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Questions and Answers Next month I will elaborate on the methods that I have used to help to secure the Online Testing Site that I developed. I had originally planned on finishing the article for this month but it is taking me longer than I anticipated. So in it's place are some questions sent in from Mac OS Journal readers and my replies.
Searching in a Database Randy, I'd like to see how I can do a search on a database, then keep the results around to display on all subsequent pages of that user's session. For example, a user enters their license number, and I show them some details about their license as they go through the online renewal process. Do I use cookies? Set persistent variables once the
query results are returned? Thanks again. Steve Thank you Steve, :-) You have a couple of options at to what you can use to solve this problem. First let me say that I have tried to use cookies and they are both difficult to manage and inconsistent. The biggest problem is that the two major browsers treat them differently and expect them in different portions of the html. After fighting with it for awhile I decide to simply retain complete control of the process and get rid of cookies all together. One solution you might try is if you only have registered uses performing searches you could write the last search data in their user record in an inline operation that happens after the page is processed. This would allow you to deliver the results quickly and still retain the search criteria for future actions. A potential problem for this though is the fact that in your first action the operation to add the data the data to the user search criteria may not be available in the database (the postinline operation I am talking about waits for the server to be idle before execution). Another way is to simply retain the data in a token that you pass from page to page. You could then write a small bit of code that does the decoding of the token and pass the parameter values to an inline which performs the search live on each new page request. This might be the simplest method but it will not maintain the search data across user sessions. In my case of the Online Testing System I use a combination of the storage in the Database and the usage of a token, mostly favoring the token.
FileMaker or 4D? I'm setting up an e-commerce web site but I'm not sure weather I should use 4D with lasso or FileMaker with lasso.. I'm not going to have heavy traffic but I do need a multithreaded solution so that if I do get a lot of traffic I'll be able to handle it. I am fluent in FileMaker and AppleScript but not at all with Lasso or 4D.. Is 4D better than FileMaker? If so in what ways? and is Lasso hard to learn? Do you know of any learning resources for 4D or Lasso other than special training agencies? I really appreciate whatever input you may have. Thanks Arion, First, let me say that I have only used FileMaker on a production basis. I have not used 4D although I have played with on a few occasions. 4D really is in a middle ground in between FileMaker Pro and the other more serious DBs (like Oracle and Sybase). You may consider other databases like Primebase or Openbase. I have been toying around with Primebase as a replacement for my FileMaker Pro databases and things look pretty good so far. They are also available on Mac OS X which I considering moving my server to in the future. Is 4D better than FileMaker? 4D does handle web transactions better, and it is multithreaded. They are also dedicated to their customers (unlike FileMaker Inc. who seems to want to charge 5 times more than they used to for no real added benefit). I know FileMaker Pro very well and I think you will find that any other database you consider will be hard to learn at first. The alternative is that every other database out their scales better than FileMaker Pro. Lasso has a high volume mailing list called Lasso Talk that I archive for referencing when I run into problems. I have had pretty good success getting my difficult questions answered. The archives on their website also offer answers to countless questions people have sent to the list. Join Lasso Talk: Lasso Talk Archives: I don't think Lasso is hard to learn, especially if you have hand coded html before. I walk through a several examples in my November column. As for learning resources for 4D, I am not familiar enough with what is available on the web for learning 4D to give you any good links. Sorry.
Lasso Security I'd like you to talk about security and lasso. e.g. what to do to keep others from hacking your lasso code to get other information from your database. Or, how to hide your lasso code so that it can't be reverse engineered. Robert Jacobs Thanks for the suggestion! This is a complex subject, one that I can't cover in a few sentences. I think that I might be able to talk about this subject for my January Column. Thanks again for the feedback.
The End of the Road for Lasso? Great stuff!! Although with languages and db's like php and mysql coming to the macos (and in fact already workable in os x server) the days of lasso are slowing to an end (from a new development perspective anyway). I do extensive db work, but have avoided things like lasso like the plague, too proprietary for what it is IMHO, but nonetheless great to see some real educational writing! Keep up the good work! Mark Guertin Thanks, Mark for the feedback but I would have to disagree with you. Blueworld has announced support for Unix-based OS's including MacOS X and they even have a LassoLite version that is free on their website to get you started if you are interested. Lasso also has the ability to connect to just about any database with very little change in the actual code. Personally I am considering starting a brand new project on Mac OS X, which utilizes Lasso extensively in very near future. http://www.blueworld.com/blueworld/products/LassoLite/ Hope you all had a wonderful holiday. Happy New Year!
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