ReadMe File for Standard Version of BizDB

##################################################################
#
# BizDB - A Web Database Management System
#
# This is a simple, powerful, flexible, affordable and secured Flat
# File Database System with ADD, EDIT, DELETE, SEARCH, DISPLAY as
# well as IMAGE UPLOAD functions. Updates to database records can be
# password-protected on file or individual record level with complete
# Webmaster control. Definition of database fields and output layouts
# are controlled by Html templates. Installation is easy. You don't
# need to modify the CGI scripts other than a couple of configuration
# parameters, which have been documented clearly, in order to make our
# database system working on your server. While we don't need you
# to know Perl or CGI programming, we do suggest that you should know
# the basic of Html programming in order to develop a set of workable
# Webpage/database interface templates yourself. Of course, we are
# always available to provide development assistance at a very
# reasonable cost.
#
# As any other flat file database systems, BizDB is designed for
# small to medium sized databases only with relatively simple database
# requirements. If your overall database size is larger than 2-3MB
# ( depending on your server and system capacity ) and you have lot of
# data fields to search, we suggest you to consider a relational database
# solution. 
#
##################################################################
#
# Demonstration Website: http://www.cnctek.com/bizdb-html/
# E-mail: cnctek@cnctek.com
# 
# MINIMUM SERVER REQUIREMENTS:
#
# Runs on any Unix, Linux or Windows NT Operating System;
# Provides full FTP access (or access via a Control Panel);
# Supports Perl and cgi-bin; Allows creation of files and
# directories by cgi programs.
#
# NOTE:
#
# *************************************************************
# THE LICENCE OF THIS SOFTWARE IS FOR SUPPORTING WEBSITE(S) ON
# THE SAME DOMAIN NAME. IF YOU WANT TO SUPPORT MORE THAN 1 DOMAIN
# NAMES, EVEN THEY ARE ON THE SAME SERVER, YOU WILL NEED TO ORDER
# MULTIPLE LICENCES.
#
# ORDER OF THIS SOFTWARE IS NOT REFUNDABLE. WE ARE GLAD TO
# PROVIDE TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AT REASONABLE COST.
# *************************************************************
#
# COPYRIGHT NOTICE 
#                                                    
# The BizDB software is a product of CNC Technology. All rights reserved. 
# Only the user with our permission can use and modify this software.         
# Also permission is granted to execute this software on one domain name
# only. Without CNC Technology's permission, no part of this script can be           
# reproduced ( other than the backup copy ), resold or redistributed to
# any other individuals, companies and organizations.
#          
# DISCLAIMER:
#
# These Scripts are provided on a "As Is" basis. CNC Technology
# will not be liable ( nor responsible ) whatsoever for any direct
# or indirect damages caused by the use of this Software
# ( or Scripts ).
#
##################################################################

Please read the following paragraphs carefully. This is essential
if you want to have a smooth and successful installation.

***FOR EXISTING BIZDB USERS, PLEASE ALSO READ RELEASE-NOTE.TXT FILE.***

When you read this file, we know that you have successfully
decompressed our ZIP file using a 32 bits WinZip (or equivalent)
program.

##################################################################

TABLE OF CONTENTS:
A.  Contents in our ZIP file
B.  System Configuration Parameters
C.  Webpage / Database Interface Templates
D.  Defining Html Template Filenames
E.  Defining Database Record Fields
F.  Other Parameters used by Input-Control Templates
G.  How to Display Database Field Values on Edit or Search Report
H.  Installation Procedures - Using FTP or our Installer explained
I.  Calling the CGI programs by "GET Method"
J.  More on producing search reports via a URL link
K.  Important notes for Windows NT Server Users
L.  Notes on Supporting Non-English Character Set
M.  Notes on Supporting Large Number of Database Records
N.  More Support Notes If You Have Problems During Installation
O.  Check this section before contacting us - New Features, FAQ, etc.
P.  Obtaining our Professional Installation Service at affordable rates
Q.  Please Help Us to Help You

##################################################################


A. Contents in our ZIP file

You should have at least the following files for a standard version
of our system:

    (1) bizdb-installer.cgi -  CGI script allowing you to:
                               (1) configure and install a new BizDB
                                   database system on your Web server,
                               (2) upload any manually modified file,
                                   such as CGI script or Html template,
                                   to your Web server..

    (2) bizdb-aed.cgi       -  CGI script used for Add, Edit, Delete
                               and Show any specified database records.

    (3) bizdb-search.cgi    -  CGI script used for Search and Display
                               multiple database records at one time.

    (4) bizdb_upload.cgi    -  CGI script used for Upload image to
                               the database in conjunction with the
                               Add, Edit and Delete functions.

    (5) bizdb-add           -  The sample Add DB record Html template.
                               All database fields (except f1 - f5) are
                               defined and referenced here.

    (6) bizdb-edit          -  The sample Edit/Delete/Show DB record
                               Html template. You will use this template
                               to retrieve and edit/delete a specific
                               DB record ( based on record key ). You
                               can also use this template to display
                               all the record keys in your database.

    (7) bizdb-search        -  The sample Search DB records Html
                               template. You will use this template
                               to specify search criteria ( keywords )
                               for the bizdb-search.cgi program.

    (8) bizdb-summary       -  The sample Display DB Records Html
                               template. You will use this template
                               to define which and how DB fields are to be
                               displayed in the search report. Fields
                               belonging to the same record will be
                               displayed in a group. This will be repeated
                               for each record until all records or a
                               group of x records are displayed.
                 
    (9) bizdb-detail        -  This sample Html template is used
                               to display details of a given record.
                               Unlike the "bizdb-edit" template, the
                               database fields are not updatable. This,
                               in conjunction with the "bizdb-summary"
                               template, can be used to construct a
                               powerful search engine.

    (10)upload_image        -  This Html template control the upload
                               of user image from any directory on his
                               PC to a pre-determined server database
                               image directory. The filename of the
                               destination image will be set equal to
                               the record key followed by .gif or .jpg.

    (11)index.html          -  The sample homepage for calling various
                               database functions, such as Add, Edit,
                               Delete and Search. You can use this
                               homepage to test your database.

    (12)ReadMe.txt          -  It's this document.

    (13)bizdb               -  Sample Business Directory database file.

    (14)rec_nr_file.txt     -  Record Number Allocation File - Used only
                               if $auto_assign_rec_nr = "yes". This file
                               should be stored in the same directory
                               as your database files.

    (15)testing.cgi         -  Execute this test script to see if your cgi-bin
                               directory is working properly. This script
                               will also help you to find out the absolute
                               pathname of your Website's home directory.
                               (see Section N for more details)


If you have used our development assistance, we will include more files
to meet your specific needs. This will be mentioned in a separate document
or e-mails.


B.  System Configuration Parameters:

You will have to modify a number of System Configurations Parameters
in the Scripts before you can upload them to your CGI-BIN directory.
These parameters are CGI script specific, therefore you should read
our following sections or the notes on our scripts very carefully.

        Parameter Name     Where            Description

    (1) $maxfields         bizdb-aed.cgi    Maximum number of DB Fields.
                           bizdb-search.cgi

    (2) $maxdisplay        bizdb-search.cgi Maximum number of records
                                            to be extracted in each search.

    (3) $maxdispscreen     bizdb-search.cgi Max Records to be displayed
                                            per screen.

    (4) $security          bizdb-aed.cgi    Controls security for Add,
                                            Edit and Delete DB Records.
                                            If not present or = 0, anyone
                                            can Add/Edit/Del.
                                            If = 1, only the one who knows
                                            the supervisor password can
                                            Add/Edit/Del.
                                            if = 2, each DB record is
                                            protected by a unique password.
                                            Only the one who knows the
                                            user password or the supervisor
                                            password can Add/Edit/Del.

    (5) $superpwd          bizdb-aed.cgi    Supervisor Password. Anyone
                                            (presumably the Webmaster)
                                            knowing this password will
                                            have the absolute authority
                                            to add, edit and delete any
                                            database records. Therefore
                                            it is essential to keep this
                                            password confidential.

