What do I need
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Forum Name: General Discussion
Forum Description: General discussion and chat on any topic.
URL: https://forums.webwiz.net/forum_posts.asp?TID=16276
Printed Date: 31 March 2026 at 1:22pm
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 12.08 - https://www.webwizforums.com
Topic: What do I need
Posted By: rogerew
Subject: What do I need
Date Posted: 20 August 2005 at 3:22pm
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I am new to this and could do with some guideance: I am running Win XP Pro and Offcie 2003 and Dreamweaver MX 2004. My host is Linux with MySQL and Access Database availability.
I have a small Access database of a trade directory and I want my website visitors to be able to enter the type of tradesman they are looking for, such as plumber and the result page to display a list of all plumbers in the database.
My questions:
1. If I use ASP for my website will it work with the above?
2. When I have setup my site locally and tested it OK, is it just a simple matter of uploading all the files to the server?
TIA.
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Replies:
Posted By: dj air
Date Posted: 20 August 2005 at 3:28pm
do you mean like trustedtradesmen.com you can create one with what you have their you need ot install IIS on the XP PRO machine, andf MYSQL if wanting to use that. you could use access if your going to grow quite big i would go with MySQL or MSSQL it could be quite a project for the first one though |
Posted By: rogerew
Date Posted: 20 August 2005 at 3:43pm
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trustedtradesmen.com is a lot grander that I have in mind. What I have got to do is for the local Chamber of Trade and they've only got about 150 members.
I don't really want to use anything I'm not familiar with, unless I have to, especially if it will cost money, because I am doing the site on a voluntary basis. Having said that, I've not done any ASP pages before, though I have run through a tutorial or two and things seem to work locally.
When I've got it all working OK locally, do I just upload the files from c:\Inetpub\wwwroot\sitename to the server?
Also, can you recommend any good tutorials for my challenge?
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Posted By: dj air
Date Posted: 20 August 2005 at 4:13pm
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this iste has a good tutorial on a guestbook idea. and yes to an extent you just uplaod to the server yet again that depends on the database type if about 150 with not to many vistors then access would be ok. http://www.webwiz.net/asp/tutorials/default.asp i went into the deep end with my first offical application a full tv guide .. was quite adventurous for me at the time. that link should help |
Posted By: rogerew
Date Posted: 20 August 2005 at 4:23pm
Thanks, I'll do the tutorial and then I'm sure I'll be back with more dumb questions. 
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Posted By: dj air
Date Posted: 20 August 2005 at 4:29pm
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no worries we are happy to help, im sure we all have been there before |
Posted By: Bluefrog
Date Posted: 21 August 2005 at 5:11am
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I'd recommend that you use MySQL and not Access. It's just better. I
don't like the way it handles datetime types, but it is solid.
Actually, I hate the way it handles them. You'd also be better of with PHP instead of ASP on a Linux machine. If you change to a Windows machine, then ASP/ASP.NET and MS SQL Server are ideal. You can get relatively cheap hosting at a number of places. Changing the database from Access to MS SQL Server is almost trivial - use DTS in Enterprise manager - very easy. If you use ASP.NET instead of ASP, you might need Visual Studio, but you can do it without it. Also, there's even less coding with VS. There are lots of tutorials available on ASP, PHP, and ASP.NET for data access, so just do a search for it. You can get lots of code samples for free. I hope that kind of helps. Cheers, Ryan ------------- http://renegademinds.com/" rel="nofollow - Renegade Minds - Guitar Software http://renegademinds.com/Default.aspx?tabid=65" rel="nofollow - Slow Down Music |
Posted By: rogerew
Date Posted: 21 August 2005 at 12:59pm
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Hi Ryan,
I have never used MySQL. Apologies for my lack of knowledge, but is it a database app. similar to Access that I have running on my machine or is run from my hosts server. Also, most importantly, is it easy to learn? Likewise, is php easy to learn?
Roger.
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Posted By: Bluefrog
Date Posted: 21 August 2005 at 6:00pm
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MySQL is a bit terse compared to MS SQL - I like T-SQL better than
MySQL's brand of SQL. (T-SQL is the brand of SQL used by MS SQL.) T-SQL is also closer to ANSI SQL which is nice. PHP is also a bit terse and suffers from several serious problems. There are multiple commands that do the exact same thing in it. In ASP, there's just 1 command to do something. That's a part of the price you pay for open source stuff vs. commercial software. But you're in the wrong place for PHP stuff too. Most people here use MS technologies over open source stuff. Of course a lot of us also use open source stuff as well, but most people's preferences here are for MS. PHP is relatively easy though. And so is MySQL. If you use MySQL, go out and get http://www.mysqlfront.de/ - MySQL Front - excellent front end for it. The one that comes with MySQL is very weak. I own a copy of that myself because it is the only way that I want to work with MySQL. A major concern with choosing which technology to use for a lot of people is cost - but that aslo includes your time to develop and maintain the application. I find that MS is cheaper because it lets me develop and maintain easier. Someone else will say the opposite, but whatever. You cannot create an application in MySQL that is more maintainable than one that you can create in MS SQL. That's just a fact. However, you're developing a relatively small app from the sounds of it. So it won't matter too much unless you plan to expand it later. For PHP vs. ASP, they are about the same for maintainability and dev speed. I'd rather use ASP than PHP because I know it better, but also because then I'd be using a Windows server and later if I wanted to rewrite the app or make it larger, I'd have the option to do it in Visual Studio with ASP.NET. I'm nitpicking a bit, but ultimately it doesn't matter which you use for a small application. Whichever you feel most comfortable with will be the best choice for you. Cheers, Ryan ------------- http://renegademinds.com/" rel="nofollow - Renegade Minds - Guitar Software http://renegademinds.com/Default.aspx?tabid=65" rel="nofollow - Slow Down Music |
Posted By: ub3rl337ch3ch
Date Posted: 21 August 2005 at 7:13pm
Are you trying to confuse the poor guy ryan? 
