Greetings:
I'm not really a beginner in perl. I've been at it for six years. My
major application has been a little colon delimited database
application to manage information at our county fair.
We started out using an old DOS database. We could do all
the main functions with it as follows:
1) Data Entry of class numbers, exhibitor, class name and claim
number
2) The database "looked up" the class name from the class
number (file).
3) We sorted the data by class number and printed "Judging
Sheets" with page breaks on "Class Number".
4) The records were updated as the completed judging sheets
were completed (at the computer).
5) Mail labels were printed with class name, class number, claim
number, Exhibitor Name, placing and premium amount earned.
6) Finally, the database is resorted (indexed) by Exhibitor Name
and summary sheets were printed with a listing of all his/her
entries and premiums which were totaled.
Using STDIN/STDOUT, perl allowed us to let the computer:
1) generate the claim numbers (autonumber),
2) "remember" the Exhibitor's Name for each of his/her items
(between items),
3) Output a mail label with the Exhibitor's Name, Item Description
and claim number, and attach it to the item,
4) Print a summary page(on another printer) for each Exhibitor and
appends the record to a colon delimited data file.
5) Like the DOS database application it sorts the data by the class
number and prints the judging sheets with page breaks by class
number.
6) When the judging sheets come back completed, the data file is
updated one record at a time (new fields are added). The perl script
looked up the record using the claim number, modified the record
and printed a mail label with the Exhibitor's information on it to be
affixed to the ribbon matching the claim number.
7) Another perl script sorted the records by Exhibitor's Name and
printed a summary of his/her entries and winnings.
8) The last perl script sorted the records by class and totaled the
premiums paid by class.
Amazingly, it all worked with STDIN/STDOUT ! I first used perl
4 on Linux. Then, I used it on Windows 95 and Windows NT using
three printers and two PC's.
Naturally I wanted to use CGI scripts (perl cgi) and forms to
enter the data. I couldn't get the Windows-based Apache web
server to run my perl scripts (CGI). I wanted other Windows users
to be able to use the fair management scripts without having to use
the command-line input. I would use Linux, but most of them (other
fair managers) don’t have it and don’t know how to use it.
I know that there were web servers that were written in perl and
I know that you can write perl servers that can run perl scripts and
talk to the web browser over a given port. It needs to present a
form to the web browser user, accepts the string from the form,
parses the string for the input, outputs the record to the appropriate
devices and sends the form back to the browser with the Exhibitor
Name in the name space. Are there any perl modules available
that can help me with this? I really don’t want to configure an
Apache web server for hundreds of computers ( even if I could :-( ).
The application really only needs an interface. I’ve looked at tk and
Visual Basic but I’m not ready to do that yet. The application also
needs to be simple to install and operate on a Windows computer
network. Is this hopeless?
Raymond Thompson
-------------------
Raymond Thompson
Agent for Agriculture and Natural Resources
Russell County Cooperative Extension
2340 S. Hwy. 127
Russell Springs, KY 42642
(270) 866-4477
Fax: (270) 866-8645
Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
