Web Page Databases At Your Service

By Diana Luckevich and Michael Luckevich.

Web page databases provide a simple, inexpensive and effective tool for query and reporting of data on a web page. These databases offer an alternative to client/server databases and HTML lists or tables. A web page database is an interactive system used to search, sort and display records. These systems provide small screen footprints, fast response time and a technique to reduce web server processing.

• The Benefits: Why should a webmaster use a web page database?
• Screen Shot and Demonstration
• How To Use One: How should a webmaster incorporate a web page database into a web page?
• Present Limits: What are the current limitations of a web page database?
• Data Types: What types of data can be put into a web page database?
• Processing Functionality: What processing functionality can you expect in a web page database?
• Where to Get Them: Where can a webmaster get a web page database?

What is a web page database?

A web page database is an interactive tool that is embedded in an HTML document. It turns a static list of data into a searchable, sortable and scrollable window of information within a web page. A simple web page database is added to an HTML document just like an image or a table. It allows the web page designer to quickly provide database capabilities.

Web page databases consist of a Java (TM) applet and its data. The applet is embedded in the HTML document with the applet HTML tag. The data is supplied to the applet either as records in a sequential file stored on the server or as parameters to the applet in the calling HTML document. No CGI or PERL programming is required, however specialized interfaces may be developed to enable a web page database to enhance a server database.

When an HTML document is presented to a visitor the applet is automatically downloaded into the client computer's cache. When the download is complete the browser compiles the applet and executes it on the client computer. The Java applet reads the data file from the web server into the client computer's memory and builds all the necessary index structures to support query functions. The web visitor uses the web page database on their desktop machine to search and browse through the available information. In fact the user can actually drop his or her Internet connection and continue to utilize the web page database.

Web page designers can easily design database screens to accommodate any type of data and to visually compliment the web page. Colors, fonts, field sizes and search criteria can be tailored for each specific user interface. Web page databases feature typical window components like drop down boxes, check boxes, radio buttons, scrollable text areas and lists. These databases can display the available search criteria for locating records in the database and offer scrollable windows to quickly scan all the records.

A web page database is not a search engine. It does not look at data in other HTML pages. It searches only the data records that are supplied to its database as specified in the HTML document.