Web project - Many databases under one project

[Robert Rough]

A basic fundamental question. Could someone please confirm.

I wish to set up web site which houses several client databases with each client able to access their own information through through username and password after accessing the main site.
Question
In the initial set up are all the relevant databases contained and filed within one "Web Project" or is each database considered as one "Web Project"?.
Thanks in anticipation.

Robert

[Steve Wood]

RE: Web project - Many databases under one project

Have you already created these databases in Alpha as seperate applications? Do all of the applications "do" the same thing (that is, are they naturally combinable into one application)?

If they are combinable, then it is easier to create one Alpha database published as one Alpha Web Project. (Each Alpha database has to be a seperate web project*). You'd create a login process that ensured CustA would not see records for CustB, etc.

If the projects are substantially different, and cannot be combined as one project, then you have two options:

1) manage as seperate apps and web projects, publish each to a different server folder and use a different URL to access each web app, or
2) mix the different applications in to one Alpha database - messy, but you can at least don't have to duplicate login database tables, etc.

* I suppose you could publish multiple projects to the same web folder location, but I think the result would be potentially disasterous due to overlapping filenames, etc.

[Robert Rough]

RE: Web project - Many databases under one project

Have you already created these databases in Alpha as seperate applications? Do all of the applications "do" the same thing (that is, are they naturally combinable into one application)?

Answer
Steve, I believe that it would be correct to say that all the applications "do" the same thing. To clarify that the tables, sets, forms and reports would all be identical in set up (even as far as the field names etc) only the data would change for each individual client. The only difference would be that some clients may require different type reports produced.

If they are combinable, then it is easier to create one Alpha database published as one Alpha Web Project. (Each Alpha database has to be a seperate web project*). You'd create a login process that ensured CustA would not see records for CustB, etc.

Are you saying here that I should then be able to put all the databases into the one web project folder, still keep them seperate within the project folder and develop a user/password access login procedure for each client similar to the login set up featured in the "web application demo" presented by Alpha in their literature?

Steve, I am not particularly clear in your answer in the paragraph above "(Each Alpha database has to be a seperate web project*)" - *I suppose you could publish multiple projects to the same web folder location, but I think the result would be potentially disasterous due to overlapping filenames, etc.

Is there a contradiction?

Sorry that I cant get a clear picture on the procedure that I should adopt.

Thanks for the reply
Robert

[Steve Wood]

RE: Web project - Many databases under one project

Based on your answer, you would then create just one Alpha database and publish just one web project. You would use the login screen (as you suggested) to control what any user is able to see.

To see this in action, go off to my web application (http://support.attorneystrust.com:81). Note that the login screen in my case asks for Customer ID and password. So if JOHN SMITH logs in with Customer ID = SMITH, then as they used the web application, all of the data would be filtered to only show records where Customer_ID=SMITH.

Its the same as if you set a filter on an Alpha database, except you use session variables in a web environment. A simplistic example wou;d be "Customer_ID=session.username",
where username is the value you got when they logged in.

You said different customer might see different sets of reports. There are several ways to do that, but save that for a later discussion.

Ignore my comments after the asterisk, I was just thinking out loud and it won't have any affect on what you are doing.

[Robert Rough]

RE: Web project - Many databases under one project

Steve,

Thanks for the interest and information. I will visit your website and take it from there.
Your help is much appreciated.

Thanks
Robert

[Robert Rough]

RE: Web project - Many databases under one project

Steve,
Is the format shown below the manner in which your overall database is set up?

Webroot
Overall Database folder
Database A folder
Database A files
Database B folder
Database B files
Database C folder
Database C files

Robert

[Steve Wood]

RE: Web project - Many databases under one project

No, not at all. Its just one database and one set of web files, like this:

On the Server

Alpha5 application database is on c:\database
Alpha5 Web files are on c:\a5webroot\projectfiles
The Alpha5 server is running, and its virtual directory set to c:\a5webroot.