    (6) $addtotop          bizdb-aed.cgi    Controls adding new and edited
                                            records to the database.
                                            If "yes", new and edited
                                            records will be added to the
                                            top of the database, otherwise
                                            they will be added to the 
                                            bottom.

    (7) $database_dir      bizdb-aed.cgi    Full pathname of the directory
                           bizdb-search.cgi in which your database is
                                            stored. If possible, location of
                                            your database file should be
                                            stored outside the Html directories.

    (8) $template_dir      bizdb-aed.cgi    Full pathname of directory in
                           bizdb-search.cgi which your Html templates are
                                            stored.

    (9) $upload_dir        bizdb-aed.cgi    Full pathname of directory
                           bizdb-search.cgi where the uploaded (image) file
                           bizdb_upload.cgi will be stored.

    (10)$max_upload_buffersize              Maximum buffer size (in bytes)
                           bizdb_upload.cgi allowed for the image file
                                            to be uploaded to the server.
                           
    (11)$return_url        bizdb-aed.cgi    Return URL link used by OK and
                           bizdb-search.cgi error messages.
                           bizdb_upload.cgi

    (12)@valid             bizdb-aed.cgi    These are the urls (separated
                           bizdb-search.cgi by comma) that are allowed to
                           bizdb_upload.cgi execute this database system.
                                            This prevents any of our
                                            programs to be accessed by
                                            unauthorized Websites.

    (13)$mailprog          bizdb-aed.cgi    Location of "sendmail" program.
                           bizdb_upload.cgi You need "sendmail" to send
                                            "Notification emails to the
                                            Webmaster" if the "recipient"
                                            input form field exists in your
                                            Html templates. Check with your
                                            ISP.

    (14)$this_cgi_url      bizdb-search.cgi Url of the CGI script you are
                                            working on

              ################################################
        * * * Parameters (15,16) are to be used together * * *

    (15)$auto_assign_rec_nr                 Assign record number by the
                           bizdb-aed.cgi    system automatically.

    (16)$rec_nr_file       bizdb-aed.cgi    Record Number Allocation File 


              #############################################

    (17) $serverOS         bizdb-aed.cgi    Set this parameter to "unix"
                           bizdb_upload.cgi if your server is running on
                                            an Unix or Linux operating
                                            platform. Set it to "nt"
                                            for Windows NT.

    (18) $charset          bizdb-aed.cgi    Define the character set to
                                            be used by your database software
                                            and Html templates. This is
                                            required for some foreign
                                            languages. Also see section L.

              #############################################
              New parameters introduced after 20th Jan 2001

    (19) $check_password_on_showrecord      Set this parameter to "yes" 
                           bizdb-aed.cgi    if you don't want any user to 
                                            see the content of a record on 
                                            the Edit record screen unless the 
                                            record password is matched with
                                            password input by the user.
                                            Set this parameter to "" if no
                                            password checking is required.

              #############################################
              Set the following parameters ($login_ctl, $expiryDate_fld,
              $expiry_period) only if you have installed our separately priced
              "LoginControl" add-on feature. Do not change the value of
              these parameters in the "bizdb-aed.cgi" and "bizdb-search.cgi"
              scripts if using "BizDB Standard" Version only.

    (20) $login_ctl        bizdb-aed.cgi    Login Control for accessing the
                                            database. Must set $login_ctl to ""
                                            if using "BizDB Standard" alone.
                                            If $login_ctl = "yes", users must
                                            login to a member area first before 
                                            executing the Edit and Delete
                                            functions.

    (21) $expiryDate_fld   bizdb-aed.cgi    Records can be set to expire after
                           bizdb-search.cgi xx days. This variable defines which
                                            field number in the database will
                                            store the record expiry date. Set
                                            this to f20 if field number 20 is
                                            used to store the expiry date.
                                            Set this variable to "" if there is
                                            no need to store the record expiry
                                            date. If this field is defined, the
                                            search program will ignore the record
                                            if the expiry date of the record is
                                            empty or expired.

    (22) $expiry_period    bizdb-aed.cgi    The expiry date of a newly submitted
                                            record will be set to today's date
                                            PLUS the xx days defined by
                                            $expiry_period. The webmaster can
                                            delete a batch of records which are
                                            expired between a certain period.
                                            If you don't want to expire a record,
                                            set it to 99999 days (277 years).
                                            This variable must contain a number if
                                            $expiryDate_fld is not empty (i.e. "").
                                            If $expiryDate_fld is empty, this
                                            variable will be ignored.


C.  Webpage / Database Interface Templates:

You will need to set up a number of Html templates to take input
requests, handle new and modified data, upload image files and control
output layouts.

These templates will be the key interface between users and the database
management system. You can use the same set of CGI scripts to handle
different databases with different field definitions simply through the
use of interface templates.

We found that explanation could be difficult without referring to some
real examples. We have therefore developed a set of sample templates
which you can display them on a second window screen using a text
editor. As you read this document, we suggest that you read carefully
the content of the relevant template and try to understand its concepts
and logics.

When you develop your Html templates, we strongly recommend that you
start from our sample templates, add and modify the database fields
as well as comments to meet your own needs. It is important to backup
a copy of the original sample templates before you make your
modifications.

Please use the following statements to display a Html template with
empty fields on the screen:

1. Record Addition:
     http://www.yourdomain.com/your_cgibin/bizdb-aed.cgi?bizdb-add OR
     http://www.yourdomain.com/your_directory/bizdb-add.html only if your
     record addition page has an .htm or .html ending
2. Record Update/Delete:
     http://www.yourdomain.com/your_cgibin/bizdb-aed.cgi?bizdb-edit
3. Batch Record Deletion:
     http://www.yourdomain.com/your_cgibin/bizdb-aed.cgi?bizdb-delete
4. Record Search:
     http://www.yourdomain.com/your_cgibin/bizdb-aed.cgi?bizdb-search OR
     http://www.yourdomain.com/your_directory/bizdb-search.html only if your
     record search page has an .htm or .html ending.
   where bizdb-add, bizdb-edit, bizdb-delete and bizdb-search are Html
   template filenames. Please also see Section D.


*** NOTE ***

Your job now is to construct a set of workable and beautifully formatted
Web/user interface templates to meet your specific needs. You may use any
Web page generator/editor to create your template pages. However, when you
prepare your template files, please make sure your top priority is to get
the system work. Do not spend too much time on the graphic designs and page
layout which you can always refine later. Please remember to use standard
and full Html commands. For Html tags which contain your database field names
( eg. <input name="f??" ...> or <textarea name="f??" ..></textarea> or
<select name="f??"> ), you should consider to stick to the rule of one Html
command per line. Our CGI program has a simple text scanner. Everytime when
it is called, it will read your Html template, line by line, and replace
the **f??** by its actual value in the database, or add a VALUE="something"
clause ( or equivalent ) to the INPUT (or TEXTAREA or SELECT) tag which
contains the name of your database field (eg. NAME="f9").

#####################################################################
# DOUBLE CHECK YOUR TEMPLATE FILES TO MAKE SURE THE FORM STATEMENTS #
# ARE SETUP AS FOLLOWED:                                            #
#####################################################################

Example 1:
     <select name="f7">
     <option value="">Select an Industry</option>
     <option value="Accommodations">Accommodations</option>
     <option value="Transportation">Transportation</option>
     <option value="Others">Others</option>
     </select>

Example 2:
     <textarea name="f8" rows=3 cols=40 wrap=virtual></textarea>
     Make sure </textarea> is always followed by a new line.

Example 3:
     <input type="radio" name="f9" value="Free Ads"> Free Ads
     <input type="radio" name="f9" value="Plan 1"> Plan 1

Example 4:
     <INPUT TYPE="checkbox" NAME="f12" value="Male">Male
     <INPUT TYPE="checkbox" NAME="f12" value="Female">Female

IMPORTANT NOTE: Wherever possible, try to store only alphanumeric
characters into the "Checkbox", "Radio", and "Selection List" fields.
This would make the searching faster. If you still want to include
special characters into these fields, make sure you only use &amp;
or $ or % or ( or ) or # or ' or + or any combination of them.


