Availability Lists Online

[richkoi]

I am webmaster of http://www.bambooheadquarters.com

EXPERIENCE:
I have limited experience using databases. I know Excel up down backwards and forwards. I know MS Access enough to get by.

PROBLEM:
Our plant nursery inventory is in an Excel spreadsheet and we have it coded for saleable and non-saleable items. My boss would like me to create an easily updatable online availability lists and have the plants on the list linked to photo pages of these plants. Also, he would like the photo pages of these plants to show sizes and prices of each plant available. I would like to create these sites once and have them all link to one database.

ANSWER?
Where do I start!? Have a look at my site (http://www.bambooheadquarters.com) and see if I will be able to accomplish this. Is this something beyone an online board? What classes should I take if this is so.

Any and all comments are appreciated! Thank you so much.

Rich

[compusolver]

Rich,

The delimited file is the common denominator for all data types. Export what you need from your Excel file to a delimited file which you can then import into an online database. It's a snap!

If you're on a Windows server, you might even want to use Access for your database since you're already familiar with it, but for the long term it's time to learn 'real' databases.

If you're on a Unix/Linux server, go with MySQL. Easy to learn, powerful and free. While you're in the learning stage if you need things to go 100% right, hire a consultant to help and tutor you through the learning stage.

Hang on to your seat, your about to begin a fun ride!

[Steven Glover]

Umm can you tell me what you have under your hosting account. Do you have PHP? Coldfusion? ASP? You will need some programming language that interacts with the db you choose.

I will help you if you need it. I could probably whip somethimg out for you pretty easy if you happen to use coldfusion on your server if not I could probably just setup the couple of CF pages you would need to manipulate the DB on my site.

There are so many web designers on here its hard to tell what is a sales pitch and what is an attempt at being helpful. No sales pitch just being friendly. Email me if you need a hand.

[geekola]

First, take a pass at grouping your excel fields into logical groups. This is will be used to build your tables in access. You'll want to list for each column in your spreadsheet:

field_name
data_type (string / numeric / date / currency)

Once you do that, you'll want to normalize your data...http://www.datamodel.org/NormalizationRules.html

Now you are ready to build your access database. If you want to restrict access, add a table called users with the following fields:

userId (primary key - incremented)
name
pw
group
status

Even if you have one user now, you may have more later and it only takes a few minutes.

Next steps depend on what languages your environment supports...ASP, PHP, ColdFusion, Java, Perl, etc.

[richkoi]

Trying PHP and MySQL from: www.firepages.com.au

Hopefully I can figure it out! This is all so new to me...working outside of Microsoft.

Thanks for your suggestions.

Rich

[compusolver]

Rich,

You're reminding me of a couple of years back when I was a 'Windows Only' guy. A client referred me to another business and they wanted a big site done all in PHP/MySQL.

After a week of negotiating, I offerred to do the site for half price if they'd let me do it in ASP/SQL but they wouldn't.

Two weeks is all it took to be moving along fairly well in PHP/MySQL. They had to drag me kicking and screaming but in two weeks I was sold!

Now I charge extra to do ASP!

[Steven Glover]

LOL thats funny. PHP.

Umm The biggest help I can be to you is to reccomend you download premiumsofts Navicat. It is a GUI for MySQL that absolutly rocks! It will import delimeted text so that will give you a big jump

[inet]

Hi,
if it is possible, sent me a small part of your spreadsheet and your requirements, so that i have the new version. I hope i can quickly help you. on the other hand i please you to visit http://www.avgalerie.de where you find some dynamic websites based on photos.
Kind regards
Detlef Witt
Avantgarde Softwareentwicklungs-GmbH
http://www.avsoft.de

[Narasinha]

Using a database on the webserver is the way to go for this type of thing, whether you're on a Unix machine or Windows IIS. I developed several sites along similar lines, primarily on NT with IIS, using MS Access, Excel, or SQL server as a data source. One thing that I did with some of them was to put in the ability for the client to go in and update the database through a web interface. This kept me from making changes every other day, and let the client feel more involved with the project. Most of the programming I did in Perl, making it easier to move from IIS to Apache server if necessary. ASP and PHP should work well for the task. Complex SQL queries can be a headache at times, but once you know the basics, you'll realize how powerful it is. The Perl ODBC module was of great help in accessing data from a variety of sources.

[clideguitar]

You and your Boss need to evaluate Everest 2.0 (or Standard). It will do everything you want.
When you update the database with a new image it will automatically update the website.

It will automatically update inventory and perform the accounting entries for sales orders, purchase orders, etc.

