Searching a Database

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Searching a Database

• Creating a Form for Users to Search a Database

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OverviewSearching a Database

• To enable users to search a databse, you begin by
  creating a form that prompts users for the
  field(s) to be searched.
• You make the forms action be a dynamic Web page,
  such as an ASP.
• On the ASP page, you create a RecordSet that uses
  the search forms data as input thus, the
  Recordset contains the search results.
• As a final touch, you display the RecordSet
  onscreen, thereby showing the user the search
  results.

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PrerequisitesDefining a Database

• These instructions assume that you have already
  defined a data source for this Web site.
• The data source contains the data table that your
  search form will search.
• If you have not defined the data source, do so
  following the instructions provided earlier in
  the lesson on data driven Webs.

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Step OneCreate the Search Page

• Use Dreamweaver to open the site in which you
  want to create the login form.
• Pull down the File menu and choose New to bring
  up the New Document dialog.
• Select the Dynamic Page category to make the
  Dynamic Page options appear.
• Select ASP JavaScript and click the Create
  button the new page appears.
• Pull down the File menu, choose Save, and save
  the file in your sites local root folder in
  this example, make the filename be SearchForm.asp.

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Step TwoPut a Search Form on the Search Page

• Pull down the menu at the left edge of the
  toolbar and choose forms the form tools appear
  on the toolbar
• Use the Form tools to insert a form and create a
  search field make the name of the field match
  the name of the corresponding data field. If you
  are creating a form to search the LastName column
  of the Users table, for example, make the search
  fields name be LastName.
• Insert a label to identify the search field
  onscreen. Type any instructions you want the user
  to see.
• Insert a submit button and make its text be
  Search.
• Make the forms action be the dynamic Web page
  that will conduct the search and display the
  results in this example, make the action be
  SearchResults.asp.
• Use Dreamweaver to format the form as you wish,
  then save the file.

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Step ThreeCreate the Results Page

• Pull down the File menu and choose New to bring
  up the New Document dialog.
• Select the Dynamic Page category to make the
  Dynamic Page options appear.
• Select ASP JavaScript and click the Create
  button the new page appears.
• Pull down the File menu, choose Save, and save
  the file in your sites local root folder in
  this example, make the filename be
  SearchResults.asp.

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Step FourCreate a Recordset of the Search Results

• While you are on the SearchResults.asp page,
  click the Bindings tab of the Application window,
  or pull down the Window menu and choose Bindings.
• Click the plus sign button and choose recordset
  to make the recordset dialog appear.
• Customize the Name field to suit your
  application. In this example, make the Name field
  say SearchResults.
• Choose the connection that contains the table.
• Select the data table containing all of the data.
• Select the data fields you want displayed in the
  search results in this example, choose all the
  data fields.

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Step Four (continued)Create a Recordset of the
Search Results

• Pull down the Filter field and choose the name of
  the data column being searched. In this example,
  choose LastName

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Step Four (completed)Create a Recordset of the
Search Results

• Pull down the field under the Filter field and
  set it to Form Variable this makes the search
  pick up data from the incoming form.
• Make the form variables name be the name of the
  field on your form. In this example, the field
  is LastName
• Click the Test button to test your search setup.
• Click OK to close the Recordset dialog.

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Step FiveDisplay the Recordset of Search Results

• Click to position the cursor at the spot on the
  page where you want to display the data.
• Pull down the menu at the left edge of the
  toolbar and choose Application the Application
  tools appear on the toolbar

• In the Application toolbar, click the Dynamic
  Table tool to make the Dynamic Table dialog
  appear.

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Step Five (continued)Display the Recordset of
Search Results

• Fill out the Dynamic Table Dialog to make it
  display the Recordset containing your search
  results, then click OK

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Step SixPublish and Test the Pages

• Save and publish to your Web site the
  SearchResults.asp page.
• In Dreamweaver, click to position your cursor
  anywhere on the SearchForm.asp page, then press
  F12 to publish and test it.
• When the Search form appears in your browser,
  fill out the form and click the Search button.

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Step SevenSecure the Pages

• Troubleshoot any problems until you get the
  search working correctly.
• If the search form and the search results are to
  be viewed only by authorized users, pull down the
  Application toolbars User Authentication menu
  and choose Restrict Access to Page. If you have
  not yet set up a Login procedure, see the lesson
  on the Login Process.