Subject: From: Date:

Re: [ECS] CGI advice needed Dario Greggio Sun, 30 Jan 2000 21:20:02 +0100

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Mark Gilmore wrote:
> 
> 
> Rather than manually re-invent yet ANOTHER user-interface for
> ECS/LINUX, I thought that I would be better off creating a
> HTML/CGI-based interface that could be used on multiple platforms
> (e.g. Win AND LINUX). BUT before diving into anything, I would
> appreciate your sage guidance :-):
> 
> 1) Is this a good approach ?

I think so, undoubtedly. In my view, ECS will be a server and Netscape
or Explorer the clients: you will create dinamic pages and send them to
the clients, and user interaction will be sent to ECS in the form of
GETs or POSTs. You will have HTML, GIFs, animated GIFs, frames, windows
and whatever.

> 2) Should I use PERL, JAVA, or something else (and why) ?

I use C++ (as usual), but Java or Perl should be enough anyway (and
maybe, in the future, Java will be the *true* standard). But, now, I
know far better C/C++ and with it I can do anything. I developed a
server and clients (when I need to do something different rather than
the browser can). It's easy: you open a TCP/IP socket and what for a
client connection. Then you handle the ASCII request and build pages on
the fly, according to ECS settings.
 
> 3) How could the CGI best communicate with ECS ?
>    NOTE: The DDE interface (with some additions) would work fine under
>    Win (if I could interface it to the CGI), but I would prefer a method
>    that could be applied on all platforms.

I don't know it exactly. I think a CSI interpreter running on the same
machine as ECS could call it appropriately, maybe with DDE.
 
> 4) Can you provide an IDIOT's description of how YOU would to it
>    (including a basic description of the data/control flow and what
>    software does what) ?
>    Please remember that I am VERY green on CGI/PERL/JAVA/etc.

I can send you a sample in C++. If you want, contact me.

-- 
Ciao,
Dario
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ADPM Synthesis sas - Torino
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http://www.geocities.com/adpm99

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