[MacPerl-WebCGI] Re: [MacPerl-AnyPerl] Checkbox CGI

[Bruce Van Allen <bva@cruzio.com>]

On 6/22/00 10:52 AM -0700, Bert Altenburg <bsfa@knoware.nl> wrote:
>Bruce Van Allen <bva@cruzio.com> wrote:
>
>>script. In both cases the best approach is making the list of fields
>>external to the processing code.
>
>What do you mean by that?

When the CGI input comes to the script, it's in the form of 
fieldname=value pairs, which the script must process. In some cases, 
it's fine to let the script handle whatever fieldnames are presented 
to it. For example, if all the script does is put the input into an 
email message and send it to the site's owner, then the script 
doesn't have to know ahead of time what the field names are. It just 
lists them.

But if the input data is to be put into a structured database with 
its own fieldnames, then the script has to look at the input 
fieldnames and place the data in the corresponding fields of the 
database. In this case, the script must have a list of the database 
fieldnames. So my comment quoted by you (above) is a recommendation 
that this list of fieldnames not be embedded in the script, but 
rather read in by the script (from the database, a hidden form field, 
or a settings file) at execution time. That way, the script or the 
fieldname list can be changed independently of each other.

Does that clarify?

>>Both cases also show why the best strategy for _any_ form-processing
>>CGI is to have the script generate the HTML form from the git-go;
>
>what is git-go?

Oops, sorry about the technical jargon :-)

Actually, 'the git-go' is American slang for 'the very beginning'. 
Probably derived from "[when we ] get going".

HTH

- Bruce

_Bruce_Van_Allen___bva@cruzio.com__Santa_Cruz_CA_

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