Re: Database Question

I guess the first question is, does your host have a database for your use?

Using SQL to read and write to a database is much more straight forward than
parsing a flat file.  Many hosting environments in Unix have Perl/PHP and
MySQL at resonable rates.  Writing the parsed query string to both sendmail
and a database is quite straightforward.

If you are on an NT platform then ASP/ADO is your friend.  In the old days
you needed an ODBC Data Source Name to be set up on the server.  Now you can
program a DSN-less connection and manipulate the the .mdb file directly.
You will however have to write your email program in ASP.

Best to find out what OS your host has to offer and then find out the
programming tools he has.




----- Original Message -----
From: "Jim Tom Polk" <jtpolk(at)texas.net>
To: <hwg-basics(at)mail.hwg.org>
Sent: Tuesday, October 03, 2000 9:45 AM
Subject: Re: Database Question


> It is programming, server side programming at that, and requires that
> you learn a language. Most of what you specified as resources you have
> gone to are for CGI programs based on the Perl language on (mostly) UNIX
> machines.
>
> For a flatfile ''database'', you will have to learn how to open a file
> on the server for writing, then to write the data from the form into
> that file, then to close that file for writing. During the writing you
> need to put the information into it in a very specific format becaause
> when you READ that flat file (this is another name for ascii) you have
> to know the exact structure of that file.
>
> You need to purchase a book and work your way through it.
>
> My favorite is Teach Yourself CGI Programming with Perl 5 in a Weekby
> Eric Herrmann. Some purists (who ALREADY KNOW Perl/CGI) sniff at this
> book, but for a beginner it is really quite helpful. I had several books
> on Perl/CGI and was much confused, but this book explained some basic
> concepts that then made the material in the more advanced books
> understandable.
>
>
> > I have researched many avenues and
> > checked out various cgi scripts that all say you can have the processed
form
> > information saved to an online datbase but none say HOW to.
> > Many people on
> > this list have offered some great help on pointing me towards the cgi
resources
> > but I have yet to find one that explains how to build the database file
that
> > the script sends the information to and that is about as far as I get.
>
> --
>
>
> Jim Tom Polk -:- jtpolk(at)texas.net -:- http://camalott.com/~jtpolk/
> ''You might as well fall flat on your face as
>   lean over too far backwards.''      --James Thurber--
>    "The Universe is run by the complex interweaving of three
>           elements: energy, matter and enlightened self-interest."
>   - G'Kar  "Survivors"
>

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