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Attaching a URL

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    #1

    Attaching a URL

    I am pretty new to Alpha 5 useage and I have created a practice database for a fictious video rental company.

    What I am wondering is, is there a way to attach a web address to the title of a film either in the table itself or on a form.
    Tags: None
    #2
    RE: Attaching a URL

    Hi Stuart,

    Short answer is there are probably multiple ways to accomplish what you want to do - depending on what that is, precisely.

    For example, I've been fiddling with Alpha's ability to draw on data in my tables, generate urls, & shelling out to MSIE to retrieve the results - mostly geo-centric stuff (ie, xbasic scripts that fill in zip code and/or city/state info, then fire up MSIE to display the resultant web page - maps, directions, geo-centric data like doctors within a zip radius).

    Works pretty effectively, tho at present there's no way I know of to control the browser much with A5 - results display in a separate browser window, & once there, browser needs to be closed by the user - no A5 controls can do that, to my knowledge.

    So, if you're simply interested in storing urls in a table, and/or composing/using them dynamically based on data in your table, that can be fairly straightforward.

    For instance, here's a bit of xbasic code that retrieves restaurants within a zip radius (firm responsible for the website cloaked to protect the innocent), driving off a form. This actually is a subcomponent of a dropdown list consisting of a dozen or so permutations of the same basic code:

    f = parentform.this
    a = trim(city.value)
    b = trim(state.value)
    c = "c:Program FilesInternet ExplorerIexplore.exe http://********.com/city="
    d = c+a+"/state="+b
    sys_shell(d,1)

    I've found this forum invaluable in stitching together the elements of what I've done with this to date. I'm as far from code-knowledgeable as one can get, but thanks to Alpha 5 and its throng of articulate user-experts, I've done some pretty effective things with it.

    Stuart (or anyone interested), please contact me with any questions: [email protected]

    Comment

      #3
      RE: Attaching a URL

      dang, should be backslashes in the "c" line. Hope this displays them properly: "c:Program FilesInternet ExplorerIexplorer.exe".

      Slashes go where you'd expect them - between folder names.

      Comment

        #4
        RE: Attaching a URL

        hmmmm....learning something new about the message board....

        anyway, reverse the direction of the slashes here & you'll see it like I see it:

        "C:/Program Files/Internet Explorer/Iexplore.exe ....."

        Comment

          #5
          RE: Attaching a URL

          c = "c:&92;Program Files&92;Internet Explorer&92;Iexplore.exe http://********.com/city="
          There can be only one.

          Comment

            #6
            RE: Attaching a URL

            c = "c:\Program Files\Internet Explorer\Iexplore.exe http://********.com/city="
            There can be only one.

            Comment

              #7
              RE: Attaching a URL

              Hi Stan,

              & thanks for the html help!

              Yes, I am indeed an idiot. Just ask Geoff Hollander :D

              Comment

                #8
                RE: Attaching a URL

                Thanks for your help Greg, but i am still having trouble i can't seem to work how to read the web address from the field and then open Internet Explorer with the relevant page displayed. Bearing in mind that each film in my table will have a unique web address, i want to run from a single button on my form that will look at the address in the web address field on my form then do the necessary.

                Comment

                  #9
                  RE: Attaching a URL

                  Hi Stuart,

                  I've been assuming you're familiar with Alpha's tools for working with xbasic. basically, my notes assume you're making a button that, when pressed, draws data from your database, assembles the appropriate url, starts an MSIE browser window, & displays the appropriate page.

                  There are probably a variety of ways to do what I'll describe, but here goes:

                  1) open your form in Design mode.

                  2) draw a button on your form.

                  3) right-click on the button.

                  4) select Actions from the menu.

                  5) highlight Action Script in the left panel of the Script tab (I believe that's the default tab displayed), right-click on it, select Insert Command

                  6) select Inline Xbasic from the Actions menu (be sure the All radio button is selected - again, I believe that's the default)

                  7) click Next

                  8) enter the Xbasic code referenced in earlier posts, modified to use your table's field names: for example, if the field holding your urls is named "movie", replace "city" with "movie". You may only need to reference one field in your database - all the simpler.

                  See Stan Mathews' 2nd post for the best representation of the way the syntax should look. (I believe you can forego the "http://.www" part of the url reference if you choose; once you've got the thing working, try it both ways)

                  You'll need to use the field name your form uses for the field you want to draw from; ordinarily it's the same as the field you originally assigned it, but to be sure, open Xbasic Explorer from the View menu (it may have opened when you clicked the Actions selection earlier), click Objects, click Windows, then scan the list for the field name that contains the url information you want to draw from.

                  your results of course depend on the particular structure of the urls for the sites you're connecting to. if each record is potentially/actually connecting to a different site, you'll structure your Xbasic code differently than if you're connecting to the same site for any given record. Basically, you'll need less information in your table's "movie" field if you're exclusively visiting a site to retrieve information based on your database.

                  Good luck - keep trying - you learn all sorts of odd & useful stuff that way!

                  Comment

                    #10
                    RE: Attaching a URL

                    Once again thank you for your help Greg, i haven't actually managed to get it working but i'll keep trying till i do!

                    Comment

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