What is SQml^TM-Web?

Agave's SQml^TM-Web is a Common Gateway Interface (CGI) program that processes database requests from a browser. SQml^TM-Web enables developers to easily build HTML source documents that access and publish information from SQL-based database systems (including Oracle, Informix, Sybase, and ODBC). It provides developers a simple way to include SQL queries in HTML source documents for the Web.

The SQml^TM-Web package provides the following tools essential for HTML-based SQL database queries:

• An SQml^TM processor supporting the full suite of SQml^TM elements and functions.
• A CGI parser capable of accepting both POST and GET operations, compatible with any Web server that supports standard CGI calls.

Although other tools exist for Internet database access, Agave's SQml^TM-Web stands out because its implementation of SQml^TM provides a simple, intuitive method for the complex task of accessing databases over the Internet. As with SQml^TM, SQml^TM-Web is a query language that combines SGML/HTML and SQL elements. Since the source code is valid SGML, it may be used in any HTML or SGML editor, or combined with other tools that use HTML/SGML.

With SQml^TM-Web, the source document and variables are passed as CGI parameters. SQml^TM-Web sends back to the client browser the processed document with the SQL query results included.

Database Publishing with SQml^TM-Web

SQml^TM provides a single file, single step process for database publication to either HTML or SGML compliant documents. SQml^TM offers a powerful alternative to the multi-step process commonly used today, which involves data translation, data conversion, database porting, and other complex tasks.

SQml^TM is much more intuitive than other products for Internet database access. Users with little or no formal programming experience can use and understand it because the entire source document is HTML.

SQml^TM-Web is especially well suited for electronic database publishing into HTML pages on the Web. Whether you are creating forms, online catalogs, user documentation, or another document that references a database, SQml^TM-Web simplifies your HTML development tasks. SQml^TM-Web can:

• Generate HTML from a database
• Dynamically generate forms
• Be combined with JAVASCRIPT to generate graphics and animation

SQml^TM-Web resides on the same machine as the Internet server, and must be on the same network as the database server. Some databases do not support network access, and may require that SQml^TM-Web be local on the Web server. An HTML page that uses SQml^TM-Web can gather information from multiple data sources, such as one or more tables and/or databases, or even flat ASCII files.

SQml^TM-Web Data Exchange

How does SQml^TM-Web work to access a local database from a Web browser? Following is a simple explanation of the data exchange process between a Web document that uses SQml^TM-Web and a database.

1. An end-user on a Web browser accesses a Web page that is linked to an SQml^TM-Web source document. For this example, we'll say the Web page is a form.
2. The end-user clicks on a link within the form to submit the data request. This executes the SQml^TM-Web referenced by the link, and passes the values from any Input fields to SQml^TM-Web.
3. The SQml^TM-Web sends the data request to the database, which processes the request and returns the results.
4. The SQml^TM-Web receives the returned data from the database, parses it into HTML format, and sends it to the Web browser for viewing.

Some Questions You May Have

If you are new to Web page development and are not familiar with SQL, you may have some questions at this point, such as

• What is CGI?
• What is SGML?
• What is HTML?
• What is SQL?

What is CGI?

CGI, or the Common Gateway Interface, provides a standard for scripting programs that function as interfaces between external programs and information servers. A CGI script is a program that runs on the same system as the Web server. It receives information that the Web browser sends to the Web server (such as input from a form), processes the information, and then sends a response to the browser. A CGI program is required to:

• Write to the standard output (such as an HTML document).
• Contain headers informing the Web server how to handle the script output.

CGI scripts are most commonly used for processing input from forms. Web forms consist of:

• HTML code for the form, which creates the layout displayed on the Web browser.
• A CGI script (running on the Web server), which processes the form contents and displays data sent in response to the Web browser.

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