******************* Handle your typing with care *********************
****** UNIX is a case sensitive operating system, so does Perl. ******
**** Applies to all database field names and special control tags ****
******************* Handle your typing with care *********************

If, due to whatever reasons, you have problems in building templates,
we are here to provide technical assistance ( at cost ).
Just e-mail cnctek@cnctek.com.

************

(C-1) How to use Html Templates to call CGI programs:

In our sample, we use the following form control statements:

    (1) "Add Database Record" HTML Template (Input-Control Template)

        Filename = bizdb-add

        This template defines all the fields used in the database and
        provides an interface for passing the data of those fields to
        the database. It will call bizdb-aed.cgi when user hits the
        "submit" command.

        <form method=post action="/cgi-bin/bizdb-aed.cgi">
        <input type=hidden name="template" value="bizdb-add">

        The 2nd statement above defines the name of the "Add New Record"
        template file.

    (2) "Edit, Delete and Show Database Record" HTML Template
        (Input-Control Template)

        Filename = bizdb-edit

        This template defines all the fields used in the database and
        provides an interface for passing the current or updated data
        of those fields back to the database. It will call bizdb-aed.cgi
        when user hits the "submit" command.

        <form method=post action="/cgi-bin/bizdb-aed.cgi">
        <input type=hidden name="template" value="bizdb-edit">

        The output template file for the "bizdb-aed.cgi" program to
        display the retrieved record's data on the browser is
        "bizdb-edit". ( You will need to display the record's data first
        before you can update it. )

    (3) "Search Database Records" HTML Template (Input-Control Template)

        Filename = bizdb-search

        This template defines the various searchable fields and provides
        an interface for inputting keywords/keyphrases to the CGI
        program for searching those fields ( see Complex Search ). It
        will call the "bizdb-search.cgi" program when the user hits
        the "submit" button.

        You may also use the "keywords" input field name alone ( see
        Quick Search ). When this search method is used, if any one of
        the keywords ( full words or partial-words accepted ) is found
        on the database record, the record is retrieved.

        <form method=post action="/cgi-bin/bizdb-search.cgi">
        <input type=hidden name="template" value="bizdb-summary">

        The output template file for the "bizdb-search.cgi" program to
        substitute data and to display report on the browser is
        "bizdb-summary".

    (4) "Display Search Summary Report" Layout Definition Template
        (Output-Control Template)

        Filename = bizdb-summary

        This template defines which database fields are to be displayed,
        and in what layouts, for the search report.

        The CGI program will search for any occurrence of **xxx**
        ( 'xxx' is a database field name or some other reserve words )
        in the template and replace it by its actual field value.

        (Also see section G below. There are certain rules to follow.)

    (5) "Display Detail Record Report" Layout Definition Template
        (Output-Control Template)

        Filename = bizdb-detail
        (Also see section G below. There are certain rules to follow.)

        This is another sample template defining which database fields are
        to be displayed, and in what layouts, for a specific record found
        on a database search.

    (6) Upload Gif/JPG Format Image from PC to Server Directory
        (Upload-Image-Control)

        Filename = upload_image

        This HTML template controls the upload of image file
        (GIF or JPF format) from user's PC to a system defined database
        image directory. This is the only file not following the
        conventional naming standard and you must handle this file with
        care. DO NOT CHANGE THE NAME OF THIS FILE.

(C-2) Defining database location, i.e. database filename

The "dbname" <input> statement is used to tell the CGI program which
database file has to be processed. Specifying the filename is enough.
There is no need to tell the directory pathname of the file. The
directory pathname is defined within the CGI scripts. The "dbname"
statement has the format of:

        <input type=hidden name="dbname" value="database_filename">

    Example:       
        <input type=hidden name="dbname" value="bizdb">

The dbname filename must be made up of the following characters only:
      a-z, A-Z, 0-9, space (" "), hyphen ("-"), underscore ("_"), dot (".")


(C-3) How to instruct CGI program to execute a function or subroutine:

If you read the contents of our HTML Templates, you will observe that we
are using the following form statements to instruct the CGI program
to execute the appropriate subroutine:

   (1) Sample template - "bizdb-add"

       <input type=hidden name="action" value="addtodb">
       <input type="submit" value="Add New Record">
       <input type="reset" value="Clear Form">

       The "addtodb" action code is defined in the program "bizdb-aed.cgi".
       It is called to add a new record to the database.

   (2) Sample template - "bizdb-edit"

       <select name="action">
       <option value="showrecord">Display Record
       <option value="editrecord">Change/Modify Record
       <option value="deletefromdb">Delete Record
       <option value="showblank">Show Blank Form
       </select> <input type="submit" value="Go!">

       The above action codes are defined in the program "bizdb-aed.cgi".
       Their functions are as follows:
       "showrecord" to display a database record based on record key,
       "editrecord" to edit an existing record currently on display,
       "deletefromdb" to delete an existing record from the database,
       "showblank " to show a blank Edit/Delete form.

   (3) Sample template - "bizdb-search"

       <input type=hidden name="action" value="searchdbdisplay">
       <input type="submit" value="Summary Search">

       The "searchdbdisplay" action code is defined in the program
       "bizdb-search.cgi". It is used to search the database based on the
       keywords specified by the user. A search report will then be
       displayed on the screen according to the layout specified in the
       "bizdb-summary" template.


D.  Defining Html Template Filenames:

The "template" statement is used to tell the CGI program which template
file has to be processed. You can find it in almost all templates. The
CGI program will read in the content of the template, replace certain
tags by the actual values determined by the CGI program, and then output
the template to the browser. The "template" statement has the format of:

        <input type=hidden name="template" value="template_filename">

      Example:
        In our "bizdb-edit" template, we use:       
        <input type=hidden name="template" value="bizdb-edit">

        In our "bizdb-search" template, we use:
        <input type=hidden name="template" value="bizdb-summary">
        to tell the CGI program that the report format will be defined by
        the template "bizdb-summary".

        You may also use other names such as "edit.html" or "edit.tmpl":
        <input type=hidden name="template" value="edit.html">
        <input type=hidden name="template" value="edit.tmpl">

The template filename must be made up of the following characters only:
      a-z, A-Z, 0-9, space (" "), hyphen ("-"), underscore ("_"), dot (".")


E.  Defining Database Record Fields:

All database record fields have a naming convention of "f??" where "f??"
can range from "f1" to "f99" or more.

The maximum number of database fields accepted by the system is defined
by the system configuration parameter $maxfields.

Except for f1 - f5, which are reserved for the system, all other fields
are usable by the database owner. Whenever possible, although not
essential, you should allocate and use your database fields in adjacent
sequence, i.e. use f6 first, then followed by f7, f8, etc..

Definitions of f1 - f5 are as follows:

    f1 = "Record_Key | Access_Password"
    f2 = Date of Creation (yyyy/mm/dd)
    f3 = Date of Last Update (yyyy/mm/dd)
    f4 = Type of Record (Free, Standard, Enhanced)
    f5 = Record Status (Inactive, Active, Expired)

You may set your default record type to "Standard" or "Enhanced" and
the default record status to "Active" or "Inactive" during record
creation. You may change these status via a specially created "Edit"
template ( eg. bizdb-activate ) used only by the Webmaster.

Here are some rules relating to Record Status when a record is added
to the database:

    If the record status field "f5" is not specified, the default record
    status is set to "Inactive" for all record types, i.e. Free, Standard
    and Enhanced.

    You may change the default status setting to any one of the following:
    "Inactive", "Active" and "Expired" by using an <input> Form Html
    statement in your ADD template:
         <input type=hidden name="f5" value="Inactive"> or
         <input type=hidden name="f5" value="Active">

    [ NOTE: Use only <input type=hidden name="f5"> in the EDIT template.
     Do not include the value="something" as the value of "f5" will be
     extracted from the database record by the software. ] 

    When searching the database, you may include statements like:
                  <input type=hidden name="f4" value="Standard">
                  <input type=hidden name="f5" value="Active">
                  <input type=hidden name="wordmatch-f5" value="yes">
                  to your complex search template to search for only
                  the Standard-Active records.

