database access with flash 5

[mrhutch]

Does anyone know a way of calling SQL scripts against a database server from a flash webpage. I want to build a flash site and reference data on a SQL7 database from the wholly flash frontend. Site would be hosted on an intranet, so standard system DSN's can be used to define the data source. SQL scripts can be stored as stored procedures within the sql DB..

I don't think that this can be done purely by flash but if anyone can help????????

[qball]

My first thought was:

www.audi.com

I had been there earlier and thought they had a flash frontend with DB access. Went back and it is html, scripting and java.

Anyway, it does not appear the Flash has any DB support. Or at least they aren't bragging about it...:

http://www.macromedia.com/software/f...info/features/

Though for the life of me, what great benefit does a forms interface offer without DB queries...

Anyway, an HTML interface with server side processing is a far better solution.

[mrhutch]

cheers qball... seems that macromedia don't really give a definative yes/no!

Reason(s) why I want to do this :
[1] Get more practice with the wonderful flash!
[2] make an entire app for use in an intranet within a company entirely coded within a flash movie - the code is away from prying eyes - I consider a complied flash movie pretty secure - I may b wrong but reverse engineering a flash movie to get to the goodies would be fairly hard and beyond the usual script monger!
[3] (most importantly) the app could be hosted by a browser, or any other OS capable of running a flash plugin (linux, unix, mac BEOS etc.....) on it's own. - I am not a developer, i'm a techie and can't really get my head round learning java/vb/asp etc..

mrhutch

[qball]

There is a reason why macromedia doesn't give a definitive answer. DB access t'ain't all that easy...

Anyway, whatever reasons you have for doing this, I state, rock and roll, go with and run as far as you can, punch hole in sky, kiss God's face...

Ok, wise **** responses:

[1]Load Flash tools on PC and flashturbate for hours... Make your own flash site and bedazzle the world. Flash is fun for you, you don't need the job to make you do it. Nice try...

[2]Flash is a plug-in with App like features. It is nothing more. Secure as all heck, but who cares. You can't access the company payroll with a flash site. Pretty pictures and enterprise solutions are oil and water. I hear what you want, but Flash wrong way to do.

[3](MOST IMPORTANTLY!) An HTML front-end with server side enterprise processing is universally accessible through any HTTP capable browser, forget plug-ins. So an HTML solution gets to ALL browsers, your solution is plug-in dependent.

Oh, lastly, wrapping stuff around head is good if cold, wanna learn, find way put stuffy 'in head'.

[mrhutch]

lol
cheers again qball - looks like i'm gonna have to get to grips with HTML/ASP or something - you're quite right buddy, enterprise solutions and pretty sites do not mix...

ha ha
Mr Hutch

[qball]

amen.

yeah, but, pretty sites are much more entertaining. Though I find it challenging to get a browser based GUI to work like, say, a client-server client.

Good luck, keep learning and post back.

[rh71]

Well Flash doesn't have any native support for SQL... however, they make it extremely easy to use variables to port in dynamic data. On the basic level, you can simply do a loadVariables script (actionscript) on an external text file, where the text files would contain for example:

&variable1=This is my first line.
&variable2=This is another line.

You'd then go back into Flash and create a textbox (set to dynamic) and name it "variable1" and another textbox named "variable2"... by doing the loadVariables thing, it will know what the textboxes should spit out.

Taking this up a notch, you can see how you would be able to incorporate ASP/PHP/JSP/CF dynamic web languages into this scheme. Run your query via SQL on an Access DSN and set a variable to the results of the query. You'll have to get creative with your SQL sometimes because this doesn't allow for much flexibility.

I've just started doing my own site using ColdFusion and an all-Flash front end. You can see where the guestbook & contact form talks to a backend engine... it's not your daddy's CGI. The resume is brought in via loadVariables from an html file containing a single variable. Take a peek... http://www.rh71.com

Post back if you need more details...

[This message has been edited by rh71 (edited 08-22-2001).]

[qball]

nice try.
http://www.rh71.com/showGuestbook.cfm

show some DB access, nachos/xtra/chz.

oh, and your title is:

"Temp Guestbook Viewer"

Make that dynamic.

[rh71]

wow it took a real genius to see that one didn't it? How did I go about doing the submission? Was that magic or did I do some database access? If you use a little imagination, maybe you'd be able to figure out that I could do the same type of thing with showing the guestbook... but I didn't say it was finished, did I?

Why do you insist on questioning my competence? Are you still pissed off about me proving you wrong in that other thread? Sorry I had to EDIT this post like 3 times to remove some expletives... heh, you're last month's joke.

[This message has been edited by rh71 (edited 08-22-2001).]

[qball]

everyone takes everthing so personally, I'm assuming you're referring to 'gone fishing', but who cares. And, no, I'm not pissed at you, though my humor and sarcasm seems to mask that out. BTW, the site is [hatetoadmit]better than most flash sites, I've seen.[/hatetoadmit]

Anyway, accessing text files, is well accessing text files, whether they be formatted or not, generated by SQL queries or not.

So walk me through this, because I think I know what is going on. Real simple, because I'm slow. You have a guestbook form that has name, email, comment fields. I went there and entered an entry, then clicky submit. Bad email validation, ok, good at least that is validated, kinda ,sorta. Fudge more data, click submit and get submitted data, with back, view buttons. Click view, you get link above.