Here is the question, if you ignore the web and pretend you just want to create a normal Alpha5 database as a desktop application. Can you accomplish what you want in a single database? Include in your thoughts that you can filter the Alpha5 database so that UserA only sees records that belong to UserA, ditto for UserB, etc.

If so, then the tables you create for your desktop application form the basis for your web application.

[Robert Rough]

RE: Web project - Many databases under one project

Steve,
Thanks again.
I'm getting a clearer picture of what is required.
Unfortunately I require to develop the applications as seperate databases that could be handed over to individual clients if they opted for the desktop facility rather than internet access. In that instance I would have to pursue the other option that you forwarded on an earlier response-

"Manage as seperate apps and web projects, publish each to a different server folder and use a different URL to access each web app"

If I set up my own basic "non alpha" web site can a secure username/password facility be set up to limit only the client access to their own particular database. Is this something that is programmed outwith Alpha.

Robert

[bowenjohn]

RE: Web project - Many databases under one project

Robert:
You can provide access to the different customer tables via several different methods.

If you are requiring that the user be able to download the tables, then you will need to store them in different directories. Cal Locklinis doing this with his AIM application, where each customer has their own folder with their tables.

You can use one WAS application to work with all of the databases. Once the user logs in, you will identify where the user's databases reside and store that to a Session Variable, i.e. Session.MyDBPath = "c:\Databases\CustomerA". The Session variable will then be inserted into the path of the database when you open it. The Session vairable will contain part of the path. For instance consider this structure:
C:\
|-"a5webroot
|-" [template files go here]
|-"databases
|-" CustomerA
|-" [Customer A's database folders]
|-" CustomerB
|-" [Customer B's database folders]

Login code would do the following more or less using one administration database:
1. Identify the user
2. Determine the user's database location on the server (stored in the Admin table mentioned above)
3. Create a session variable that stores this path
4. Go to a page that uses the customer's personal database
using one of the following scenerios:
a. If you are using a Grid to access the database then you would overload the Grid's data source property in the grid's a5w page.

tmpl.DBF.table_name = Session.myDBPath + "\Tblissues.Dbf"

*Insert this line just above the x_out = a5w_run_Component(tmpl)

The component will now be directed to use c:\Databases\CustomerA\tblissues.dbf


If you are using a Dialog component or a just an A5W page with no component, then you would do the same by inserting your Session.MyDBPath into the A5 code on your table.open() like this:
tbl= table.open(session.MyDBPath + "\Tblissues.dbf")

To give users physical access to their database files, you have a couple of choices:
1. Your hosting provider could set-up individual FTP accounts that point to the user's directory
-or-
2. you could use A5 xbasic to copy it to a temporary folder in the same manner as the PDF reports are done
-or-
3. if they are small enough, you could zip them up and send them via email

To get the databases up there in the first place, it would make most sense to use the built in Xbasic FTP functionality and not the Profile upload functionality.

This is something that Cal Locklin has done this very nicely (see aims.alpha5host.com). He does not use the Profile to move the database files to our server, rather he wrote a script that opens a ftp session with the ftp server, and then the script uploads the database files. There is a good thread between Cal and Lenny on this subject.

I hope this answers your questions.

[bowenjohn]

RE: Web project - Many databases under one project

Let me get the HTML formating correct on the directory structure:
C:\
|->a5webroot
| -> [template files go here]
|->databases
|-> CustomerA
|-> [Customer A's database folders]
|-> CustomerB
|-> [Customer B's database folders]

[bowenjohn]

RE: Web project - Many databases under one project

ok...so my html skills need some work..




C:\ a5webroot
[Template files Here]






C:\Databases




\Administration
[Admin tables here]


\CustomerA




[Customer A database files here]


\CustomerB




[Customer B database files here]

[Robert Rough]

RE: Web project - Many databases under one project

Thanks John for your full and detailed response. I will digest what you say and take it up also with my web developer to move it forward.
Once again thank you for your interest and help.

Regards Robert