You may use these generic field names (f??) to relate to any database fields
and their contents. For example, you may use f6 to represent Company Name,
and f7 for Company Address, etc.. It is important to make sure that you
do not use the same name fxx to define multiple objects. Our programs
will use this name to point to a unique data field in the database.
For real examples, please refer to our sample Html templates that
come with this System. 

It is also important to know that our system reserves the following
input form names for holding and validating data temporarily:

   "pwd"            - For passing input password to the CGI program.

   "key" and "key2" - For holding database record key.

   "newpwd"         - For passing a new record password to the CGI program.
                      This form parameter should only be used in the
                      "Edit Record" template. Also see Section O.

You must know how to use these names and not to change these names in your
templates; otherwise you will receive fatal execution error.

             *=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*
**NOTE**: There is no need to have the <input name="key2" ...> statement
in your ADD record template IF you have the parameter "$auto_assign_rec_nr"
in your "bizdb-aed.cgi" script set to "yes".
             *=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*


F.  Other Parameters used by Input-Control Templates

(F-1) Parameters used by Add and Edit/Delete/Show templates

    In the following paragraphs, "f??" could be the name of any
    database field ranging from f1 to f50 if $maxfields is equal to 50.

    1. requireflds - Specify which of the database fields are mandatory.
       Example: <input type=hidden name="requireflds" value="f6,f7,f12">
                where f6, f7 and f12 are the compulaory input fields.

    2. maxleng-f?? - Define the maximum length of the field "f??".
       Example: <input type=hidden name="maxleng-f10" value="1000">
                Maximum input for field "f10" is limited to 1000 chars.

    3. image-f?? - If you want to define "f??" as an image field, this
                   form parameter must be set equal to "yes". Only one
                   "image-fxx" statement could be defined in any "Add Record"
                   or "Edit Record" form. The image must be uploaded by
                   the "bizdb_upload.cgi" program to an image directory
                   defined by "$upload_dir". The filename of the image will
                   be set equal to "recordkey-dbname.image_file_ext" to
                   ensure it has a unique name on the system. (Note: dbname
                   will be replaced by the actual database filename)
       Example: <input type=hidden name="image-f18" value="yes">
                where "f18" is the database field containing the filename
                of the uploaded image.

    4. image_file_ext - Specify the filename extension of your image
                   file as defined by image-f??. Must be either
                   "no" or "jpg" or "gif" or "no change".
                   If set to "no", that means no image file for
                   this particular field "f??".
                   If set to "no change", that means there is no
                   change to the image stored in field "f??".

       Example 1: This example is for use in the ADD html template.
                Image Format (file extension of the image)
                <select name="image_file_ext">
                <option value="no" selected>No Image for the Record</option>
                <option value="jpg">JPG Format</option>
                <option value="gif">GIF Format</option>

       Example 2: This example is for use in the EDIT html template.
                Image Format (file extension of the image)
                <select name="image_file_ext">
                <option value="no">No Image for the Record</option>
                <option value="jpg">JPG Format</option>
                <option value="gif">GIF Format</option>
                <option value="no change" selected>No Change of Image</option>

    5. recipient - If present, the recipient will be informed if
                   records has been added or updated.
       Example: <input type=hidden name="recipient" value="abc@abc.net">
                This statement specifies "abc@abc.net" to be the e-mail
                address for receiving database addition and update
                acknowledgements.


(F-2) Parameters used by Search Criteria Templates

    In the following paragraphs, "f??" could be the name of any
    database field ranging from f1 to f50 if $maxfields is equal to 50.

    Use the following form statements if you allow your user to specify
    keywords for searching the database field "f12":

       <input name="f12" size="30">

                  or

       <select name="f12">
          <option value="">Any Value</option>
          <option value="Australia">Australia</option>
          <option value="USA">USA</option>
       </select>

       If "Australia" is entered or selected, the software will extract all
       those records which contain the word "Australia" in field "f12".

    ***************************************************************

    Use the following form statement if you allow your user to specify
    keywords to search all fields (excluding "f1" which contains the
    record id and password) in the entire database record:

       The whole database is searched for the specified keywords. The default
       keyword separator is a space character. If you want to search a number
       of keyphrases, you may use either "++" (the OR operator) or "&&" (the
       AND operator) as your boolean operator. Enter 2001/06 to display all
       entries entered in June 2001.

       <input name="keywords" size="30">

       Possible inputs:
          1. enter nothing
          2. art business computers
          3. cnc technology++   (this is a keyphrase search)
          4. internet++virtual servers++web hosting
          5. internet&&Web database

       If "Australia" is entered or selected, the software will extract all
       those records which contain the word "Australia" in any field
       of the records.

       This statement is most commonly used for a "Quick Search" which requires
       less CPU resources.

       **** Using "Comma" as the keyword separator - a better method ****

       You can change the keyword separator to "comma" (,) by adding the
       following form statement in front or after the "keywords" form statement:

          <input type="hidden" name="keywords_separator_is_comma" value="yes">

       The possible inputs now become:
          1. enter nothing
          2. art,business,computers
          3. cnc technology   (this is a keyphrase search)
          4. internet++virtual servers++web hosting
          5. internet&&Web database


    ***************************************************************

    You can also use the "keywords" statement along with the "f??" statements.

    Example:  <input type="hidden" name="f4" value="Active">
              <select name="f6">
                 <option value="">Any Category</option>
                 <option value="Australia">Australia</option>
                 <option value="USA">USA</option>
              </select>
              <input name="keywords" size="30">

        The software will arrange to match the field "f4" and "f6" first.
        If the record is found, and the "keywords" search field is non-empty,
        the software will match for the input "keywords". If one or more
        "keywords" exist in the record, the record is said to be matched.
        If the "keywords" search field is empty, the software will only match
        fields "f4" and "f6".

    ***************************************************************

    These are optional parameters. If used, must exist as hidden input
    form names.

       **** These parameters (1, 2, 3, 4) are for the "f??" search    ****
       **** statements only.                                          ****
       **** Example:                                                  ****
       ****  <input name="f6" size="30">                              ****
       ****  <input type="hidden" name="wordmatch-f6" value="yes">    ****

    1. exactmatch-f?? - Set to "yes" if an exact match is to be performed
                        for the whole field "f??".
       Example: <input type=hidden name="exactmatch-f12" value="yes">
                <input name="f12" size="30">

    2. wordmatch-f??  - Set to "yes" if we are only interested in
                        matching full words for field "f??".
       Example: <input type=hidden name="wordmatch-f12" value="yes">
                <input name="f12" size="30">

    3. multikeys-f??  - Set to "yes" if we want to allow users to search
                        multiple search terms (keywords or keyphrases)
                        for field "f??". The field is said to be matched
                        if any one of the search terms specified by the
                        user is found in the given field of the database
                        record.
       Example 1: <input type=hidden name="multikeys-f12" value="yes">
                  <input type=hidden name="wordmatch-f12" value="yes">
                  <input name="f12" size="30">
       Example 2: <input type=hidden name="multikeys-f12" value="yes">
                  <input type=hidden name="keywords_separator_is_comma" value="yes">
                  <input type=hidden name="wordmatch-f12" value="yes">
                  <input name="f12" size="30">
       **Note 1** "multikeys-f??" can be used for all text fields.
       **Note 2** Only one "keywords_separator_is_comma" form statement is sufficient
                  per search form or search URL link..

