[Web4lib] incorporating a table complete with HTML tags into a web enabled database

[Alan Cockerill]

Hi John

My advice would be to keep any formatting out of the database. Particularly
if the data in the tables needs to be updated - even for the html savvy
editing a table in native html inside a data cell is fraught with error.

So - if the data is not static and if you expect none html-savvy staff to
maintain it: build your database so that the table can be built in the web
page after the data has been extracted from the db.  Future generations will
thank you for keeping data in databases and presentation outside of them.

Cheers, Alan.

Alan Cockerill
Library Technologies Coordinator
James Cook University 

PO Box 6811
CAIRNS QLD 4870
Phone:+61 7 4042 1737
Fax: +61 7 4042 1516
Email: Alan.Cockerill at jcu.edu.au
Skype: alan.cockerill.jcu
Web: http://www.library.jcu.edu.au/Staff/alan.shtml
Blog: http://jculibrarytechnology.blogspot.com/


CRICOS Provider Code: 00117J (QLD)
 

-----Original Message-----
From: web4lib-bounces at webjunction.org
[mailto:web4lib-bounces at webjunction.org] On Behalf Of John Fitzgibbon
Sent: Thursday, 12 March 2009 12:16 AM
To: web4lib at webjunction.org
Subject: [Web4lib] incorporating a table complete with HTML tags into a web
enabled database

Hi,

We have a database of place names. All records consist of a place name, a
description and a situation field. A very small minority of records also
have a table. The table can be on any topic. The table-headings and number
of table-columns vary greatly from record to record.

How should I incorporate these tables into my database?

The best I can come up with is to put the table in an additional field
complete with HTML tags and table contents. I use an HTMLEncode function on
the other fields when I output them to HTML. Obviously, I would have to
avoid doing this with this particular field but that would not be a problem.

This approach seems to be such a terrible kludge that I can't help thinking
that there must be a more elegant solution.

I would welcome any advice and suggestions.


Regards,

John



John Fitzgibbon



w: www.galwaylibrary.ie

e: info at galwaylibrary.ie

p: 00 353 91 562471

f: 00 353 91 565039


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