|
I'm playing with a new project, the goal of which is to test our customers' attitudes and acceptance of e-commerce before investing in it whole hog. The concept is to provide two pieces that work together. One is a website where a contractor (as in nail pounder, not techie) can enter descriptions and quantities of material. This site would take each RFQ and send it as an email to a private mailbox. The second part is a client running on a PC in our Contractor Sales department. That piece would periodically check the mail and, when new RFQs are available, would print them to a local printer. The rest would be handled by the sales staff.
My question for the experts is more of a series of questions. Should I use ASP for the website end of it, or stick with simple HTML? On the client side, is there any benefit to trying to figure out MAPI in C++, or should I simply steal and modify an email client I found in a VB book? If this should prove worthwhile, the company will probably want me to produce something a lot more elaborate and flexible in zero time (SOP here) so it might be better to spend the time to really learn the best possible techniques rather than just churning out something that will work for this one test. I should point out that my C++ skills are minimal, and my time for learning more is limited - this project is on my time.
Thanks for any guidance!
|
|
|
|
|
I think email would be a rather obfuscated way to go. It would be best I think to use a database that the ASP would write to, and have the client program read from that. It doesnt have to read from the database directly, but rather could just read from a "back-door" ASP page.
This has the added benefit of keeping most of the logic in one spot, the ASP code. For example, if you decide that you want to implement logging of a certain type of RFQs, rather than distribute new clients that write log files, you could just have the "back-door" ASP do the logging.
--
David Wengier
Sonork ID: 100.14177 - Ch00k
|
|
|
|
|
That's a great idea! I thought the email idea was a bit iffy, but given what I know how to do, it seemed the easiest. The database approach makes more sense, and it would be easier to expand upon if the concept catches on. Thanks!
|
|
|
|
|
Roger Wright wrote:
Should I use ASP for the website
Yes. If you want to do some processing on the server side - use ASP. You will have simple HTML page for the form your contractors fill out and then simple ASP page that will process the results of the form submission.
Roger Wright wrote:
On the client side, is there any benefit to trying to figure out MAPI in C++
No. MAPI sucks with C++ or without it. If you want to send emails - use some free SMTP ActiveX DLL (like Dundas Mailer).
In your particular case I would have to agree with David: it is better to store info in a simple Access database and have client check that as oppose to scanning someone's mailboxes for new messages using MAPI( ).
You could probably get by without a client app all together: When contractor submits the form your ASP page
1. Will store information in database.
2. Will send a notification email to sales (using SMTP DLL).
3. Will print a report using some simple ActiveX DLL that you will write in VB or C++. I recommend VB for the speed of development.
I hope this helps.
|
|
|
|
|
It does indeed help! Thanks, Konstantin! I noticed that MAPI support in C++ was much nastier than using the simple controls provided in VB, but I was waffling on the choice because I see so much C++ emphasis here. There must be some reason that so many people prefer it, though I can't see any advantage when speed of execution is not an issue. The database approach you and David recommend will take a bit of work, as I don't know what our website host allows, but it does seem to be the smartest way to attack the problem.
|
|
|
|
|
Roger Wright wrote:
I see so much C++ emphasis here. There must be some reason that so many people prefer it, though I can't see any advantage when speed of execution is not an issue.
"C++ vs. VB" issue is a lot like "Linux vs. Windows" - religious zealotry. So I try not to pay any attention to them and I use whatever tool I see appropriate for the work at hand.
|
|
|
|
|
Point well taken... and a good attitude to emulate!
|
|
|
|
|
Hello there -- I have spend the last couple of weeks learning ASP and getting a lot of stuff to work. Now that I am done, I am curious how much MS Access helps with this whole process. While I created all my code myself, I have a suspicion that Data Access Pages could have made my life easier. At least given me a head start.
Can you, for example, export a form to an ASP page from Access 2002?
any info would be great,
Tim
---------------------------------------
Tim Booher
|
|
|
|
|
Access gives you a very simple kind of back end database. It's not a form editor by any means.
Nish
I am looking for a free racing game. Old style racing game without any complicated 3D stuff. Around 4 MB download. If anyone has such a game, please inform me.
|
|
|
|
|
yes -- but will it generate asp?
tim
|
|
|
|
|
Nope, you will get only a data and need to generate HTML by yourself
In general: ASP + Access = HTML
Philip Patrick
"Two beer or not two beer?" (Shakesbeer)
Web-site: www.saintopatrick.com
|
|
|
|
|
I had two web application. One is written in C#, the other is in VB.net. Does this two application can share session variable? That means I define a session["user"] in the first app's page, such as 1.aspx. In the 1.aspx I had a hyper link navigate to the second app's page,such as 2.aspx. When I set a value to session["user"] in the 1.aspx. I want to got that value when I navigate to 2.aspx from 1.aspx. Does it works? I tried several times, every time in the 2.aspx I can't get that session.
|
|
|
|
|
No, the session and application objects are specific to each application.
If the two applications are closely related you could host them underneath one web application, then you could share the session/application objects between them.
James
Sonork ID: 100.11138 - Hasaki
"Smile your little smile, take some tea with me awhile.
And every day we'll turn another page.
Behind our glass we'll sit and look at our ever-open book,
One brown mouse sitting in a cage."
"One Brown Mouse" from Heavy Horses, Jethro Tull 1978
|
|
|
|
|
Thanks for your reply~
but the two application is written in different language, how can I put them into one application? what I can do is put them in the same solution,however,that doesn't work.
|
|
|
|
|
Its a bit tricky to word but hopefully you'll at least get the gist of what I'm saying
When I'm talking about applications I'm referring to an application on the webserver. Each application uses the same application object and each session in that application is accessable to all directories underneath it.