    4. case           - Set to "yes" if all matches are case sensitive.
                        Applicable to both "f??" and "keywords" search.
       Example: <input type=hidden name="case" value="yes">

    5. maxdispscreen  - Set to the number of record listings you want to
                        display per search result report. If this form
                        statement is present, it will replace the value
                        of $maxdispscreen variable defined in the
                        "bizdb-search.cgi" script.
       Example: <input type=hidden name="maxdispscreen" value="10">

    ***************************************************************

       **** The following parameters (6, 7) are for the "keywords"    ****
       **** search statement only.                                    ****
       **** Example:                                                  ****
       ****  <input name="keywords" size="30">                        ****
       ****  <input type="hidden" name="wordmatch-keywords" value="yes"> *

    6. wordmatch-keywords - Set to "yes" if we are only interested in
                        matching full words within the entire record.
       Example: <input type=hidden name="wordmatch-keywords" value="yes">
                <input name="keywords" size="30">

    7. case           - Set to "yes" if all matches are case sensitive.
                        Applicable to both "f??" and "keywords" search.
       Example: <input type=hidden name="case" value="yes">

    ***************************************************************

       **** The following parameter (8) is for the Search Forms ****
       **** searching database containing "Multiple Selection   ****
       **** Drop-Down List" fields in the "Add Record" and      ****
       **** "Edit Record" templates.                            ****

    8. multiple_selections - Specifies which fields in the database file
                        are "Multiple Selection Drop-Down List" fields.
                        This form statement is required in any search forms
                        (or search URLs) only if such a database field exists.

                        Please refer to Section (O-6) for more details.

       Example: <input type=hidden name="multiple_selections" value="fxx,fyy,..,fzz">
             where fxx,fyy,fzz are the field ids of the multiple selection drop-down
             list fields configured in your database file.

    ***************************************************************

    9. keywords_separator_is_comma           
                      - Set to "yes" if you want to use comma to separate
                        multiple search terms input by the user.
                        This parameter can be used with anyone of the
                        following form statements:
                        - "keywords"
                        - "multikeys-f??"

    ***************************************************************

    10. supervisor    - To be used in conjunction with the "LoginControl" software
                      - Set to "yes" if you want to search and display both
                        expired and non-expired records. If the other search
                        criteria are matched, the content of the expired records
                        will also be displayed. This parameter is best be used
                        in a search template specifically designed for the use
                        of the webmaster.                  
       Example: <input type=hidden name="supervisor" value="yes">


G.  How to Display Database Field Values on Edit or Search Report:

(G-1) For the "Edit" template, such as "bizdb-edit", the Software uses
the following methods to display the value of a database field name:

     (1) Whenever the program finds a string like name="f??" in the
         Html template, it will replace it by name="f??"
         value="value_in_the_DB_record".

         Example:
         <input name="f1"> will be replaced by
         <input name="f1" value="12.5">
                 
         IMPORTANT: 1. YOU MUST NOT INCLUDE THE "value=???" INTO THE INPUT
                    STATEMENT. THE VALUE OF THE DATA FIELD WILL BE
                    INSERTED AUTOMATICALLY BY THE SYSTEM WHEN A RECORD
                    IS DISPLAYED.

                    2. ALSO MAKE SURE YOU HAVE ALL THE FIELDS DEFINED IN
                    YOUR EDIT OR ACTIVATE TEMPLATES. FOR INSTANCE, IF
                    YOU HAVE DEFINED 20 USER FIELDS (I.E. 'f6' - 'f25'),
                    YOU MUST HAVE 'key2', 'f2' - 'f25' ('f2' - 'f5' ARE
                    SYSTEM FIELDS ) DEFINED IN YOUR TEMPLATES EITHER
                    AS <INPUT>, <SELECT...OPTION>, OR <TEXTAREA>
                    STATEMENTS. SEE SECTION C.                    
                 
                    3. IF YOU DON'T WANT USERS TO EDIT CERTAIN FIELDS,
                    YOU CAN MAKE THEM AS HIDDEN FIELDS IN YOUR EDIT
                    TEMPLATE, AS FOLLOWS:

                    <INPUT type="hidden" name="f12">

                    OUR SOFTWARE WILL CONVERT THIS FORM STATEMENT TO:

                    <INPUT type="hidden" name="f12" value="value_of_f12">

                    AND THEN DISPLAY IT ON YOUR BROWSER.


     (2) Whenever the program finds a string like **fx** (or eman="fx") in the
         Html template, it will replace it by the value of its DB record. 

         Example:
         Customer name is **f1**.
             will be replaced by
         Customer name is CNC Technology.                 

     You will find this feature very useful particularly when you want
     to display the content of a database field only (i.e. not as
     input field).

(G-2) For the "Search Report" template, such as "bizdb-summary" or
"bizdb-display", the Software uses the following method to display
the value of a database field name:

     The CGI program will search for any occurrence of **xxx** in
     this template and replace it by its actual value.

        where **xxx** can be one of the following:

          **matchcnt**
                    - will be replaced by the number of records found
          **usdate** - today's date will be displayed as the US date,
                      i.e. month/day/year,
          **europedate** - today's date will be displayed as the European date,
                      i.e. day/month/year,
          **datepostedus** - record's creation date displayed as the US date,
                      i.e. month/day/year,
          **datepostedeu** - record's creation date displayed as the European date,
                      i.e. day/month/year,
          **dateupdatedus** - record's latest update date displayed as the US date,
                      i.e. month/day/year,
          **dateupdatedeu** - record's latest update date displayed as the European date,
                      i.e. day/month/year,
          **dbname** - will be displayed as the database name used,
          **key**   - will be displayed as a record key,
          **pwd**   - will be displayed as the password of the database
                      record currently handled,
          **f2**    - will be replaced by the value of the 2nd field of
                      the database record currently handled,
          **f3**    - will be replaced by the value of the 3rd field of
                      the database record currently handled,
          **f??**   - will be replaced by the value of the ??th field of
                      the database record currently handled.
          **bgcolor** - See Note 2 below.

     Any HTML commands between <!--repeat--> and <!--endrepeat-->
     will be evaluated and repeated for each record found. In other
     words, if you want to display the value of a number of database
     fields repeatedly on the same report, you must bracket the name
     of those fields ( in the form of **f??** ) by a pair of "repeat"
     and "endrepeat" comment lines as indicated in the example below:

          We have found **matchcnt** records
          <p>
          <table border=1>

          <!--repeat-->

          <tr>
          <td width="80%" bgcolor="**bgcolor**">
            Company Name: **f6**<br> 
            Tel: **f7** <br>
            <!-- check-display-f8-
            E-mail: <a href="mailto:**f8**">**f8**</a>
            check-display-f8- -->
          </td>
          <td width="20%" bgcolor="**bgcolor**" valign=top>
            <a href="/cgi-bin/bizdb-search.cgi?template=bizdb-detail&dbname=**dbname**&key2=**key**&action=searchdbdisplay">Detail Report</a><br>
            <a href="/cgi-bin/bizdb-aed.cgi?template=bizdb-edit&dbname=**dbname**&key2=**key**&action=showrecord">Update Record</a>
          </td>
          </tr>

          <!--endrepeat-->

          </table>
          <p>


     Note 1: Your Summary Page and Detail Page templates must not be
             framed. All Html codes must be totally contained in a single
             page and must not contain SSI (server side included) codes.

     Note 2: Under the current design, it is essential to insert
           the <!--repeat--> statement between <table...> and <tr ...>,
           and the <!--endrepeat--> statement between </tr> and </table>,
           otherwise the "Previous Page" and "Next Page" buttons would
           not be generated properly.

     Note 3: The bgcolor="**bgcolor**" clause included in the <td ..>
           statement above is an optional feature which is very useful to
           control the background colors of the database items displayed
           on the search report. If you use it, you must make sure that
           you have assigned a proper value to the $bgcolor0 and $bgcolor1,
           both of which are located in the "bizdb-search.cgi" cgi script.
           (You can also use your own bgcolor clause eg. <td bgcolor="white">.)            

     Note 4: Use **usdate**, **europedate**, **key**, **pwd**, **f??** and
           **dbname** only within Html statements bracketed by
           <!--repeat--> and <!--endrepeat-->.

           Do not use **matchcnt** within Html statements bracketed by
           <!--repeat--> and <!--endrepeat-->.


     * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
     AVOID BROKEN LINKS FOR IMAGE AND URL FIELDS <<<

     If you do not want broken links for URL, E-mail address or
     Image, you could use the command line pair <!-- check-display-f??-
     and check-display-f??- --> to bracket the line(s) containing
     the URL ( or E-mail or Image ) fieldname "f??". If f?? is empty,
     the html statements bracketed by the "check-display" command lines
     will be treated as comments, otherwise the "check-display" command
     lines will be removed. 


