Any success with FM7 Advanced and Lasso?

ibiubu · October 8, 2004

As an alternative to using FM Server Advanced and XML for custom web publishing, has anyone actually implemented using FM Server 7 Advanced and Lasso for serving up web pages?

Plenty of people saying it is possible. But it would be nice to hear from someone that has actually implemented it.

LR

Zero Tolerence · October 8, 2004

Well, I haven't implemented it yet, right now I'm still testing, but everything is going great for me. Other than the annoyance I had while trying to set lasso up.

Since I got lasso admin set up correctly, everything has been running smooth. It intergrates quite nicely with Dreamweaver 2k4 MX also. I haven't tried Adobe golive, I will probably be testing that monday. But so far, on all accounts things seem to be running smoothly.

To give them credit, lasso has done a really nice job with their new coding. They even have a database where you can type in a tag, and view examples of it, and get an explanation of what it is for, great stuff.

I did have a few problems when installing lasso, that could have had something to do with the fact that I'm using an evaluation copy, but after my inital log in to the admin console, it would never let me log back into it again. I found a work around that seems to be working now. *Crosses fingers*

ibiubu · October 11, 2004

Since you are testing it, can I ask you a LDML format question about how to format a URL?

I understand a standard URL using CDML:

h**p://xxx.xxx.xxx/FMPro?-db=files.fp5&-Lay=main&-format=redirectactive.html

&-Error=inactive.html&-RecID=32846&Login=donut&-find

I am trying to learn the use of LDML? Here is what I think I understand for formatting a LDML url:

h**p://xxx.xxxx.xxx/web/results.lasso?-Database=Respondents&-Table=Web&-

ResponseAnyError=error.lasso&-KeyValue=34873&-Show

Is that even close to being correct? It seems to be working, but I think something is wrong with my -Response page because it keeps coming up empty. I think that maybe I don't quite get the differences in LDML from CDML. My -Response page I am using to test my LDML has one simple thing on it:

[Field: 'Name']

But when I use the LDML URL above, my -response page (results.lasso) comes up blank. I would expect [Field: 'Name'] to contain the contents of the field from FM, but it is empty...contains nothing.

Can you give me some pointers to get me pointed in the correct direction?

LR

aleckxyz · October 12, 2004

Post deleted by aleckxyz

David B. P. · October 12, 2004

We're testing now with Lasso 7.1.1 and FMSA 7. It serves fast, even on our slow test server. However, we do have a reoccuring problem where lasso is still working and appears fine, but FMSA stops responding. The pages will load and all lasso functions work, but the all data that comes from FMSA is blank.

Zero Tolerence · October 13, 2004

It seems to me man, that your using the Get method instead of the post. In my opinion, it is a bad practice to do this, because all the information is sent through the url.

For instance, here is a valid Lasso command, which starts at a "home page" and ends in a "problems page"

<HTML>

<Body>

</form>

</HTML>

That first page, is just a simple form page with a field for someone to insert their first name into a search field. The second page looks something like this, it will actually be the "lasso" page.

[inline -Search

-Username= 'blah'

-Password= 'blah'

-Database= 'DBName'

-Table= 'TableName'

-Keyfield= ''

'First_Name'= (Action_Param: "First_Name")]

**Here is where you actually display your data.

[Records]

<b>First_Name:</b> [Field: 'First_Name']<br>

[/Records]

[/inline]

<body>

</body>

</html>

So basically, a Lasso command is build into the page, not into the URL. My url for the second page is simply www.domain.com/Problems.lasso

A small Breakdown of the Lasso code above for you

[inline -Search *Specify what you want the function to do, remeber you must start lasso commands with [inline

-Username= 'blah' **Set the Username

-Password= 'blah' **Set the Password

-Database= 'DBName' **Set the DB Name

-Table= 'TableName' *Set the table name(Kind of tricky, with a FM7 DB, this actually sets the layout name,(use this for Related fields))

-Keyfield= '' * I leave this alone, if you have an ID Field, I believe this is where it goes.

'First_Name'= (Action_Param: "First_Name")] *Action_Param pulls the info from the form.

