[Mapserver-users] ASP, Java, mapscript and other fun stuff

[Ed McNierney]

Dean -

I think you'll find you can go quite a long way with an ASP page that
drives the CGI.  You can't quite do *everything* you can with MapScript,
but you can really do a lot.

The beauty of MapServer's HTML templates is that they can let you do a
lot of things without using any scripting language at all.  However, if
you DO use a scriping language they can confuse you, so don't dig in too
deep.  Think about using MapServer only with "mode=map" commands to
generate maps and use ASP to generate the parameters for those commands.
You can extend that model to queries, etc.

If you search the list archives for ASP and/or my name you'll bump into
a few lectures on the subject <g>.  And ask for help here on the list
when you get stuck!

	- Ed

Ed McNierney
President and Chief Mapmaker
TopoZone.com / Maps a la carte, Inc.
73 Princeton Street, Suite 305
North Chelmsford, MA  01863
Phone: (978) 251-4242  Fax: (978) 251-1396
ed at topozone.com


-----Original Message-----
From: Dean Taylor [mailto:dtaylor at karjeni.com.au] 
Sent: Thursday, July 17, 2003 9:46 PM
To: mapserver-users at lists.gis.umn.edu
Subject: Re: [Mapserver-users] ASP, Java, mapscript and other fun stuff

There are a couple of reasons that Installing PHP is an issue for the
client
(and thus my boss, thus me) they have to do with available skills sets
and
issues regarding access to the server that will host the application.

The First issue to deal with skill sets, the personell who will most
likely
manage and maintain the system at the client site is a Cartographer/GIS
Specialist, not really a programmer and is thus not really interested in
learning a new syntax or scripting language. Their primary function is
to
produce maps for internal clients, not build and maintain web
applications.
They already know ASP, COM type constructs and are reasonably
comfortable
doing that. If we take a solution to them that requires them to learn
another language then I don't think we will get the job.

Secondly we, nor the primary client own the server that will eventually
host
the application, chances are it is in a room on the other side of the
world
so to get things like PHP etc installed can be a bit of a battle. It is
not
impossible though and we would probably stand a better chance of getting
a
JRE installed hence "preferably without installing a JRE", but all in
all it
is a battle we would rather avoid.

As always the technical problems are the easiest to solve.

In the end we have decided to try to get a result using the CGI.

Thanks
Dean.
-------------------------------------------
Dean Taylor
Data Systems Engineer
Karjeni Pty Ltd
www.karjeni.com.au
--------------------------------------------

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