H.  Installation Procedures - Using FTP or our Installer explained:

    First of all, let us explain to you the step-by-step installation
    procedures using your server's control panel or any FTP software.

    We will then introduce our quick installation and file upload
    software to you. Our "Installer" software will help you cutting the
    installation time by up to 90%. If you use our sample Html templates,
    it is very likely that you will have a Web database system running
    within 30-60 minutes.


    *** STEP-BY-STEP INSTALLATION (Using FTP) ***

(H-1) Decompress the 32 bit BizDB ZIP file using 32 bit WinZIP
( available from http://www.shareware.com/ ).

(H-2) Read this ReadMe.txt and the description section of all CGI
scripts carefully. Do not change the contents of the cgi codes unless
you have backed it up.

(H-3) In order to explain the installation clearly, we have assumed
the following directory structures:

      /base_dir/
         --> Full directory pathname, relative to the ROOT directory 
             of your server
                /base_dir/bizdb/
                   --> stores database data file
                   --> chmod 0777 bizdb
                   --> also copy rec_nr_file.txt to this directory
                       if $auto_assign_rec_nr is set to "yes"
                   --> chmod 0777 rec_nr_file.txt
                   --> Note: If your site does not support
                       this directory, copy your data files to
                       your Html directory
                /base_dir/cgi-bin/
                   --> cgi scripts, chmod 0755 bizdb-aed.cgi  etc..
                /base_dir/html/
                   --> Base Html directory storing
                       Web Pages of your site
                   --> Copy any image files that come with BizDB
                       to this directory
                   /base_dir/html/bizdb/
                      --> Stores Database Html Templates
                      /base_dir/html/bizdb/upload-img/
                         --> Stores any user uploaded images used
                             by the database. The no_image.gif file
                             that comes with the software must also be
                             copied to this directory.


Your site configurations could be different from the above. If you
have problems in installing the Software on your site, please contact
us. We can provide technical assistance at affordable cost.

(H-4) Create on your server any necessary directories/subdirectories
for storing database files and HTML templates. This can be done via
Telnet or FTP.

      For Example:

      (H-4.1) You can store your HTML templates ( or all sample
      HTML templates that come with this package ) on a directory
      called "bizdb" created under your main Html directory.

      (H-4.2) We suggest that you store your database file ( or the
      sample database file ) on a directory also called "bizdb" created
      outside your Html directory. This is desirable for security purpose
      so that no one can access your database file directly through Web
      browsers. If your server doesn't allow you to do this, you can
      install your database files on a password-protected Html directory.
      In this case no one would be able to access the contents of your
      directory without knowing the directory userid and password.

(H-5) Copy the sample database file to the database directory (H-4.2).
This can be done via FTP.

(H-6) Adjust all URL references, pathnames and input output control
parameters used by the Html files and sample templates so that they
will work on your environment. Copy the sample templates including
index.html and upload_image to the HTML Directory (H-4.1). This can
be done via FTP.  (When uploading files to your server, use ASCII
transfer for text files, and binary transfer for image and sound files.)

(H-7) If you look at your decompressed files, you will find an image
directory called "upload-img" containing an "no-image.gif" file.
We recommend that you copy this directory and image file under your
HTML directory (H-4.1) on your server.  Use chmod Unix command
to change the access mode of this to 0777, i.e. rwxrwxrwx . This can be
done via Telnet or FTP. (Do not create this "upload-img" directory
under any password-protected directory, such as your database directory.)

(H-8) Adjust system configuration parameters on the cgi scripts
(i.e. bizdb-aed.cgi, bizdb-search.cgi and bizdb_upload.cgi ) to match
with your server and database environments. ( This must be done
carefully. )

(H-9) Copy bizdb-aed.cgi, bizdb-search.cgi and bizdb_upload.cgi
files to the cgi-bin directory of your server. Use chmod Unix command
to change their access modes to 0755, i.e. rwxr_xr_x . This can be
done via Telnet or FTP.
 
      Example:  cd /cgi-bin   ( some servers use a different name )
                chmod 0755 bizdb-aed.cgi
                chmod 0755 bizdb-search.cgi
                chmod 0755 bizdb_upload.cgi

(H-10) Use chmod Unix command to change the access mode of the
database directory ( i.e. the directory containing your database
file ) to 0777. Then change the access mode of the database file 
to 0777.

      Example:  cd /bizdb   
                chmod 0777 bizdb
                chmod 0777 rec_nr_file.txt
                chmod 0777 date

(H-11) Connect to the Internet and open a Web browser to execute the
sample index.html.


    *** QUICK INSTALLATION (Using Installer) ***


(H-12) Before jumpstart the installation using our Installer software,
you must have decompressed the bizdb.ZIP file and finished reading the
step-by-step installation procedures.

(H-13) Using a text editor, modify the following parameters in the
"bizdb-installer.cgi" CGI script:

       - Perl pathname (relative to server ROOT)
         This pathname is in the 1st line of your CGI script.
         Only change the pathname next to #! . Do not leave spaces after
         the last character of the pathname.

       - $superpwd - Supervisor Password
         Assign an alphanumeric password of less than 10 characters to
         this variable. Both upper and lower cases are allowed.
         This is the password you have to supply when using the Installer
         software.

       - $cgi_url - URL indicating the Web address of the Installer script
         in your server.
         Example: http://www.yourdomain.com/cgi-bin/bizdb-installer.cgi

(H-14) Using any FTP software, upload "bizdb-installer.cgi" to a CGI-BIN
       directory in your server. Use the "chmod" command to set the file
       access modes to 0755. Example: chmod 0755 bizdb-installer.cgi

(H-15) Open your Web Browser, keyin the URL of the "bizdb-installer.cgi"
       you have just installed. (You must be connected to the Web on-line.)
       Example: http://www.yourdomain.com/cgi-bin/bizdb-installer.cgi

(H-16) Complete and submit the installation form on the screen to the server.
       To setup your 1st test database, use the sample Html templates
       supplied by us, eg. bizdb-add, bizdb-edit, bizdb-search,
       bizdb-summary, bizdb-detail .

       If you want to setup your own database application, you must make
       the relevant "Add Record", "Update Record", "Search Records" and
       "Report Records" Html templates ready.

(H-17) Now using the Installer's File Upload function, upload an index page
       to your server containing links to display the "ADD", "UPDATE" and
       "SEARCH" database forms.

       Examples:
       Add Database    - http://www.yourdomain.com/cgi-bin/bizdb-aed.cgi?bizdb-add
       Update Database - http://www.yourdomain.com/cgi-bin/bizdb-aed.cgi?bizdb-edit
       Search Database - http://www.yourdomain.com/cgi-bin/bizdb-aed.cgi?bizdb-search

(H-18) The last step is to test run your database.


I.  Calling the CGI programs by "GET Method":

If you have experience in CGI programming, you may appreciate that there
is another method of calling a cgi program other than the use of the POST
Form method. This is known as the GET method.

With the "GET" method, you have the advantage of calling a cgi program
via the hyperlink. The format of the calling statement is as follows:

<a href="/cgi-bin/programname?parameter_1_name=paramater_1_value&parameter_2_name=parameter_2_valueparameter_3_name=parameter_3_value ......">Call Programname Now</a>

   where the character & is the parameter separater.

A good example is:

<a href="http://www.cnctek.com/cgi-bin/bizdb-search.cgi?template=bizdb-detail&dbname=bizdb&key2=12345678&action=searchdbdisplay">List Profile</a>

However when you use this method with our software, you must not include
any non-alphanumeric characters ( including space ) in the parameter values.
The presence of a space character in the parameter value will cause the
CGI program to stop processing any characters including and after the space
character of the Query string.


J.  More on producing search reports via a URL link

Our software provides a very convenient method to generate report via an
URL link. The following are some examples:

EXAMPLE 1: Extract all companies ( company name stored in "f6" ) that
starts with letter "a" or "A".

     <a href="/cgi-bin/bizdb-search.cgi?template=bizdb-summary&dbname=bizdb&f6=^a.*&action=searchdbdisplay">Company Report</A>

     We use the syntax ^a.* to instruct the system to search for all
required companies. Use ^b.* if you want to search for all "b" or B"
companies.