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Posted By: dpyers
Date Posted: 21 August 2005 at 8:06pm
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I'm surprised that your web host offers access on a linux server. I'd check that if I were you. Most linux web hosts offer LAMP technology (Linux, Apache, MySQL, PHP). MySQL and MSSQL typically run on their own db servers that are separate from your hosting web server. Access runs under Windows and usually it's the same server as your web server. MSSQL and Access run only under Window. MySQL can run under either Windows or Unix From Linux, you can access a MSSQL server but it usually requires some intervention from your web host to do it. I don't think you can get to an Access DB from linux. If you're trying to develop on your windows PC and then migrate to a Linux web server, your best bet is to install PHP, Apache, and Mysql on your PC and use those for developing. If you want to develop on your PC and migrate to a Windows web server, you'll need to install IIS (XP Pro only) which comes with ASP and Access drivers (if you don't already have them). You can install the .NET framework on top of it if you want to develop in asp.net. MSDE is the free (limited connection) version of MSSQL that you can use for development. ------------- 
Lead me not into temptation... I know the short cut, follow me. |
Posted By: rogerew
Date Posted: 21 August 2005 at 8:20pm
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Hi Guys, yes I confused!
My hosting package is here: http://www.easyspace.com/services/hosting.html - http://www.easyspace.com/services/hosting.html it's the Platinum package and this is what I'm going on regarding what is available to me. They do offer windows hosting with this package and I could always change if it would be adviseable.
Unless it's absolutely necessary, I don't really want to have to learn anything new at the moment. I suppose I can use asp.net as Dreamweaver will take care of that for me - will I need anything on my host's server to use this?
However, I would prefer to stick with Access for the time being, as the datetime thing Ryan mentioned won't affect me and it will be one thing less to learn.
I appreciate that it won't be technically the latest thing, but if I can get away with using Access on my host which says it has Access availabilty and DW to write the code, be it asp or asp.net or php or whatever, then that is what I would prefer to do at the moment.
Thanks for the input guys, keep it coming, the fog will clear eventually, I hope. |
Posted By: ub3rl337ch3ch
Date Posted: 21 August 2005 at 9:57pm
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with that deal you can choose what type of server/db you want to use. given what programs you have already, and that its a fairly low-end project i'd reccomend going with hosting on a windows box, and using access as ur db. It means you don't have to bother with downloading other db front ends etc.
All you would need to do is make sure IIS is installed on your local machine (and the .net framework if you want to use asp.net), do all your testing locally, then pump the asp and the db up to your web server. Really the only thing you've have to change when going live (maybe) is a tweak on the connection string to make sure the asp is still looking in the right spot for the db. Usually it's easier to put the db in the same spot relative to the asp, but sometimes webhosts have somewhere else they keep all db's together. If this is the case, just ask them for the location; most hosts are pretty good with helping you figure out connection strings...
edit: i am also fully aware that i may just be adding to your confusion, for which i apologise...
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Posted By: rogerew
Date Posted: 22 August 2005 at 5:09am
| OK, this is what I'm gonna do: Use Access on Wndows server and asp.net. However, Dreamweaver gives me a choice of asp.net C# or asp.net VB. Which should I use and why or won't it matter? |
Posted By: dpyers
Date Posted: 22 August 2005 at 7:21am
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From a technical standpoint, it doesn't matter. People with a C, C++, or Java programming background will probably pick up C# quicker than VB as the C# syntax is closer to those languages than the VB syntax. - It's also just different enough to be a PITA - lol. If you have an asp or vb background, vb.net will make more sense to you. If you have no real programming background, and it doesn't make a difference to you, I'd go with C#. Mostly because more of the apps and utility type things you might want to incorporate/mod later on are written in C#. -------------
Lead me not into temptation... I know the short cut, follow me. |
Posted By: Mart
Date Posted: 22 August 2005 at 7:58am
| Which ever .net language you choose though it always helps to have at least a basic understanding of the others. Personally I prefer C# beacuse I have to do less typing. It's also much more strict than vb which can help at times. |