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theDreamer

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So I have pitched a good idea to my company and they love it and want to do it. Basically it is a simple database linking all our reports we send to clients so we can search. I plan on using FrontPage 2003, but have not done any HTML for many years. Currently we have an excel file with all the information we want to be able to search by, or tag files with. My only thing is I am unsure of how to set this up and get the ball rolling.

~Want to use web browser (IE, Firefox, etc.) to do view
~We just need this internally
~I hope to start simple with just being able to create a search database where people can pick what they want to search by
~The final product will be a bit different, but I hope to have both side by side in the end (search and final)
~The database (and final) needs to be able to update easily. Where someone can input the needed tags and set the directory path to the file it links to.

The final product will be something along these lines:
~Load up page and you are looking at the continents
~Pick a continent and it zooms you in (or reloads the page) with the section you picked
~Pick a country (same as above), then a state, etc.
~At the final zoom level you pick from your choices, and it links you to the document opening in Adobe (we use PDFs)

This idea sounds very simple in my head, but with very little to almost no knowledge of HTML I do not know where to start.

Thanks for any help on this.
 
If you're talking about using a database, you're not just talking about HTML. You need some server scripting (.net, php)

Avoid frontpage if you can. Plus it's useless for server scripting anyway.

You'll need a webserver and a database server.

You'll probably store the document files on the web server and store links to them in the db
 
If this list is rarely changing, then static HTML page(s) can be done. Even Flash is an option.

If maintaining this regularly would take more time than it's worth, then a server-side language is your best bet. JSP, PHP, ASP.Net (among others) are all valid; choose based on preference and/or infrastructure requirements. Flash is still an option here, though you'd likely have Flash query a "data handler" based on a server-side language. While you can make ODBC calls directly to an Excel sheet, it can get a little weird. I'd suggest using a small database file to store the data instead. If this Excel sheet is based on something else, such as a database or directory system, then try querying that directly.

Point is, you've got a lot of options here. Google is your friend, and post any specifics and code samples as you get stuck.
 
The idea is to just have all the files located on our server, either in individual folders or lose (probably in folders), and just linking to the .PDF file to view, also need to make all files read-only (but that should be easy).
 
PTNL said:
If this list is rarely changing, then static HTML page(s) can be done.

If maintaining this regularly would take more time than it's worth, then a server-side scripting language is your best bet. JSP, PHP, ASP.Net (among others) are all valid; choose based on preference and/or infrastructure requirements. While you can make ODBC calls directly to an Excel sheet, it can get a little weird. I'd suggest using a small database file to store the data instead. If this Excel sheet is based on something else, such as a database or directory system, then try querying that directly.

Point is, you've got a lot of options here. Google is your friend, and post any specifics and code samples as you get stuck.
Click to expand...

The overall list would probably have a two new entries each week at the most, sometimes no new ones for three weeks.
 
theDreamer said:
The overall list would probably have a two new entries each week at the most, sometimes no new ones for three weeks.
Click to expand...

Nothing's been stated about how much time each entry requires to add/update, neither in the Excel sheet nor in what page(s) are being imagined. So to rephrase my earlier question: Does this foreseen maintenance constitute more time than you want to invest in updating static HTML pages?
 
PTNL said:
Nothing's been stated about how much time each entry requires to add/update. So to rephrase my earlier question: Does this foreseen maintenance constitute more time than you want to invest in updating static HTML pages? Your answer will help drive you toward the high-level solution.
Click to expand...

My knowledge base of programming is very little, basically some HTML from years ago, if static pages are easier then it might be best. This in the end I need to be passed off of me and onto any user who I can show how to simply update the page, just write up a how-to so they can almost copy and past easily.

I may be getting in over my own head with this idea, and will need to spend some time learning (will probably have to no matter what) on programming.
 
Avoid Frontpage like the plague. You need special extensions and what not's to get that stuff running. If a database is involved you will need scripting knowledge. What webserver will you be running(Apache or IIS)? Also what database server will you be running (MySQL or MSSQL)?

If by some chance you are going to be running IIS and MSSQL I would look into .NET programming and ASP. If that combination can't be done you will probably need to look into PHP.
 
theDreamer said:
My knowledge base of programming is very little, basically some HTML from years ago, if static pages are easier then it might be best. This in the end I need to be passed off of me and onto any user who I can show how to simply update the page, just write up a how-to so they can almost copy and past easily.

I may be getting in over my own head with this idea, and will need to spend some time learning (will probably have to no matter what) on programming.
Click to expand...

Go with the server-side route. Lazy_Moron put some suggestions, that being PHP/MySQL and .Net/MSSQL. The PHP/MySQL developer tools have a lot of free options (XAMPP, Eclipse, etc.), and the free .Net stuff you'll want is Visual Studio 2008 Express Web Edition and SQL Server 2005 Express.

Decide which is going to be more congruent with your infrastructure and maintenance plans (I'm assuming you personally are not managing the servers), grab a "Beginner's" book (but not the "Learn ___ in 24 hours" stuff), and dive in. Post any questions/issues you come across along the way.
 
seems like it would be easiest to just take the information from excel into an internal database like access or whatever the free version of that is... then just use that internally w/o bothering to even create a web site. if you have to you could just use Microsoft Sharepoint to create a web viewable report.
 
IceWeasel said:
seems like it would be easiest to just take the information from excel into an internal database like access or whatever the free version of that is... then just use that internally w/o bothering to even create a web site. if you have to you could just use Microsoft Sharepoint to create a web viewable report.
Click to expand...
Polling directly off of Excel is quirky at best, and is never advisable as a reliable solution.

Sharepoint (either 2003 or preferably MOSS) is a good alternative that has not been mentioned, with Windows Sharepoint Services being a stripped-down option free option. It could be viewed as overkill based solely on what's been described, so the OP will need to evaluate. Both do require a full version of SQL Server, which may or may not be a moot point for the OP.
 
PTNL said:
Polling directly off of Excel is quirky at best, and is never advisable as a reliable solution.

Sharepoint (either 2003 or preferably MOSS) is a good alternative that has not been mentioned, with Windows Sharepoint Services being a stripped-down option free option. It could be viewed as overkill based solely on what's been described, so the OP will need to evaluate. Both do require a full version of SQL Server, which may or may not be a moot point for the OP.
Click to expand...

yea, i wasn't implying to poll directly from excel. i meant rip all of the data out of excel and import it into a real database.
 
i was going to mention sharepoint services as this is pretty much what it is designed to do but someone got there before me
 
I'd look at Sharepoint or some of the other COTS products like Windchill. Windchill can index the contents of files so you don't have to tag them.
 
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