EXAMPLE 2: Extract all entries that belong to category "Hotels, Motels
& Service Apartments" ( category name stored in "f8" ).

     <a href="/cgi-bin/bizdb-search.cgi?template=bizdb-summary&dbname=bizdb&f8=Hotels%2c%20Motels%20%26%20Service%20Apartments&action=searchdbdisplay">Company Report</A>

Since no " " and "&" ( note: & is used as field separator in the URL link
above ) are allowed in the data string of this type of URL link. We have
to replace each occurrence of " " ( space character ) by %20 and each
occurrence of "&" by %26. In fact if you have any special characters to
be included in the data string, please use the following hexidecimal
representation ( preceded by a % character ) to replace your special
character. See below:

     Special Character -- to be replaced by -- Hexidecimal Representation
            " "                                           %20
            "$"                                           %24
            "%"                                           %25
            "&"                                           %26
            "+"                                           %2b
            ","                                           %2c
            "."                                           %2e
            "|"                                           %7c
            "("                                           %28
            ")"                                           %29
            "<"                                           %3c
            ">"                                           %3e


K.  Important notes for Windows NT Server Users

While our software was originally developed for Unix and Linux platform
servers, a number of our clients have successfully installed it on their
Windows NT servers. If you wish to install this server into your NT Web
server, please follow the rules below:

For Unix/Linux Servers:
   The directory pathnames are in the form of:
      $database_dir = "/opt2/cnctek/bizdb-new/";
      $template_dir = "/opt2/cnctek/httpd/htdocs/bizdb-new/";
   All relative to your server's ROOT directory.

For Windows NT Web Servers:
   The directory pathnames will have to be changed to:
      $database_dir = "c:\\opt2\\cnctek\\bizdb-new\\";
      $template_dir = "c:\\opt2\\cnctek\\httpd\\htdocs\\bizdb-new\\";
   The drive number must be specified followed by a ":", and the
   "/" used for separating the directories must be replaced by "\\".

   The location of your "windmail.exe" program ( equivalent to
   "sendmail" in Unix, required by bizdb-aed.cgi ) must also be
   defined as:

      $mailprog = 'c:\\windmail\\windmail.exe';
      if your windmail.exe is located in c:\windmail\windmail.exe 

Please note that we do not provide post-sales technical support
( including bug fixing ) for using our software on Windows NT Web servers.
You must agree to use our software on Windows NT servers at your own risk. 


L.  Notes on Supporting Non-English Character Set

The procedures mentioned in this section is optional. It is required only
if you want to accept, store and search non English language characters,
such as Chinese, Korean, Japanese, German, French, etc.., for your BizDB
database.

Under this situation, please perform the following steps:

   (1) set the $charset variable in all CGI scripts (i.e. bizdb-aed.cgi,
       bizdb-search.cgi and bizdb_upload.cgi) to a correct Language Set ID.

       Example:
          $charset = "us-ascii";

       Here are the charset codes for some languages:

          Chinese Simplified (China): gb2312
          Chinese Traditional (HK & Taiwan) : Big5
          US ASCII : us-ascii

       For other languages, please check with your local ISP.

   (2) add to each of your static Web pages used by BizDB (eg the page
       containing your BizDB Search Form or "Get Method" Search URLs) a Meta
       Html statement with the "charset" variable set to the same value
       defined in the cgi scripts.

       Example:
          <html>
          <head>
              .............
          <META http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset="us-ascii">
              .............
          </head>
          <body ....>
              .............
          </body>
          </html>

       ** NOTE: Do not include
       <META http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset="xxx">
       into your BizDB Html templates, i.e. those template files stored in
       the templates directory.

   (3) set the $match_special_chars variable in "bizdb-search.cgi" script
       to "yes" if the language you are using is not English.


M.  Notes on Supporting Large Number of Database Records

Under normal situation, the maximum size of a flat file database file
should be kept under 3MB (this could be much smaller if your server is a
shared one and has very limited capacity) for optimal performance. Assuming
that the average size of a record is 500 bytes, your database file should
be able to support a maximum of 6,000 records.

What happen if you want to support 20,000 or more records? You can do this
by splitting your database records into categories and then store each
category of your records into a given database file through the use of a
"dbname" drop-down selection list.

Example:  <select name="dbname">
          <option value="category-1-filename">Category One</option>
          <option value="category-2-filename">Category Two</option>
          <option value="category-3-filename">Category Three</option>
          </select>

          (Note: You must include this "dbname" drop-down list into each of
           your "ADD", "EDIT" and "SEARCH" Html templates. Each time when a
           user issues a "ADD", "EDIT" or "SEARCH" request, a valid
           "category/database" filename must be selected. Please use
           alphanumeric characters only for the category/database filenames.)


N.  More Support Notes If You Have Problems During Installation

    If you encounter problems during installation, please check the followings:

    (1) If you have Server Error Message displayed on the screen during execution
        of your CGI scripts:
        - check if you have uploaded the scripts to your server using ASCII
          transfer mode,
        - check if the Perl location defined on the 1st line of your script
          is correct,
        - check if the pathname of the "sendmail" program is correct,
        - check if you have modified the scripts incorrectly. Modification can
          only be carried out and saved via a ASCII text editor.

    (2) If your cgi scripts have problems to display the Html templates on the
        screen, check the settings of parameters requiring the absolute pathnames,
        eg. $database_dir, $template_dir and $upload_dir.

        You can install the "testing.cgi" script that comes with this software
        on your "cgi-bin" directory and execute this script through your browser
        to display the absolute pathname of your Home Directory.

        "testing.cgi" script installation procedure:
        - change the 1st line of the script to reflect correct location of Perl
        - upload the script to your cgi-bin directory using ASCII transfer mode
        - apply chmod 0755 testing.cgi to allow for script execution

        If the URL of your templates directory is http://yourdomain.com/templates/
        and the output of "testing.cgi" is /home/xyz/public_html/, the setting
        of your $template_dir should be "/home/xyz/public_html/templates/" .

    (3) If your server supports password-protected directory and you want to
        password-protect your database directory (i.e. the directory containing
        all your flat database files), make sure your "upload-img" directory
        (i.e. the directory containing all the user uploaded images) is not
        located inside this directory.

    (4) If you still can't solve the problems, contact us for upto 1 hour free
        e-mail consultation. In most cases, this is enough as most problems are
        configurations related. If you can explain your problems to us clearly,
        we normally can give you answers within 24 hours.


O.  Check this section before contacting us - New Features, FAQ, etc.

    (O-1) Simple Search Form Examples

          You can setup a simple search form to let your user to search any
          search term specified for a field selected from a drop-down list.

          Example 1:

              <form method="post" action="/cgi-bin/../bizdb-search.cgi">
              <input type=hidden name="template" value="something">
              <input type=hidden name="dbname" value="something">
              <input type=hidden name="action" value="searchdbdisplay">
              ......
              Keywords: <input name="keywords" size=32>
              <input type="submit" value="Search">
              ......
              </form>

          Example 2 (See our sample template "bizdb-search"):

              <form method="post" action="/cgi-bin/../bizdb-search.cgi">
              <input type=hidden name="template" value="something">
              <input type=hidden name="dbname" value="something">
              <input type=hidden name="action" value="searchdbdisplay">
              ......
              Search:
              <select name="searchfield">
                <option value="all">All Fields</option>
                <option value="f6">Company Name</option>
                <option value="f7">Industry Category</option>
                <option value="f12">Country</option>
              </select>
              for:
              <input name="searchterm" size=20 maxlength=32>
              <input type="submit" value="Go">
              ......
              </form>

          Example 3 (See our sample template "bizdb-search"):

              <form method="post" action="/cgi-bin/../bizdb-search.cgi">
              <input type=hidden name="template" value="something">
              <input type=hidden name="dbname" value="something">
              <input type=hidden name="action" value="searchdbdisplay">
              ......
              Search:
              <select name="searchfield">
                <option value="all">All Fields</option>
                <option value="f6">Company Name</option>
                <option value="f7">Industry Category</option>
                <option value="f12">Country</option>
              </select>
              for:
              <input name="searchterm" size=20 maxlength=32>
              <select name="wordmatch-searchterm">
                <option value="yes">Match Full Words</option>
                <option value="no">Match Partial Words</option>
              </select>
              <input type="submit" value="Go">
              ......
              </form>

          Parameters Used:

          - searchfield - set this parameter to "all" if to search all fields or
                          "fxx" ("fxx" is the name of the database field to be
                          searched, such as "f7" or "f12") if to search a specific
                          database field.

