RE Web Based Ill Forms... -Reply

[Ernest Perez]

> From: Dan Lester <DLESTER at bsu.idbsu.edu>
> We're working on getting the forms (currently on a draft page
> on our intranet, not visible outside of library) to do that.  But,
> we aren't there yet, and none of us are very CGI/Perl/etc
> experienced. We will be getting the content put directly into
> Access97, the database that is becoming library and campus
> standard.  
> 
> Any comments, input, suggestions, URLs, etc, appreciated. 
> Hope all will reply to list.  And now I'm off to check the
> web4lib pages at Berkeley.
> 

Dan, et al,

Two suggestions on the topic of no-brainer data capture and processing
via Web interface...

***1) Take a look at Microrim's SUBMIT THIS! product. It's a complete
little datacapture system to set up on a Web server, using a runtime of
good ol' RBase to handle all the data collection & reformatting. 

Comes with a CGI reader for loading onto your server, and a whole bunch
of input form/templates, for various purposes and in various styles.
Handy for adaptation by the HTML-challenged. 

All data is collected to a text file on the server. You then FTP it to a
local Win95/NT to use with the Rbase engine. From there, you can process
directly or crossload data to just about any product you wish.

A bit convoluted, but, hey, it's a utility. It offers the advantage of
easy data capture and no-brainer application to many purposes.

Details at <http://submitthis.microrim.com/>
"Manufacturer's Sugested Retail Price $89.95 
               Street price $65 to $69.95 
               For further information call Elizabeth at 1-800-628-6990
               or E-Mail her at elizabeth at microrim.com"

***2) Claris will shortly (September end) distribute FileMaker Pro 4.0.
It is an upgrade with incremental improvement over 3.0, PLUS it has the
"Web Companion" plug-in. This is essentially a single-purpose Webserver
with direct hooks to FileMaker for both data capture and for database
server purposes. Comes in Win95/NT and Mac flavor. 
   I got a Beta copy on CD last week and shared with a colleague who's
already a FileMaker wizard. (He built the State of Oregon "State Job
Openings" Web-database with FileMaker 2 or 3 about 3 years ago.) Here's
what he sez...
> From: FREESE Michael on Wed, Aug 27, 1997 3:30 PM
> Subject: FileMaker 4 and the Web
> To: SMITH Scott E; PEREZ Ernest R; LUNDEEN Pat P; MAUDLIN Tyler A; JUDY
> William E; DEMARIS Janet
> 
> Thanks to Ernest, I got my hands on an evaluation copy of FileMaker Pro 4.x
> beta. In addition to automatically converting Excel spreadsheets directly
> into FM4 databases (very slick), its web server component works at least as
> well as advertised.
> 
> It's fast.
> 
> I mean, really really fast.
> 
> Serves HTTP natively. Don't know about threading and multiple simultaneous
> connections, but I'd guess it's handled the same way FM handles them. Since
> you're serving data directly to the web instead of through a CGI/API and
> server, there's virtually no latency.
> 
> It's also easy.
> 
> I mean, really really easy.
> 
> There's even a database tool that'll create HTML forms for you. Any web
> pages can contain Claris Dynamic Markup Language (CDML) that tells the web
> component which fields and such to retrieve from the database and insert.
> Same principal as server-side includes (SHTML).
> 
> To see an example, try:
> 
> http://pp6.das.state.or.us/
> 
> That's a guest book running on my own machine. Took about 10 minutes to set up,
> modifying one of the supplied templates.
> 
> --
> Mike Freese
> 

Hope this is of interest.

Cheers,
- ernest
Ernest Perez//Oregon State Library//perez at opac.state.or.us//503-378-4243
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