Developing Web Applications
A Web application is a set of dymanic Web pages that can receive input from users, process it, display the results onscreen, and store them for use in subsequent user interactions. In order to create a Web application, you need to understand how a browser can maintain state from screen to screen, that is, retain the information received on one screen for use on a subsequent screen.
Session Variables
When a browser hits a site, the server begins a new Session. Automatically, a unique Session ID is assigned and the browser owns that session. The session lasts until the browser closes. During the life of the session, scripts can store data in it. This lesson shows you how to store in a session variable data that a user enters on a Web form. Throughout the life of the session, your Web application can access the session variable and use its value to create data-driven screens and interactions.
Cookies
A cookie is a place in the computer's memory where browsers can store information about the user. If someone buys an audio CD by Britney Spears, for example, the site might create a cookie indicating that the user likes pop music. The next time the user visits the site, it might display ads for similar pop music titles. Or the cookie might keep track of screens visited, and use that information to resume where the user left off.
There are two kinds of cookies, namely, persistent cookies that are stored in small text files on the user's hard disk, and per-session cookies that are stored in RAM. Because persistent cookies are stored on disk, they survive from session to session, even after the user closes the web browser and turns off the computer. Per-session cookies, on the other hand, evaporate when the user closes the Web browser, which frees the RAM.
This lesson shows you how to set and read the values of per-session cookies.
Survey Creation
This lesson shows you how to use Dreamweaver's Record Insertion Form Wizard to create a survey. The survey uses a Web form to ask users questions and records their answers in an Access database.
Recordset Navigation Bar
When a data table contains too many records to display onscreen at once, you need a way to page through the data. To help you do this, Dreamweaver has an Application object called the Recordset Navigation Bar server behavior. This lesson steps you through the process of creating a Recordset Navigation Bar that the user can use to page through a data table onscreen.
Master Detail Page Set
When a data table contains too many fields to display all at once, you can display a master page that lists a record summary with links the user clicks to see more detail. To help you do this, Dreamweaver has an Application object called the Master Detail Page Set server behavior. This lesson steps you through the process of creating a Master Detail Page Set.
Database Search Form
To enable users to search a databse, you begin by creating a form that prompts users for the field(s) to be searched. You make the form's action be a dynamic Web page, such as an ASP. On the ASP page, you create a RecordSet that uses the search form's data as input; thus, the Recordset contains the search results. As a final touch, you display the RecordSet onscreen, thereby showing the user the search results. This lesson steps you through the process of creating a database search form.
Server Models
There are many scripting languages used on servers today. The specific language you use will depend on the server model that is being supported on your Web server. One of the strengths of Dreamweaver is its support for a wide range of server models. The OET Web server supports the ASP JavaScript and ASP VBScript server models. Unless you are already wedded to VBScript, it is my opinion that you should learn to program in ASP JavaScript. I recommend this becauase JavaScript is the language used to create client-side scripts, and JavaScript is also the language used to create Flash action scripts. Thus, learning one language (JavaScript) enables you to write server-side, client-side, and Flash action scripts.
