Developing Database-resident Help for Customizable Web-based Applications

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Developing Database-resident Help for
Customizable Web-based Applications
Scott DeLoach
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Overview

• Using a database
• Storing topics in a database
• Opening help topics from an application
• Reading the help from the database
• Formatting the help
• Customizing help topics
• Hiding links based on the user's login
• Modifying topics on the fly
• Allowing users to modify and add topics
• Recommendations and sample system

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Sample application
sample_login.htm
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Sample application
page-level help
field-level help
sample_home.htm
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Storing topics in a database

• "HlpText" is used to store default topics.
• "HlpTextCustom" is used to store modified topics.

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Opening help topics
ASP
lta href"" onClick"openFieldHelp('ProjectNumber'
)"gtltimg src"fieldhelp.gif" width"18"
height"18" border"0"gt lt/agt ltscriptgt function
openFieldHelp(topic) window.open('fieldhelp.asp?
' topic,'helpwin','toolbar0, ?
location0,directories0,status0,menubar0,scroll
bars1, ? resizable0,width600,height400') lt
/scriptgt
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Turning HTML files into ASP files
ASP
lt_at_ LanguageVBScript gt lt Option Explicit
gt lt!--include file"adovbs.inc"
--gt lthtmlgt ltheadgt lt/headgt ltbodygt
Hello! lt/bodygt lt/htmlgt
defines VBScript constants that make code easier
to read
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Opening the database
ASP
Dim objConn Set objConn Server.CreateObject("ADO
DB.Connection") objConn.Open "DRIVERMicrosoft
Access Driver (.mdb) DBQ"
Server.MapPath("\db\fieldhelp.mdb") Dim
objRS Set objRS Server.CreateObject("ADODB.Recor
dset") objRS.Open "Tutorial", objConn, , ,
adCmdTable
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Finding and formatting the help
ASP
Do While Not objRS.EOF If Request.QueryString
objRS("FieldID") Then If objRS("HlpTextCustom")
ltgt "" Then Response.Write "ltbgt"
objRS("FieldLabel") "lt/bgtltbrgt"
objRS("HlpTextCustom") Else Response.Write
"ltbgt" objRS("FieldLabel") "lt/bgtltbrgt "
objRS("HlpText") End If End If objRS.MoveNext Loop
If Request.QueryString objRS("FieldID") Then
If objRS("HlpTextCustom") ltgt "" Then
HlpTextCustom
HlpText
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Opening help topics
JavaScript
lta href"" onClick"openFieldHelp('ProjectNumber'
)"gtltimg src"fieldhelp.gif" width"18"
height"18" border"0"gt lt/agt ltscriptgt function
openFieldHelp(topic) window.open('fieldhelp.htm?
' topic,'helpwin','toolbar0, ?
location0,directories0,status0,menubar0,scroll
bars1, ? resizable0,width600,height400') lt
/scriptgt
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Creating a hidden frame (fieldhelp.htm)
JavaScript
ltframeset rows"100," rows""
frameborder"no"gt ltframe src"fieldhelptopic.htm"
name"help"gt ltframe src"fieldhelp.txt"
name"db"gt lt/framesetgt fieldhelp.txt
(comma-delimited version of database) "ProjectNumb
er","Project Number","The number
.","ltbgtNotelt/bgt This number is automatically
generated." "Description","Description","A brief
.", "StartDate","Start Date","When the project
needs to begin.", "CompletionDate","Completion
Date","When the project should end.", .
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Finding and formatting the help
JavaScript
var topic location.search.substring(1) functio
n getTopic() var allTopics db.document.body.in
nerHTML allTopics allTopics.split("\"") for
(var i0 i lt allTopics.length i) if
(allTopicsi topic) help.document.body.inner
HTML "lth1gt" allTopicsi2 "lt/h1gt" "ltpgt"
allTopicsi4 "lt/pgt" break
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Hiding links based on the users login
hide this link if the user is not logged in as
admin
sample_help.htm
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Hiding links based on the users login
ASP

• Code to hide links(in sample_help.asp)
• lt
• If Session("security") "admin" Then
• Response.Write lta href 'link.htmgtCustomizing
  the applicationlt/agtltbrgt"
• End If
• gt

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Hiding links based on the user's login
JavaScript

• Code to write the cookie (in sample_login.htm)
• var today new Date()
• var expires new Date(today.getTime() (60
  86400000))
• function set()
• var cookieID document.form.name.value
• Set_Cookie("security",cookieID,expires)
• function Set_Cookie(name,value,expires)
• document.cookie name "" value "" "
  path/" ((expiresnull) ? "" " expires"
  expires.toGMTString())
• code for the Submit buttonltinput
  type"button" name"submit" value"Submit"
  onClick"set()"gt

Set_Cookie("security",cookieID,expires)
document.cookie
onClick"set()"
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Hiding links based on the user's login
JavaScript

• Code to tag links(in sample_help.htm)
• lta href"javascriptvoid()" id"admin1"gtCustomizin
  g the applicationlt/agt

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Hiding links based on the user's login
JavaScript

