WebRAD: Building Database Applications on the Web with Visual FoxPro and Web Connection [Paperback]

Harold Chattaway (Author), Randy Pearson (Author), Whil Hentzen (Author), Barbara Peisch (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 2002

A tutorial for novices and a reference for experienced users, featuring step-by-step guidelines for using Web Connection in a day-to-day manner as a developer, this book offers several development alternatives based on the user's style. Demonstrated are the building of two different applications, one easy and one more complex, and nearly two dozen trouble-shooting steps in case of problems. Also explained is the infrastructure of the Internet and, specifically, web applications. Once developers are comfortable building and deploying an application they are then shown how to take advantage of more complex framework features such as file-based versus COM configuration, extending the framework, data entry using object-oriented techniques, and asynchronous applications.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Web Connection is the top selling framework for developing database applications on the Web with Visual FoxPro, with over 5000 paid customers and untold thousands of shareware users. The help file, though, well, could use a bit of help, as it was written by the guy who developed Web Connection. Harold, Randy and Whil have developed over 50 Web Connection applications in a wide variety of industries, and have the in-depth knowledge of not just how it works, but how to use it in a day-to-day manner as a developer.

WebRAD starts the reader at the beginning, showing them how to install and configure Web Connection, offering several alternatives based on the developer's style and needs. Then it builds and deploys two different applications, one easy, one more complex, offers nearly two dozen trouble-shooting steps in case of problems, and finally explains the infrastructure of the Internet and, specifically, Web applications.

Once the reader is comfortable building and deploying an application, WebRAD covers how to take advantage of more complex framework features, such as File-based vs COM configuration, extending the framework, data entry using object oriented techniques, and asynchronous applications.

The book wraps up with two more trouble-shooting chapters and a 20 page primer on marketing your website. Available for download to purchasers of the book are a half dozen appendices that cover topics like configuring Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) with Web Connection, setting up multiple domains on a single Web Server, and the West Wind Web Monitor.

About the Author

Harold Chattaway is site architect for Bugcentral.com and Softwarelifecycle.com, subsidiaries of USDatacenters, Inc., a managed Internet data center. He also runs Web Connection training seminars and produced a training CD with narrated videos covering IIS, FTP, application development, and server configuration. He lives in Ashby, Massachusetts. Randy Pearson is a West Wind Web Connection application developer and a partner with Cycla Corporation, a company that provides management consulting, computer systems development, and technical support to government and industry clients. He is also the author of the public domain CodeBlock program. He lives in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Whil Hentzen is the president of Hentzenwerke Corporation, a software development firm specializing in strategic FoxPro-based applications. He is the author of several books including Rapid Application Development with FoxPro 2.6, and Programming Visual FoxPro 3.0. He is the editor of FoxTalk and has contributed articles to FoxPro Advisor, Cobb’s FoxPro Developer Journal, and DBMS. He has spoken at numerous conferences including Microsoft’s DevCon. He lives in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Product Details

• Paperback: 502 pages
• Publisher: Hentzenwerke Publishing (June 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1930919077
• ISBN-13: 978-1930919075
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,121,864 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #42 in Books > Computers & Technology > Microsoft > Web Publishing

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Thoughtful, meticulous coverage, July 4, 2002

By 

Michael D. Smith "Mike Smith" (Toronto, Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: WebRAD: Building Database Applications on the Web with Visual FoxPro and Web Connection (Paperback)

Web Connection is a difficult environment to work in particularly if you are new to working with a) a local server and b) a framework for interfacing the VFP language with HTML.

It took me almost a year to complete my first Web Connection project because I had to get most of my answers from the Web Connection forum from people like Randy Person.

Now there are real examples to follow and clear explanations of how each feature works.

Web Connection is a powerful framework for developing VFP applications for the Web. This book will make the learning curve so much better for users of the Web Connection framework.

Congratulations to Randy, Harold and Whil for their thoughtful, meticulous documentation to explain how to set up and use this wonderful product.

Mike Smith

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book is amazing, October 30, 2002

By 

D. Wanamaker (CA, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: WebRAD: Building Database Applications on the Web with Visual FoxPro and Web Connection (Paperback)

I purchased Web Connection from west-wind.com and was very excited about the possibilities, however I knew very little about how the web worked, and I made many mistakes.

I was truely amazed and very very pleased when I got my copy of WebRAD - this book is very complete and well thought out. It takes you step by step through creating a web application with WC and VFP, and even how to set up your web server properly. All the details and common errors are covered, as well as the best way to do things for different circumstances. I would have saved many days research if I had had this book from the beginning.

For example: when you set up a project in Web Connection, the wizards do many things for you automatically - this book tells you step by step how to set up these things properly (manually if you want to), so you know how _and_ why, and how to deploy your application to your production server. And there is so much more!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Up and Running In the First 4 Chapters!, July 17, 2002

By 

Mark E. McCasland (Hurst, TX USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: WebRAD: Building Database Applications on the Web with Visual FoxPro and Web Connection (Paperback)

This book is extremely timely for me. I have a WC web site for my business, and the SSL appendix alone is worth the price of the book. I really liked how the entire development process was summarized in the first 4 chapters so developers can get an immediate sense of accomplishment before they get into the details in the later chapters.

For chapters that had references to other resources, a complete summary of those resources was provided at the end of the chapters. This makes it quite convenient to find additional help without having to search through the chapters.

The chapters on troubleshooting are very well organized as well. One of these chapters categorizes common problems, then lists each symptom followed by a cause and solution.