1 Chapter 12 Working With Access 2000 on the Internet.

1Chapter 12Chapter 12

Working With Access 2000 on the

Internet

Working With Access 2000 on the

Internet

12Chapter ObjectivesChapter Objectives

• Review hyperlinks, HTML, and cascading style sheets

• Learn about data access pages

• Explore server-side sorting and filtering

• Learn about scripts and Active Server Pages

12 Working With Access 2000 on the Internet

Working With Access 2000 on the Internet

• Two ways exist to link to Access 2000 database to a Web application: Use the Data Access Page (DAP) object that

exists in Access 2000 Use Active Server Pages (ASP) technology

12HyperlinksHyperlinks

• Hyperlink field Contains the specification for a universal

resource locator (URL) Created in a table simply by choosing the

hyperlink data type as the field format for the attribute when you are designing the table

12HyperlinksHyperlinks

• Two properties that can be manipulated: Hyperlink Address

Specifies the URLMay designate a specific file on a local network or a

local hard drive

Hyperlink SubAddressMay specifies a specific form within the database

12HTMLHTML

• Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) Not a programming language, but a formatting

language Access 2000 permits tables, forms, reports, and

queries to be saved in an HTML format Static file

When working with forms, only a form’s Datasheet view can be saved as HTML

12Cascading Style SheetsCascading Style Sheets

• Cascading style sheets (CSS) Make it easier to change page formats Contains the definition of various format

properties Can be used to format Web pages

If a change is made in the CSS, then all of the Web pages using it will reflect the change

12 Working With Data Access Pages

Working With Data Access Pages

• Data access pages External files that provide a means to use

Access 2000 on the Internet Stored as separate HTML files

• To preview a page as it would appear in a browser, right-click the shortcut in the Database window and choose Web Page Preview

12 Working With Data Access Pages

Working With Data Access Pages

• You can change the appearance of a data access page: Themes

Formatting templates

Add text, labels, and controls Add a picture or other image file as data in an

OLE Object field

12Data Access Page PropertiesData Access Page Properties

• To view a data access page’s properties, click the title bar of the data access page after opening the Properties window

Figure 12-1 Property sheet for a data access page

12Data Access Page PropertiesData Access Page Properties

• Properties of a data access page: DataEntry

Controls whether new records can be added to the underlying table

MaxRecordsAllows you to designate the number of records sent

to a client computer from a server RecordType

Determines whether a recordset is updateable

12 The Record Navigation Control

The Record Navigation Control

• Record navigation control Unique to data access pages Provides the capability to perform many tasks

involving record navigation, record creation and deletion, and record sorting

12 The Record Navigation Control

The Record Navigation Control

Figure 12-2 Record navigation control instance

12 Grouping Data in Data Access PagesGrouping Data in Data Access Pages

• Grouping data on a data access page is similar to grouping data on a report with a sub-report except: Data displayed is dynamic Data access pages are interactive Data access pages that display grouped data are

read-only

12 Grouping Data in Data Access PagesGrouping Data in Data Access Pages

• Group properties: Expanded by Default

When set to Yes, the data access page automatically displays the data within a grouping

Data Page SizeSettings determines the maximum number of

records to display within a particular grouping level

12 Grouping Data in Data Access PagesGrouping Data in Data Access Pages

Figure 12-3 Expand control instance on a grouped data access page

12 Server-Side Sorting and Filtering

Server-Side Sorting and Filtering

• Server-side sorting and filtering can save time when downloading data to the client

• Establish a default server-side sort order by setting the Default Sort property in the Sorting and Grouping dialog box

• When Access publishes a page as an Active Server Page, a server filter can be applied to perform the filtering operation on the server Only the filtered data are downloaded

12Scripts and Access 2000Scripts and Access 2000

• You can associate VBA program code with events to customize an application in an Internet environment VBScript is a variation of VBA that works with

