New user - Perl/Php/Windows Questions

[Sean Gillies]

On Sep 12, 2004, at 8:09 AM, Berlin Brown wrote:

> I am new user working with MapServer, couple of questions.  I am
> working with the linux and windows version.
>
> I am going to have to assume that ArcSDE support is not included by
> default with the windows version.  I am testing a linux version and I
> compiled it just fine ArcSDE-8.3, what is the simplest way to include
> arcsde support in the windows version?
>
> Can I just drop another dll in the lib directory, or do I have to
> compile all of MapServer?
>
> I also included the PDFLib support, downloaded the latest version, I
> am assuming installed by default with the windows version.
>
> Next question, for the windows version, what is the easiest way to use
> MapScripts if you have limited control over your network.  What
> scripting languages provides the easiest install?  PHP/Perl/Python?  I
> think the php looks like the easiest option for IIS?
>

Howard Butler is serving up nightly builds of Python mapscript from
version 4.3 (CVS) at

   http://hobu.stat.iastate.edu/mapserver/build_output/9_12_2004

There is an installer with SDE support, and an important bug fix:


http://hobu.stat.iastate.edu/mapserver/build_output/9_12_2004/
mapscript-4.3.win32-py2.3-sde.exe

After you install Python 2.3.4 downloaded from

   http://python.org/ftp/python/2.3.4/Python-2.3.4.exe

run the windows installers and you are all set.  No reboot necessary.
PHP
might be this easy to install, but easier is just not possible.

There are many good resources on the web explaining how to do Python CGI
programming under IIS.

> Last question, does mapserver operate in a server mode, for example,
> can it bind to port and have a start/stop option.  Ideally I wish I
> could run mapserver on once machine and send requests back and forth.
>
>

No server mode for mapserv, it is a CGI program only.  Same for PHP
mapscript.

However, you are not limited like this by Python.  At the past
MapServer Users
Meeting, I ran a workshop which included a demonstration of a WMS server
implemented using Python mapscript and the Twisted web framework that
runs
directly "out of the box".  This app is included in the workshop package

   http://users.frii.com/sgillies/projects/mum04/mum2smw.tar.gz

It doesn't require Apache or IIS, using it's own lightweight HTTP
server and
we got it up and running on an arbitrary port within the Carleton lab
network
without any problems.

cheers,
Sean


--
Sean Gillies
sgillies at frii dot com
http://users.frii.com/sgillies