[Mapserver-users] Yet another beginner

[Lowell Filak]

For question #1:
There may not be a manual for that but there are samples in the wiki:
http://mapserver.gis.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wiki.pl?PerlMapScriptExamples35
There is even a sample of plotting earthquakes.
It reads a text file as opposed to a DBI connection but it's a start.
There is also a sample that uses a DBI fashion connection to XBase where the only difference in your case should be the DBD used.

For question #2:
Mapscript is actually a Perl module so you can directly access the supported mapserver objects & methods within perl.
How:
Step 1:
See the Perl Mapscript install notes:
http://mapserver.gis.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wiki.pl?PerlMapScriptBuild35
Step 2:
Include mapscript in your Perl script:
"use mapscript;".
You don't actually use the mapserv executable at all.
You could if you really wanted to via the "system" call and constructing the appropriate "get" string but using Mapscript is a much better choice.

HTH
Lowell F.

The following message was sent by Agneta Schick <schick at sdac.hannover.bgr.de> on Mon, 9 Dec 2002 17:10:36 +0100 (MET).

> Hello,
> 
> Environment: SunSolaris8, Ingres RDBMS, Apache, MapServer3.6, Perl, DBI
> 
> Goal: start MapServer from an application, and allow db queries
> 
> Experience: I've installed the Mapserver, got the Itasca demo running,
> 	some of Tutorial35 and my own map (raster).
> 	Next step: I want to add symbols for earthquakes 
> 	(geographical coordinates). These are stored in our DB. 
> 
> >From the Mapserver homepage:
> "For example, using Perl's DBI module it is possible to integrate data from just 
> about any database vendor (eg. Oracle, Sybase, MySQL) with traditional GIS data 
> in a single map graphics or web page."
> Question 1: >>>HOW?<<<<  Just tell me which manual to read!
> 
> Question 2: is it possible to start the Mapserver from a Perl application? How?
> 
> I'm asking these questions at an early stage to be sure the Mapserver is the
> right tool for us. 
> 
> Thank you,
> Agneta Schick
> 
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>     Agneta Schick
>     
>     Bundesanstalt fuer Geowissenschaften und Rohstoffe
>     Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources
>     Stilleweg 2
>     D- 30655 Hannover                   Tel.: +49 511 643 3136
>     GERMANY                             FAX.: +49 511 643 3663
> 
>     schick at sdac.hannover.bgr.de         http://www.seismologie.bgr.de
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> 
> 
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