So what you could do is to create one application, then place both of your asp.net projects underneath that.
\MyApplicationRoot<br />
Site1<br />
Site2
You can only do this though if you can have them both residing at the same entry point (MyApplicationRoot); otherwise you will have to find some other way (Web Services?).
FYI, ASP.NET restricts you to one language per page, not per project so you can have each page in your application using a different language if you chose :-P I'm not sure if VS.NET supports that behavior though.
James
Sonork ID: 100.11138 - Hasaki
"Smile your little smile, take some tea with me awhile.
And every day we'll turn another page.
Behind our glass we'll sit and look at our ever-open book,
One brown mouse sitting in a cage."
"One Brown Mouse" from Heavy Horses, Jethro Tull 1978
|
|
|
|
|
I'm creating an ASP.NET application where I want to include a number of RadioButtonList controls. The exact number of these controls is determined at runtime; therefore, I can't just write tags for them in the ASP.NET page. When I experimented by adding a control to the page's Controls property at runtime, I got an error message from ASP.NET saying that the control must be declared with the "runat=server" attribute.
Is there a way to create and display controls without using tags in ASP.NET, or is it unavoidable?
"What would this country be without this great land of ours?" -Ronald Reagan
|
|
|
|
|
Yes!
Put any control container on the page (label, panel, table cell, etc). Lets call it lHolder
the lines
YourCustomControl ycc = new YourCustomControl(bla);
ycc.Width = (Unit)500;
lHolder.Controls.Add(ycc); Will add YourCustomControl to the inside of lHolder. So if you wanted a dynamic list of items in your custom control settable by a property or function, you just do the same thing in the correct event of your control, using the data passed in as a template for generation.
// Rock
|
|
|
|
|
Hey, thanks a lot. I tried it, using a Button within a Label, and it worked! This was to test your concept. For the application I'm working on I found out about the Repeater control.
"What would this country be without this great land of our?" -Ronald Reagan
|
|
|
|
|
I am having a problem with a server side component (DLL) i am developing for an ASP page.
Im not really sure what the problem is. I tested the code in a vbproject and it worked perfectly but
when I try it in an ASP page, it doesnt work.
**************************************************************
My ASP page looks like this
<%@ Language=VBScript %>
<%
dim obj
set obj = server.CreateObject("Danny.Lopez")
Response.Write(obj.GetTeam(1))
%>
***************************************************************
This is the error im getting
Error Type:
Danny (0x800A01A8)
Object required
/Project1/Registration.asp, line 10
***************************************************************
This is some of the the code in my ActiveX DLL
Public Function GetTeam(TeamID As Integer) As String
Dim sql As String
sql = "SELECT Name FROM Teams WHERE TeamID = " & TeamID
GetTeam = ExecuteQuery(sql, True)(0)
End Function
Private Function ExecuteQuery(sql As String, Optional CloseConnection As Boolean = False) As ADODB.Recordset
Dim state As Integer
state = DataEnvironment1.Connection1.state
If state = 0 Then
DataEnvironment1.Connection1.Open
End If
Dim rs As ADODB.Recordset
Set rs = DataEnvironment1.Connection1.Execute(sql)
Set ExecuteQuery = rs
If state = 0 And Not CloseConnection Then
DataEnvironment1.Connection1.Close
End If
End Function
***************************************************************
To make sure the DLL worked at all in the ASP page I created a simple function that takes a
string and returns it.
Public Function Repeat(str As String) As String
Repeat = str
End Function
This function worked in an ASP pef
***************************************************************
I feel the error has to do with the data types im passing to my DLL, but im not sure.
Please Help!!!!
Thanks Danny
|
|
|
|
|
The error is in ExecuteQuery
Probably DataEnvironment1.Connection1 = Nothing or DataEnvironment1 = Nothing
Try making a VB Project just for testing your DLL.
Crivo
Automated Credit Assessment
|
|
|
|
|
I have created a web control that has several input boxes. I have a client-side javascript function that adds the values of the input boxes. On the onblur event for the inputboxes it calls that function, but I get an error saying Object expected and its on the line of html onblur="totalAll()". If I put this all in one aspx page it works great. I have tried putting the script in the aspx file that has the web control, I've tried putting it in the web control. Nothing seems to work.
Sonork ID: 100.9944
ICQ: 519642
Hotmail: JoshuaJGuy@hotmail.com
|
|
|
|
|
I cannot view the .net controls after dragging them to my aspx page in design mode and selecting view in browser.
Building the appication does not help either. I think something is not setup correctly on my webserver.
Any ideas?
|
|
|
|
|
Hi. We've received some html pages that have been "translated " to Korean, Japanese and Chinese (two dialects). These pages (unfortunately created in Word!) do not diplay any of their characters properly.
It is my understanding that all of these languages can be correctly displayed using standard Windows operating systems if:
1 - the page's charset attribute is properly set using the content-type meta tag.
2 - The browser is set up to download and install any required language packs automatically.
I've heard that possibly Japanese characters need a Japanese OS?
|
|
|
|
|
Nope, I can see chinese text on the web, although I don't have chinese installed on my computer. So you 2 statements are totally right. When user comes to Japanese page for example, he will be prompted to download the Japanese characters and after that will be able to see the text with no problems
Philip Patrick
"Two beer or not two beer?" (Shakesbeer)
Web-site: www.saintopatrick.com
|
|
|
|
|
Hi,
I need to send emails for registered clients and i wanna know what happened with these e-mail. I mean: i need to attach a script or something else to the send emails and when the client receive the email an note (event datetime) is sent back to me, the same thing must happen when the client read and when he delete the email. Is there anyway ro do that?
Thank u very much,
Dirso.
|
|
|
|