Steps For Constructing A Composite Form, Database, Query, And An Interface Editor

Forms Database Results Modify Interface Note Navigation

You must design a form with FrontPage that will collect data, and then construct a database to manage the data. First, you create a Web page that will collect information. Follow these steps:

Use FrontPage to open an existing Web or create a Web using the Web Template in the task pane Click File-->New-->Page or Web. Choose the Web template from the Task Pane. Specify the location of the new web (d:\webname)..
Click the new page icon to create a new blank page in the Web.
Click Save to bring up the dialog box.
Name the new page with an asp extension (name.asp). Name a title. You must use this extension when you use any database component.
Type the following content on the Web page using the Normal View. This page requests information that you may enter and share with other users at this site. Fill in the blanks, and click the submit button to send the information.
Pull down the insert menu and choose Form--> Textbox. A textbox appears onscreen with Submit and Reset buttons.
Click the left arrow key to position your cursor in front of the textbox, and type: First Name.
Double click the textbox, and within the dialog box, name the field FirstName.
Click the right arrow key to position your cursor between the textbox and the Submit button, and type: Last Name.
Click the Insert menu and choose Form-->Textbox. Another textbox appears.
Double click the textbox , and within the dialog, name the field LastName.
Click the right arrow key to position the cursor between the textbox and the Submit button, and type: Home Page.
Click the Insert menu and choose Form-->Textbox. Another textbox appears onscreen.
Double click the textbox, and within the dialog box, name the field HomePage.
Click the Save icon.

Create A Database Top

You should check the names of the elements in the form to make sure they have the titles that you require in the database. These names will be the column names in the data table of the database. Double click each of the three textboxes, and make sure their names are FirstName,LastName, and HomePage. Create the database using the following steps.

Use FrontPage to open the Web p-age containing the form that will collect the data. Open the name.asp page in the above Web. (This is the name you used for the form asp page,).

In Normal view, right click the form, and then click Form Properties. Dialog box opens.
Click the radio button, Send To Database, and then click the Options button on the Form Properties dialog box.
Click the Create Database button in the Options For Saving Results To Database dialog box.
FrontPage creates the database, and informs you of the name of the database and its location. (The location is the FPDB folder. Click OK.
Click OK, and then click OK again to close the dialog boxes.
Click the Save icon.
The next steps will show you how to display the information that you collected and stored in the database. The information will be displayed in a query/region format from the database.

Displaying Results With A Query/Region Top

This database results region or query displays data stored in the database. The Database Results Wizard allows you to decide which columns of information to present, and how to format the data, create hyperlinks, and how many records to display at once. Follow these steps to build a query or the database result region:

Use FrontPage to open the Web page where you want to display the database results. (Open name.asp.)
Position the cursor at the point onscreen where you want the database results to appear. Place your cursor underneath the form.
Click the Insert menu, and choose Database-->Results. The Database Results dialog box opens. It is a five step wizard.
Step1: The wizard requests what connections to use. Click the option to use an existing database connection, and use the list menu to select "name" connection. Click Next.
Step2: Set the source of the records you want to display. Click the Record Source option and set the source to the Results table, as the default Results table. Click Next.
Step3: Specify the fields to be displayed by clicking the Edit List button; you can add/ remove any fields you desire or take the default fields. You may use the More Option button. You can also change the fields later. Click Next.
Step4: Choose the format in which the results will be displayed on the screen. Use the default from the list menu (option set to Table--one record per row). Click Next.
Step5: Allows you to choose the display of all items returned or create groups that your can page through to display the data in a more manageable way. Choose the option to display all records together.
Click the Finish button. The database results region appears on screen. The yellow bars mark the beginning and ending of the region.
Double click the <<HomePage>> field to make the Database Column Value dialog box appear. Click the option to display a hyperlink, and click OK. This will create a hyperlink.
Click Save.

Modifying The Database Results Top

Open your web.
Open the name.asp page.
Double click the colored bar at the top or bottom of the database results region in Normal view. The Database Results wizard will appear.
Use the Next and Back buttons to move to the setting you want to change.
Click next until you get to the last screen of the wizard.
Click finish.
Click the Save icon to save the page.

Using The Database Interface Wizard Top

You have created a form to collect data; you made the form send its data to a database; you used the Database Results Wizard to display the results on the screen. Now, you can share information with other users. The Database Interface Wizard allows you to create a new Web or provide database connection to an existing database. The wizard creates screens that can collect information, display it, and give authorized users the ability to edit it. The wizard provide navigational links connecting these screens to each other. Follow these steps:

Open FronPage. Click the File menu, and choose New-->Page or Web. The Task Pane appears. If the Task Pane does not appear, Click View-->Task Pane.
Click the Web Site Templates on the Task Pane. The dialog box appears.
Click the Database Interface Wizard. Do not click OK.
Click the location of the new Web (e.g., d:\foldername).
Click OK. Wait a few minutes for the Web to be created. The wizard appears.
Step1: The Database Interface Wizards asks if you want to create a new database or connect to an existing database. Choose the option to create a new database. Click Next.
Step2: The wizard asks you to enter a name for your database connection. Name the database connection. Click Next.
Step3: The wizard proposes to create a few data columns to hold the information that the user will submit to the database. Alter these fields to suit your purposes. Click Next.
Step4: The wizard makes the database connections. Click Next.
Step5: The wizard prompts you to select the database interface pages you would like created. Select them all. Click Next.
Step6: The wizard prompts you for the name and password of the user who is authorized to modify the database. Choose your own login and password. You can also check the option not to protect the database with a password. Click Next.
Step9: The wizard informs you of the location where it will place the database pages. This location is relative to the Web in which you are creating the pages.

NOTE:

A FrontPage Query (Region), database, database interface, or any other database that is moved (Published, created. . .), must have an active connection and mapping between the form and the database. After publishing, click Close Web. You must now open the web online so that you can set the connection. Click Open Web, and type the URL: http://yourname/subweb. When the web opens, Click Tools-->Web Settings, and then click the Verify tab. You should see the question mark disappear, and a check mark taking its place. The connection is activated. Make sure that your provider's set up allows you to create subwebs. In order for this database, or any other database to function, you must have installed a web server (Internet Information Service-IIS) with the ASP (Active Server Pages) support for databases. FrontPage Server 2 Extensions must be installed. All the IIS components should be installed/running, especially, the Indexing Service. See my web: http://fog.ccsf.edu/~gknapp, and click the MABS 405 selection. Choose materials 1 for installation procedures..

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