Is this even possible?

S

Shayughul

n00b
Joined
Jun 28, 2004
Messages
60
Enviroment:
Standard Windows XP workstation in a Corp enviroment so no additional software can be installed. I have IE and Firefox on the machine.

Problem:
I would like to be able to have a simple html form that saves info locally or to a shared network drive. Using a form to save a 19 digit number from a hand scanner and the time that is was scanned in. I would like to be able to display the list of numbers scanned and then have a seperate page to remove from the list. Basically a check in/check out system.

What I know:
I know I could do this extremely simply with any type of server side prossesing like PHP or ASP but that is not available to me. I have messed around with Javascript but it has no capacity to save info locally that I know of. I have toyed with the use of cookies but can't for the life of me figure out how to make it handle larger amounts of data along with displaying the data.

Is there anything else that you guys can think of that I am missing? Thanks for any help at all.
 
you could use JS to write to/from a text file instead of using cookies. However, I'm not sure what kinds of permission issues you might encounter with this approach.
 
If you want to submit the form you'll need some kinda server side scripting to handle the storage of info.
 
Depends how much you want to rig it. Could set cookies to never expire in the browser and use them to store info, thats really the only way though. Best way is to use .NET or something. C# is really easy.
 
Standard HTML file with JavaScript to read/write to a text file... pretty simple...

Wouldn't need any network permissions if you're just executing a html file on your local system and using Firefox to view it locally. Your other option could be to use VB and write the data into Excel... that might be (more) practical than a text file.

Is there a reason why you're going down the pseudo-web based route? I would just make an access database. All you'd need to use is a single form with a field for the scanned data. A lot of scanners have an option for a return at the end of the string, so you could even have it submit the form after it's scanned and reset the form ready for the next submission. Then you could have a return form to select the applicable entry and return it.

The plus to the access method is reportability. I wouldn't store on issue and delete on return, but rather store a state or a "type" for the transaction. That way your access database will contain a history of the transactions. Useful for when stupid people come back and claim you didn't actually issue them something.

So yes, in answer to your question it's possible. The HTML/JavaScript/Text file method is quite simple. I'm just not sure I'd do it that way.
 
It sounds like you might need to explain why you're trying to jump through all these hoops to write what would otherwise sound like a perfectly legitimate application in such a restricted environment.

If you need to get something accomplished and your sysadmin's power-tripping is preventing you from getting anything done, you might be forced to go over their head (assuming you've already tried driectly asking them).
 
ameoba said:
It sounds like you might need to explain why you're trying to jump through all these hoops to write what would otherwise sound like a perfectly legitimate application in such a restricted environment.

If you need to get something accomplished and your sysadmin's power-tripping is preventing you from getting anything done, you might be forced to go over their head (assuming you've already tried driectly asking them).
Click to expand...

I actually see where he's coming from. I work for a very big company, not in an IT department, and trying to get approval, assistance or funding for projects like this is near impossible. A lot of times you end up jumping through hoops or making a more round-about process work, or accept that you're going to have to go to 100 meetings and wait months for IT to do what you ask. Our application development department drags everything out it's absolutely insane. More than once I've have to make VB apps using files as storage mediums because I simply just don't have access to a real database.

@Shayughul: If you'd like to PM me, I might be able to point you in some other (commercial) directions. I'm not sure of your application, but I was part of a proposal team that had to implement a solution for issuing and returning tools from a production tool crib, and some of the information may be useful to you.
 
webdes03 said:
I actually see where he's coming from. I work for a very big company, not in an IT department, and trying to get approval, assistance or funding for projects like this is near impossible. A lot of times you end up jumping through hoops or making a more round-about process work, or accept that you're going to have to go to 100 meetings and wait months for IT to do what you ask. Our application development department drags everything out it's absolutely insane. More than once I've have to make VB apps using files as storage mediums because I simply just don't have access to a real database.
Click to expand...

i hear ya, where i work, putting anything but static HTML files on our public facing Internet site is a huge exercise in frustration, it literally takes months for any kind of server-side scripting code to work its way though the security and oversight process. I finally got them to officially allow me to use server-side includes, and even that took me almost a year of wrangling.
 
First let me say thanks for all the replies so far.

@webdes3: Honestly the reason that started with the web-based solution is that is what I know the most about. Albeit still not as much as most. VB for me would be alot like trying to figure out what Schrodingers Cat really means. The access database is not a bad idea and I might give that a try. I didn't realize that JS would allow writing to a local file. One of the guys I work with said you couldn't do that. That will teach me for listening to an engineer. You are also very correct about the hoops needing to be jumped thru to get anything done. I have learned where I work it is much simpler to just show up with a working tool and then ask to have it implemented.

@ameoba: Nothing shady happening here. I am just attempting to make the lives of myself and my co-workers simpler within the framework provided. My environment is managed by a third party so even if my local management would like to get this done the amount of bureaucratic tape that has to be gone thru is not worth it.

@all: if any of you guys have any decent web sites that can show me about JS and writing to a local file lemme know if you would please. I am going to start looking for myself. Again thanks for all the info so far.
 
Are you in a local administrator group, or a group that gives you the ability to execute programs? Do you have access to a USB port?

You might consider using XAMPP Lite from Apache Friends.
http://www.apachefriends.org/

You can set up a zero install, zero footprint, virtually zero config web server, mysql database that runs completely from a USB drive, giving you access to whatever you wanted to create (PHP, JS, etc).

I use it a lot for development stuff because when I stop the services and eject the stick there is nothing left behind and I can use the entire thing somewhere else for debugging or development.
 
Have you considered using Excel? I whipped up a pretty sweet app that I think will do exactly what you need. Your co-workers or whoever should be comfortable using excel too.

The way it works is, there are 3 worksheets within the workbook: All, Active, Inactive. You will enter your data into the "All" worksheet. Active and Inactive worksheets are populated from All and autofiltered respectively.

I've setup validation that lets you pick the status; each time you change it the timestamp is updated for that row. There is also vb code in the Active and Inactive worksheets to reapply the autofilter automatically. (credit goes to mr excel for both the timestamp and auto-update autofilter code)

I copied all the formulas down to 500 rows. Let me know how it works! I left some sample data in there so you can see how it works. All you need to do it delete it and you are good to go.

note: there are formulas in the cells for the active and inactive worksheets. if you overwrite any field in those worksheets directly, the app will break. I attempted to protect the worksheets but I got a debug error on the timestamp so i left them unprotected...just be careful :) Only columns A,B,C are editable in the All tab.


http://www.mediafire.com/?sharekey=e2df8176e1b984a0d2db6fb9a8902bda
 
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