2 Web Forms/2 Databases: Communication?

[Keith M. Davie]

The problems with running a script which is handled by a single-threaded engine in the multi-user environment of the web is fraught with problems and has been widely discussed on this forum. You should research this forum to gain some insight. I still stand by my claims regarding this matter.

[Anatoli]

Token is man best friend!

[MartinGibbs]

Hello, I'm fairly new to FMPro and the DB world in general--a "green", fresh-out-of-college individual with little experience but much to learn and do.

anywho. I have two FM Dbs. I display info from one DB onto a web form (this works great). However, I put a button on the web form which will launch another browser window, displaying the second web form.

In that web form, I want do display the record from the 2nd DB, WHERE the 2nd DB's primary key matches the 1st DB's primary key.

I've been doing some reading and am wondering:

should I pass the RecordID from the 1st DB to the 2nd form as a -Token?

Or should I run a script?

Any ideas? Examples? Bouts of laughter from the experienced ones who find this too easy?

[MartinGibbs]

okay...

so, from the first pages's <form> tags, I define the token. Then in the second page, I set the field(s)/textboxes, to that token's value?

[Anatoli]

Token is just variable, which can be set, recalled, changed, used... Just small warning: Tokens are not stored in browsers and you must carry them in all links. Not a big deal, just copy paste.

[Vaughan]

Are you using instant or custom web publishing?

[MartinGibbs]

I'm doing it all custom....

[Vaughan]

In order to find a record in the second database, perform a find for the matching key -- assuming there is one.

One of the things that makes it challenging is that you have not stated what the relationship is between the two databases: are they related in some way? If they are related, then perform a find for the matching keys. If they aren't, then it's a bugger of a task.

[MartinGibbs]

Yes, they are related. In fact, they are almost identical. I just set a relationship between the databases on a certain field. Will try that...

[Vaughan]

If they are almost identical, why have separate databases?

[MartinGibbs]

That's something the higher powers wanted.

A user submits a form, the record updates the "change" database. Then we access that data using another form. If we like the "change", we submit the form, creating a permanent record in the original database (or, rather, overwriting an older record with new info.)

Thus, they need to grab info. from both databases where the "category id" across both is the same....

And do it from the web via forms....

[MartinGibbs]

So, if I set a -Token=[FMP-CurrentRecID] in the <input type="hidden"> part of the first page...

then I link over to the second one using the second DB in the link, and -Token=[FMP-CurrentRecID], will that bring over the data to the second page?

[Vaughan]

The RecordID's will not be the same in both databases. No, perform a find for an identifying field value. I don't see why you'd *have* to use Tokens for this, unless you want to carry the value across a few pages before using it.