Open up batch files via Web Page

[Bert Coenen]

The url is http://www.law.kuleuven.ac.be/lib/datalijst.htm , 
it is a list of all the databases to which we offer some type of access, 
ranging from locally installed CDs over networked CDs to web-databases. 

The page is in dutch, so you probably won't make too much of it; we only link 
directly to a pif-file for one of these databases, you cannot see the pif file 
that the hyperlink points to since it resides on a local server, you can 
however see the type of link you should use. When you position your mouse 
pointer over JUDIT (fourth database from the top in the left column) and check 
the status bar (file:// etc.)

For the other local databases we use a plug-in called webcd, which uses its 
own type of cds-files to start up executables or batch files from within 
netscape. You can save and view one of these cds files to get an idea of what 
they look like. For more information on this plug-in, check the web4lib 
archive for one of my previous postings on the subject. 
(http://sunsite.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/searchweb4lib.pl?query=bert+coenen&index=
web4lib.00.swish)

A PIF-file is like a shortcut to a DOS program or batch-file, you create it in 
the same way as you'd create a regular shortcut (drag and drop the batch-file 
with the right mouse button, and select create shortcut here). You can change 
the way a program (or batch-file) behaves (window-size, close on exit etc.) by 
changing the properties of its pif-file (right-click onto the pif-file). We 
had to copy our PIF-files to the user's hard drive (directory: c:\windows\pif 
- on a win9x machine) to ensure uniform behaviour of our batch-files 
throughout the library, just incorporate the copy action in the batch-file.

Hope this helps.

Bert Coenen
Bibliotheek Rechtsgeleerdheid
Tiensestraat 41
3000 Leuven

016/325242
bert.coenen at law.kuleuven.ac.be