Internet Explorer 5Does not recognize VBA

12Scripts and Access 2000Scripts and Access 2000

• VBScript differs from VBA in several ways: All variables in VBScript are variants Arguments passed to procedures and functions

cannot be typed Many functions found in VBA are not available

in VBScript

12Scripts and Access 2000Scripts and Access 2000

• VBScript differs from VBA in several ways: Error-handling capabilities are not as

sophisticated in VBScript Symbolic constants are not predefined

To use them, you must create a file and include it yourself

12Scripts and Access 2000Scripts and Access 2000

• Certain data access page events are not recognized when coded in JavaScript and script elements are case-sensitive in JavaScript

• You can add scripts by choosing Tools, Macros, and the Microsoft Script Editor from the menu bar Displays the Microsoft Development

Environment window

12Scripts and Access 2000Scripts and Access 2000

Figure 12-5 Microsoft Development Environment window

12Scripts and Access 2000Scripts and Access 2000

• When you connect an Active Server Page to an Access 2000 database Include a file, named adovbs.inc, that contains

predefined symbolic constants to facilitate establishing the database connection

12 Active Server Pages and Access 2000

Active Server Pages and Access 2000

• Active Server Pages (ASP) Implemented as an Internet Server application

programming interface (ISAPI) filter running under Microsoft’s Internet Information Server (IIS)

12Scripts and Access 2000Scripts and Access 2000

• Whenever a Web client sends an HTTP request to a Web server: The Active Server ISAPI filter has a chance to

intercept and interpret the request

• If the request involves an ASP file: The filter parses the entire file and returns

HTML output to IIS IIS then returns these data to the client

12Scripts and Access 2000Scripts and Access 2000

• To implement ASP, you must have a Web server configured to support the technology

• System data source Data source that is accessible to all user ODBC 32 control panel on the server is used to

establish an Access database such as a system data source

12Using the Global.asa FileUsing the Global.asa File

• Global.asa file performs two functions: Indicates where the scripts will be executed

In many cases, it takes place on the server to take advantage of the processing power typically available there

Amount of data transferred to the client can be minimized

12Using the Global.asa FileUsing the Global.asa File

• Global.asa file performs two functions (continued): Implements scripts associated with four specific

eventsEvents that occur for the Application and Sessions

objects

• Application object Created when the application runs Responds to the OnStart and an OnEnd event

12Using the Global.asa FileUsing the Global.asa File

• Session object Separate object is created for each user of the

application Responds to its own OnStart and OnEnd events

12 Variables and the OnStart Event

Variables and the OnStart Event

• OnStart event of the Application object Used to initialize or update variables used by

the application

• Variables may include the number of users of the application or the number of users who have visited the Web site since the application started

12 Variables and the OnStart Event

Variables and the OnStart Event

• OnStart event for the Session object Initializes variables for a particular user’s

session Timeout variable

Indicates how long a session is allowed to be idle before it is automatically terminated by the server

12Session Variables in ASPSession Variables in ASP

• Session variable Can declare any number of Session variables

simply by using them Available to all ASP files that execute during

the session Acts like a global variable in other

programming languages

12The OnEnd EventThe OnEnd Event

• OnEnd event for the Application object Occurs when the application ends

• OnEnd event for the Sessions object Occurs when the session ends Used to update persistent data relevant to the

application

12Chapter SummaryChapter Summary

• Access 2000 provides several ways to create Web-enabled database applications Hyperlink data type

Fundamental Web-enabling object

New capabilities with the Access development environment for developing Web-enabled applications

12Chapter SummaryChapter Summary

• DAP objects Not totally contained in the .mdb file associated

with an Access application

• Data access page Web page that must be accessible by a server

Web pages must be saved as an HTML file outside the .mdb file

12Chapter SummaryChapter Summary

• Data access pages (continued) Created in much the same manner as forms or

reports Same toolbox is used for their creation

Contains additional, Web-specific tools for operations such as creating a bound HTML control

12Chapter SummaryChapter Summary

• VBScript Variation of VBA

• Active Server Pages Provides an environment in which VBScript

and embedded SQL commands can be used to access data in Access databases and to create Web pages dynamically