type forms are outputting their payload to
> some
> text file which is then downloaded (?how) into the appropriate db fields.
>
> Is this how it works? I use FrontPage 2003/CodeCharge3/PostgresQL.
> Have been reading up on FrontPage's form capabilities, web server has
> extension
> installed. Is this the way to go.
>
> Thank you
> ---------------------------------------
> Sent from YesSoftware forum
> http://forums.codecharge.com/
>
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leonsmith
Posts: 22
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| Posted: 02/13/2006, 10:09 AM |
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One of the example packs (Ithink the first one) has an example of a multi-step process to get user data. Sort of like Walter's wizard suggestion. I have used this successfully to enter very large forms with optional sections across many tables. It works beautifully.
Also I don't know anything about Frontpage, but I don't think you want to use their form tool, just CodeCharge's. Someone else can verify that for you.
Good luck
Leon
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Walter Kempees
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| Posted: 02/13/2006, 10:45 AM |
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Frontpage, and all other external editors Dreamweaver or any workable tool,
should in my opinion be used
only to edit the templates, rearranging (careful) and enhancing the visual
lay-out, banners footers background images and the likes.
In my case, using PhP with templates, I always tell CCS to use the /tpl
directory (Project Settings) thereby completely separating
the Html from the coding, and being able to use 3rd party tools on the
templates.
I have learned (the hard way) to always copy the template before editing to
a save location as a method to rpllback any fatal changes.
"leonsmith" <leonsmith@forum.codecharge> schreef in bericht
news:243f0cb62ad99e@news.codecharge.com...
> One of the example packs (Ithink the first one) has an example of a
> multi-step
> process to get user data. Sort of like Walter's wizard suggestion. I have
> used
> this successfully to enter very large forms with optional sections across
> many
> tables. It works beautifully.
>
> Also I don't know anything about Frontpage, but I don't think you want to
> use
> their form tool, just CodeCharge's. Someone else can verify that for you.
>
> Good luck
>
> Leon
> ---------------------------------------
> Sent from YesSoftware forum
> http://forums.codecharge.com/
>
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Bill
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| Posted: 02/14/2006, 3:51 AM |
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Thanks very much for this feedback, I do appreciate it.
It will take me a while to work through it so I will sign off for now. Regards.
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