If inventory is not a major concern - then - go with the workaround.

http://www.icode.com

BJ

[spiderman]

I tried that MySql, and it didnt give me anything but to be sql server. Compusolver said MySql was free and it wasnt, at least the ones I found on download.com. and when I found a free MySql it was a server and couldnt do anything there. I would love to build a web site using a database instead of the way I am doing it now. I did biuld the database in exel and ms access, but dont know how to implement it into my page. I am using Dreamweaver MX and 2 mostly MX alot better than 2. I have cold fusion mx but seems to have problems on windows xp. I would like to be able to update database from web browser to so I can change things without having to upload all the time. Any suggestions????? :-)
Thanks for your time,
Sincerely,
John
http://www.mallcrickets.com

[redcircle]

Since I'm bias to PHP I would have to suggest that. also MySQL. both are free and have awesome following on the internet. There might be pre-written scripts that will do what you need. check out www.hotscripts.com

for tutorials I would suggest
www.phpbuilder.com
www.devshed.com

forums
www.php-forum.com

btw what kind of OS is the server running on.

[compusolver]

Spiderman,

I'm not sure, but the problem might be that you're thinking that a MySQL database is something you first build on your local computer and then upload - like an MS Access database. That is not the case.

Nearly all Unix/Linux hosts (including the one I'm a dealer for) and many Windows hosts include MySQL and PHP free with your hosting fee.

Both are free to hosting companies (although there are also branded versions) and, yes you can find versions (for free) to download and install on your home computer.

But again - and this is very important - 95% of us would never do that. The installation on the hosting server is all we need.

And yes, after looking over all options if you're a real programmer MySQL/PHP is probably the way you'll decide to go. It's a good option for most companies too because there is a large pool of MySQL/PHP programmers to hire from.

But more importantly - if you're a designer and not really interested in learning server-side code and databases - do your clients a favor and subcontract that part of your business. We database dogs don't get the big bucks you designers get - you can still make a profit when you farm it out, your client will get professional results and you'll bypass all the headaches.

[spiderman]

Compusolver,
yes I actually build the sites and design them as much as I can, but right now I am trying to learn more. I went to school years ago to learn cobol, but nobody uses that language anymore, what a waste of time. I got into building web pages, and want to learn as much as I can. There has to be a faster way to do this. I want what all people want knowlede, if knowledge was power then a god I must be....I want to learn more. I learned how to repair computers over 10 years ago when 486 was fast then, look what we have now. 2.6+ ghz computers with all these fancy programs. Well thats all for now see you all later.
John
http://www.mallcrickets.com

[compusolver]

Hang in there and be patient. Learning rarely happens as fast as we'd like it to. But PHP/MySQL really is the way to go.

Try these books to help get started:

"MySQL/PHP Database Applications" - Greenspan & Bulger, M&T Books.

"PHP and MySQL Web Development" - Luke Welling and Laura Thompson, SAMS

Good luck!

P.S.

I fully agree with redcircle's excellent comment (below) about register_globals. But there are so few books with real world examples that it is still a good choice.

[Steven Glover]

I am a CF/MySQL programmer myself, however I have been giving a LOT of thought to learning PHP.

[richkoi]

Well, I've got to tell you...this mySQL and PHP stuff is hard for me to grasp. I guess I've been a strictly .html guy for too long, and a WYSIWYG GUI .html guy for that matter!

I am in school right now as a Bus-Admin major as a High Tech Mgmt focus. Hopefully I will get some database classes soon! I need them!

Thanks for all your help,

Rich

[redcircle]

"PHP and MySQL Web Development" - Luke Welling and Laura Thompson, SAMS



If you decide to get this book make sure it is not the March 2001 printing. Although the book is great for an overview they do not account for register_globals = off. It's hard to explain if you do not have experience with php. Basically they are showing you the incorrect way to use variables. as of PHP 4.2 register_globals is off by default for more information on register_globals see http://us2.php.net/register_globals. Besides this problem that book is a great learning tool with realworld examples.

[spiderman]

I would like to know if there is a program that would be easy to use. Something that would create a shopping cart database for me. I want to be able to add or remove inventory from a browser and not have to keep uploading crap. Any suggestion?
John

[compusolver]

** This and the post above might belong in a new topic **

I would like to know if there is a program that would be easy to use. Something that would create a shopping cart database for me. I want to be able to add or remove inventory from a browser and not have to keep uploading crap. Any suggestion?
John

Now I don't mean to be picking on John [spiderman] here. Maybe he is working on his own site using it for a learning experience - that would be fine.

But I see from his 'signature' that he does web design for a living and I wonder if he is looking for a script to use for a client. I shudder at that thought.

If you guys are in the business, you've come across clients who have had 'web developers' who've gotten over their heads, made a mess then left with the client's money and with the client holding the bag.

You look things over, shake your head and often have to tell the client that he will basically have to start all over from scratch - that none of the non-reusable, buggy, spaghetti code is worth keeping.

So I hope that Spiderman is doing this on his own site - and not for a client. When web designers get asked to do work that they aren't qualified for, they should team up with a server-side coder who can help with database, eCommerce, etc. To do otherwise just gives a black eye to our whole industry.