[mapserver-users] Database Access Without JOIN in MS ver3.5

[Tom Cadman]

Could some one help me. Apparently the JOIN function is not included in the CGI version of MapServer 3.5 (can't use MapScript). I have shape files with only a few attribute data fields in them so I've had tor link to another .dbf file to bring additional attribute data during queries. Is there any way that I can use mapserver to display QUERYMAP images using the shape file .dbf and at the same time display additional data from another .dbf, inspite of the lack of the JOIN function in MapServer 3.5.

That is, when I click on the map to activate a query, how can I send the query parameters in the URL string that the Mapserver CGI needs to display the QUERYMAP results and at the same time access and find the corresponding data in my external .dbf file (without a JOIN to the shape file dbf) and display it with the QUERYMAP image results on the same page.      

Hope I'm making sense.  I'm not sure how I can access and link the spatial & attribute data in contained in the shape file's  .dbf  and to another .dbf to retrieve data in it, without the JOIN function, through a URL string call to the Mapserver CGI program. Unfortunaetly, adding the additional attribute data to the shape file's  .dbf  is not an option.

Thanks

Tom Cadman
Planning Department
Regional Municipality of Durham
Whitby, Ontario
Canada