• Code to hide links (in sample_help.htm)
• ltscriptgt
• var securityunescape(document.cookie)
• if (security.indexOf('admin') -1)
• for (var i0 i lt document.links.length i)
• if (document.linksi.id.indexOf("admin") ! -1)
  document.linksi.innerText ""
• lt/scriptgt

var securityunescape(document.cookie)
document.linksi.innerText ""
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Modifying topics on the fly
sample_home.asp
field names need to match between application and
help
sample_help.asp
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Modifying topics on the fly
ASP

• Do While Not objRS.EOF
• Response.Write "ltfont face'Arial'gtltbgt"
  objRS("FieldLabel") "lt/bgtltbrgt"
• If objRS("HlpTextCustom") ltgt "" Then
• Response.Write objRS("HlpTextCustom")
  "lt/fontgtlt/pgt"
• Else
• If objRS("HlpText") ltgt "" Then
• Response.Write objRS("HlpText") "lt/fontgtlt/pgt"
• Else
• Response.Write "No Help has been written for
  this field.
• lt/fontgtlt/pgt"
• End If
• End If
• objRS.MoveNext
• Loop

objRS("FieldLabel")
objRS("HlpTextCustom")
objRS("HlpText")
No Help has been written for this field.
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Modifying topics on the fly
JavaScript

• Code to tag application elements(in
  sample_home.htm)
• ltspan id"projectnumber"gtProject Numberlt/spangt
• ltinput type"text" name"name_projectnumber"gt

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Modifying topics on the fly
JavaScript

• Code to read from application and modify Help
  (in sample_help.htm)
• var projectnumber "The " (opener.document.all.
  projectnumber.innerText).toLowerCase() "
  ....lt/fontgtlt/pgt"
• // repeat above for each field on page
• var form opener.document.forms0
• for (i 0 i lt form.elements.length-1 i)
• var elemspan (form.elementsi.name).substr(5)
• document.write("ltpgtltfont face'Arial, Helvetica,
  sans-serif'gtltbgt" opener.document.allelemspan.i
  nnerText "lt/bgtltbrgt")
• document.write(eval(elemspan))

(opener.document.all.projectnumber.innerText).toLo
werCase()
chops off name_
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Allowing users to modify/add topics
fieldhelp.asp
fieldhelp_edit.asp
administrators see the Edit button, which they
can use to add or change the field help topics.
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Allowing users to modify/add topics
ASP

• Code to show the Edit button (in fieldhelp.asp)
• If Session("security") "admin" Then
• Response.Write "ltform name'form' method'post'
  action'fieldhelpedit.asp?" Request.QueryString
  "'gtltinput type'submit' name'submit'
  value'Edit'gtlt/formgt"

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Allowing users to modify/add topics
ASP

• Code to display the Edit form (1 of 2)(in
  fieldhelpedit.asp)
• Do While Not objRS.EOF
• If Request.QueryString objRS("FieldID") Then
• Response.Write "ltbgt" objRS("FieldLabel")
  "lt/bgtltbrgt"
• Response.Write "ltform method'post'
  action'fieldhelpupdate.asp?"
  Request.QueryString "'gt"
• If objRS("HlpTextCustom") ltgt "" Then
• Response.Write "lttextarea name'helptext'
  cols'60' rows'5'gt" objRS("HlpTextCustom")
  "lt/textareagt"
• Else
• Response.Write "lttextarea name'helptext'
  cols'60' rows'5'gt" objRS("HlpText")
  "lt/textareagt"
• End If

objRS("HlpTextCustom")
objRS("HlpText")
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Allowing users to modify/add topics
ASP

• Code to display the Edit form (2 of 2)(in
  fieldhelpedit.asp)
• Response.Write "ltpgtltinput type'submit'
  name'submit' value'Edit'gt lt/formgt"
• End If
• objRS.MoveNext
• Loop

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Allowing users to modify/add topics
ASP

• Code to update the help(in fieldhelpupdate.asp)
• Do While Not objRS.EOF
• If Request.QueryString objRS("FieldID") Then
• If Request.Form("helptext") ltgt "" Then
• objRS("HlpTextCustom") Request.Form("helptext"
  )
• objRS.Update
• End If
• End If
• objRS.MoveNext
• Loop

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Recommended JavaScript books

• JavaScript Visual Quickstart GuideTom Negrino
  and Dori Smith
• Designing with JavaScriptNick Heinle and Bill
  Peña
• JavaScript BibleDanny Goodman

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Recommended VBScript and ASP books

• Teach Yourself Active Server Pages in 21
  DaysScott Mitchell and James Atkinson
• VBScript in a NutshellMatt Childs, Paul Lomax,
  Ron Petrusha

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Viewing and downloading the sample files

• ASP sample files (zipped and live
  demo)http//www3.brinkster.com/userfirst/index.ht
  ml(Brinkster is a free ASP hosting site, so it
  goes down from time to time.)Presentationwww.us
  erfirst.net/present.html
• Other Demoswww.userfirst.net/tips1.html

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Questions?

• Feel free to e-mail me. Or, catch me later at the
  conference!
• Scott DeLoach
• Founding Partner, User First Services, Inc.
• Certified RoboHELP Instructor and Consultant
• CIW Master Designer404.520.0003
• scott_at_userfirst.net