[MacPerl] Oracle Database and/or LWP

[knewman@mainspring.com (Kevin Newman)]

Does anyone have experience with accessing protected web sites using
LWP? Also, can I access a remote Oracle DB through MacPerl? 

Here's my problem:
The company I work for delivers "content" through the web and print. All
of the content is stored in an Oracle DB. The web site is always up to
date because it accesses the DB to create the pages, so if someone may a
copy edit change at midnight the web page is automatically updated. But
the printed piece may be lagging because it was in production for two
days (while to editor changed the text). My job is to make the printed
piece as up to date as the web page.

My solutions (please give me any criticisms/feedback):
1. Use LWP to grab the content and store it in a local text file;
AppleScript then imports it into a Quark Template. (Problem: the site is
password protected using an Oracle authentication scheme that I can't
get LWP to work with).

2. Use a DB module to call the Oracle DB directly using the same methods
the web pages use; store the content in a local text file, etc.
(Problem: The Oracle DB sits on a SUN and I haven't been able to get
anything to work.)
 
3. Use AppleScript in kludgy calls to Netscape (grab the page), Perl
(Parse the page), and Quark (format the page for print).

Currently, number 3 is working, but it's gross... surely there someone
who knows a far more sexy way to do this?

Thanks,
Kevin Newman

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