**Here is where you actually display your data.

[Records]

<b>First_Name:</b> [Field: 'First_Name']<br>**This displays the first names that were found.

[/Records]

[/inline]

David B. P. · October 14, 2004

We fixed our problem with data not populating. It was a configuration problem, and Omnipilot walked us through fixing it over the phone. Since then all has been well. I'm still shocked by the speed compared to Unlimited 6 and WSC, everything is instantaneous now with Lasso and FMSA.

Xas · October 17, 2004

what was your config problem??

ibiubu · October 27, 2004

Well so far my experiance with lasso and FMSA has been a disaster. I started converting my existing CDML files over to Lasso using FM6. That seemed to work ok, although after using the LDML conversion tool there was a LOT of hand coding. The conversion tool does not do a very good job. Anyway, I was able to get everything running just fine in FM6.

Now using it with FMSA...horrible so far. In fact, as of yet I can not get Lasso to communicate with FMSA correctly. Lasso tech support had me capture the proccess in terminal as Lasso tried to load a FMSA file. The XML translation over to Lasso was ALL messed up. The two just were not communicating.

As of now, Lasso is looking at it. They say they have seen it before, which tells me that Lasso still has not qite perfected communicating with FMSA through the XML interface yet.

Larry

October 28, 2004

Just as I thought. There has been a dearth of postings with people using LASSO on this board so I kind of figured that it might be another urban software myth. One question on FMP6 conversion. Did you have to rename your files from filename.html to filename.lasso to get Lasso to process them properly? Also, did you have to convert all of your URL FMP? commands to [iNLINE] statements? I can't seem to get any conversions to work at all unless I use [iNLINE commands]. Tech support (@ LASSO) told me this funny one. I called with a question and they said they weren't that well-versed in LASSO and FMP - so they suggested I call back when the VP was in the office - but unfortunately he was out of town!! Amazing crap.

Xas · October 28, 2004

By the way - that's my reply as Anon above. Did you try the XML/XSLT converter supplied by FMP with your old CDML files?

ibiubu · October 31, 2004

Update with my Lasso experience so far. I have got my first hand full of old CDML pages converted over and working with Lasso and FMSA. I am not too hip on trying to use XML. I might give their converter a try, but my pages rely HEAVILY on design. Have spent a lot of time in HTML editors getting the layouts just right. Style sheets are probably just not going to cut it.

All my files had to use .lasso instead of .html.

So far it is looking like the URL stuff is going to have to use responding .lasso pages with Inline code. After you do your first couple of pages, this is not to bad. Basically just adjusting your URL and your old CDML pages a bit.

One BIG problem I am running into. Lasso does a HORRIBLE job of serving up images contained in FM container fields. Old CDML code that was as simple as [FMP-IMG:fieldname] becomes a very lengthy and complicated process in Lasso. I have spent about an entire week on this, and am just BARELY starting to get a grasp on the concepts behind making it work. All the rest of the LDML code seems to be fairly close to CDML.

Setting up Lasso itself can be a bit daunting. Because it is much more robust that the plain built-in web settings we were used to in web companion for FM6, it can be overwhelming. The price of having more security settings, control over what layouts show and don't show, what fields show and don't show, much more control over passwords, all comes at the price of also having to learn A LOT MORE settings and how to set them.

Another thing, since you can set password and group privledges in Lasso, and you can set them in FM7 as well, you have to be very careful that they are set up the same in both, otherwise Lasso will not communicate with your FMSA files correctly (the cause of my earlier troubles getting FMSA and Lasso to communicate properly). Lasso has a PDF document on their web site called FMSA Quick Start.pdf. Follow this TO THE LETTER when setting up FMSA and Lasso.

Larry

Xas · November 13, 2004

So - if I create a user and group in Lasso - it has to exist in Filepooper too? That's creepy. Something I would expect from the FilepooperPro people! I have also notice another thing, Lasso has a database browser that shows if you can read the served databases. It works great on my small files with 5-10 thousand records. But if I try to read one with 40 thousand or 2.8 million records, it does not return any records. Are you saying this could be a password problem?

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