Now, some questions.

Does this prove DB access? What you have is easily accomplished with an HTML form, some ASP scripting to write to text file. Another ASP script to output text file. Or it is magic.

You may be using a DB in some "imaginative" way to accomplish what you are doing, but it can easily be accomplished with simple scripting and a text file.

An aside, DBs offer the ability to SELECT, UPDATE, INSERT, DELETE functionality on records. The concept of a GUI directly accessing a DB is to allow the user to navigate and manipulate data more easily that SQL statements. Regardless, you need to show this functionality (of some type, as you probably don't want any user to be able to delete or update all guestbook entries). Without it, you are not proving DB access.

Iffin Flash can do DB access, why is guestbook a Cold Fusion page? DOH! Show the friggin output in Flash winder, people.

heh, you're last month's joke.

I am, SWEET! Who is this month's joke? Last September's?

Music tamed the savage beast, whilst humor got everyone's attention.
-unk-

[rh71]

I live for this. I must tell you. You compliment my work and then you doubt that I really did it in the manner that I stated.

This is a personal Flash page if you haven't noticed. The functionality you ask me to prove capable of is in no way within the scope of the project.

So answer me this - WHY must I prove to you that I'm accessing a database?

It's one thing if you're sincerely interested in how it's done. I love to teach what I know. It's the other half of the reason I'm here. It's another thing if you're challenging me - I have nothing to prove to you. But keep talking if you wish. Your thoughts humor me in otherwise tiring days.

[^hyd^]

Yes, Flash can access a database(sorta)! Just as rh71 mentioned, by loading variables with external data. Just today in fact I stopped by where I did my practicum, and one of the employees there (also a friend from college) was working on a project that had a full Flash front end, with data loaded from a database. Although, I believe that he did have to make an ASP script to grab the data and pass it to the Flash project...

Some might argue(never! ) and say that this isn't true database access since Flash isn't using SQL, and it is sorta true, but the data is coming from a database and going to the Flash project!

...oh well ...my database access ability is fine, now to work on my Flash and one day incorporate both!

cya!

[qball]

The problem with the logic is one can easily say, I can access a DB with DOS batch files, or Textpad, or the DOOM (quake???) console. Adding a 'layer' between an app and a DB, defeats the purpose and usefullness of a DB.

Dumping data (query, export, whatever) into text files, and then accessing given text files is viable (and done more than one would believe), but concurrency and data synchronization become a REAL issue. Directly accessing DB, there are NO concurrency/synch issues. You can do it, but it becomes much more difficult in real world systems.

Now, Flash using ASP/java/whatever for DB access is one thing, but Flash is just the GUI, ASP/java/whatever is doing the DB access.

You can use Word as a spreadsheet, and Excel as a word processor, but are those intelligent options?

rh71,

This is a personal Flash page if you haven't noticed. The functionality you ask me to prove capable of is in no way within the scope of the project.

So answer me this - WHY must I prove to you that I'm accessing a database?

If it is your personal page, you define the scope. The world's the limit...

You have nothing to prove to me, imho. But, and I have a BIG but, iffin one states they can show DB access with Flash, and the example is yours, then you have not proven DB access, period

When someone asks for:

a way of calling SQL scripts against a database server from a flash webpage

At best, the answer is 'no, but it can load text files!'.

[rh71]

Your points in this thread have done nothing to help the guy except point him to a Macromedia URL, which in turn obviously says to all of us you know absolutely nothing about Flash 5.

That's fine, yet you insist on pretending. Instead of criticizing others, why don't you provide input on how he can go about doing exactly what he asked for... instead of making pointless statements about how SQL & databases generally work and I should prove that I really did it with Flash. Does he care? I don't know about everyone else, but it's obvious to me you're spitting out your technical vocabulary and piecing pertinent sentences together out of it.

Yes, the question was:
"a way of calling SQL scripts against a database server from a flash webpage"

Then you gathered from my examples...
"At best, the answer is 'no, but it can load text files!'."

WRONG. Again. It does not just load text files. By saying that, you make it seem like these text files have not been (or can be) manipulated in any way. Flash loads variables from ANY file (even ASP, CFM, JSP, PHP modules) that may contain manipulated data via the aforementioned APIs. I'm not trying to make it sound more complicated than it is, but you cannot say Flash loads only text files. This isn't even going into the fact that you can manipulate data WITH Flash (via A/S) after it has been read-in. Shall I start introducing Flash <--> XML sockets into this thread too?

I was instructing the guy on how to accomplish what he needed. And unless you can explain to me why I haven't done that, I see no argument for you. Care to explain why my solution does not belong in this thread? I'd hate to think it's only because it superseded a reply with your name beside it.

[This message has been edited by rh71 (edited 08-26-2001).]

[qball]

I would leave the issue as to what was helpful to mrhutch, no one else. Whom by this time has an answer, or has tired of our pissing contest.

Now fall off of your Flash horse. It is a friggin browser plug-in. Show us all just one enterprise solution using Flash. One ecommerce site that takes orders and does bidness on the net with a Flash front-end. One Fortune 1000 company using Flash as the technological marvel that it most certainly has rightfully attained.

Enlighten us all, just one [homersimpson]please[/homersimpson].