          - searchterm  - the search term input by the user for searching the
                          selected field. Note: If "All Fields" is selected, the
                          search method will become a "Quick Keywords Search".
 
          - wordmatch-searchterm  - if set to "yes", the program will only match
                          for full words, otherwise the matching will be based
                          on partial words.


    (O-2) Setting Up A Search Form For Carrying Out Complex Searches

          You can setup a complex search form to let your user to search any
          fields based on the input entered or selected by the user on the form.

          Example 1 (Search form using the POST method):

                <form method="post" action="/cgi-bin/../bizdb-search.cgi">
                <input type=hidden name="template" value="something">
                <input type=hidden name="dbname" value="something">

                Select Category: <select name="f2">
                   <option value="">Any Category</option>
                   <option value="Business">Business</option>
                   <option value="Internet">Internet</option>
                   <option value="Manufacturing">Manufacturing</option>
                   </select>

                Enter Company Name: <input name="f6" size=20>
                Enter Products Preferred: <input name="f7" size=20>

                <input type=hidden name="action" value="searchdbdisplay">
                <input type=submit value="Submit">
                </form>

             NOTE 1: The above form uses "f2", "f6" and "f7" as searchable fields.

             NOTE 2: Always use "" in the drop-down list option statements for searching
                   any values.

             NOTE 3: Our search engine does not recognize wild characters.

             NOTE 4: Do not use the reserve words "searchfield", "searchterm"
                     and "wordmatch-searchterm" in your complex search form.

             Note 5: If you want to search only full words (not partial words), you
             should add the following form statements:

                <input type=hidden name="wordmatch-f2" value="yes">
                <input type=hidden name="wordmatch-f6" value="yes">
                <input type=hidden name="wordmatch-f7" value="yes">

             Note 5: If you only want to match the entire content of the database
             fields, you should add the following form statements instead:

                <input type=hidden name="exactmatch-f2" value="yes">
                <input type=hidden name="exactmatch-f6" value="yes">
                <input type=hidden name="exactmatch-f7" value="yes">

         Example 2 (Search URL using the GET method):

            For a "GET" method URL, you can use the following example:

               <a href="/cgi-bin/../bizdb-search.cgi.cgi?template=something&dbname=something&f2=something&wordmatch-f2=yes&f6=something&wordmatch-f6=yes&f7=something&wordmatch-f7=yes&action=searchdbdisplay">Search</a>


    (O-3) Change Record Password

          "Change Password" is an optional feature. If implemented, you are
          authorizing your user (the listing or record owner) to change the record
          password himself.

          This feature can only be used on the "Edit Record" html template.

          Example:

             Password: <input type="password" name="pwd" size=8 maxlength=8><br>
             New Password: <input type="password" name="newpwd" size=8 maxlength=8>

          If nothing is entered to the "newpwd" field, the old password is used.

          If some alphanumeric characters are entered into the "newpwd" field,
          then the current password of the record will be replaced by this new one.


    (O-4) Validate The Input Of Numeric Fields When Adding and Editing Records

          If you want to make sure that certain specified database fields can only
          accept positive or negative numbers (integers or floating point numbers),
          then you must add the following form statement into your "Add Record" and
          "Edit Record" html templates:

             <input type=hidden name="numeric_fields" value="fxx,fyy,..,fzz">
             where fxx,fyy,fzz are the field ids of the numeric fields.

          Our "bizdb-aed.cgi" program will return an error message if one or more
          of the numeric fields contain non decimal numbers.


    (O-5) Search Records That Are Within The Specified Range Of Selected Fields

          This is an optional but very useful search feature that gives you the
          opportunity to search some numeric fields which store the information
          such as product price, year, age, number of bed rooms, etc..

          If used, you must also implement the "Validate the input of numeric
          fields when adding and editing database records" feature (see section
          above).

          On the search form, you are given the opportunity to specify:

          - "min-fxx" (the minimum value for the "fxx" field to be searched)
          - "max-fxx" (the maximum value for the "fxx" field to be searched)

          where "fxx" can be any numeric field that exists in the database.

          If "max-fxx" is specified and "min-fxx" is not specified (blank), all
          records with "fxx" less than or equal to "max-fxx" will be returned.

          If "min-fxx" is specified and "max-fxx" is not specified (blank), all
          records with "fxx" greater than or equal to "min-fxx" will be returned.

          If both "min-fxx" and "max-fxx" are specified, all records with
          "fxx" greater than or equal to "min-fxx" and less than or equal to
          "max-fxx" will be returned.

          You can implement multiple range search fields within a single search form,
          however care must be taken as this could slow down the performance
          of the system.

          Example:

             You can setup the following drop-down lists on your "Complex Search Form":

             (Assuming "f10" (field # 10) contains the car price)

             <select name="min-f10">
               <option value="0">$0</option>
               <option value="100">$100</option>
               <option value="500">$500</option>
               <option value="1000">$1,000</option>
             </select>

             <select name="max-f10">
               <option value="100">$100</option>
               <option value="500">$500</option>
               <option value="1000">$1,000</option>
               <option value="5000">$5,000</option>
             </select>

             *** Note ***
             - Only use decimal numbers.
             - Do not use $ and comma within the option values.
             - You can repeat the above "min-fxx" and "max-fxx" drop-down list
               for other numeric database fields.


    (O-6) How to setup "Multiple Selection Drop-Down Lists" in the "Add Record" and
          "Edit Record" templates and how to search them:

          Now you can implement any number of multiple selection drop-down list fields
          in the "Add Record" and "Edit Record" html templates.

          This convenient feature allows you to assign not only one but multiple
          pre-defined values to a given database field. All values stored in this
          type of database fields are searchable.

          Please follow the following example to implement a multiple selection
          drop-down list field:

             <select multiple name="f22">
             <option value="">Select 1 or more Categories</option>
             <option value="Accommodations">Accommodations</option>
             <option value="Arts">Arts</option>
             <option value="Building">Building</option>
             <option value="Business">Business</option>
             <option value="Chemicals">Chemicals</option>
             </select>

          *** IMPORTANT NOTES ***

          NOTE 1: If the database file to be searched contains "Multiple Select
                  Drop-Down List" fields, you must make sure that the following
                  statement is inserted into the search forms (or any search URLs)
                  as well:

             <input type=hidden name="multiple_selections" value="fxx,fyy,..,fzz">
             where fxx,fyy,fzz are the field ids of the multiple selection drop-down
             list fields configured in your database file.

             Examples:
             <input type=hidden name="multiple_selections" value="f22">
             <input type=hidden name="multiple_selections" value="f22,f28">

          NOTE 2: Never implement "Multiple Selection Drop-Down Lists" in your search
                  forms. Only "Single Selection Drop-Down Lists" are supported in any
                  BizDB search forms. You can use a "Single Selection Drop-Down List"
                  to search a "Multiple Selection Drop-Down List" field.


    (O-7) Automatic Correction of URL Reference for External Web Site URL Fields

          If your database has a field allowing your user to enter an external
          Web site or banner URL, then the correct URL to be entered must be prefexed
          by a "http://" string.

          If the user forgot to type in "http://" before the Web site domain name,
          then when this URL is clicked on the search result report, a reference
          error would occur.

          This error can be easily fixed by inserting a "url_flds" parameter to your
          database search form or Urls.

          Examples For Search Forms Using the "POST" Method:

             Insert <input type="hidden" name="url_flds" value="f17">
                if "f17" is the external Web site URL field.

             Insert <input type="hidden" name="url_flds" value="f17,f18">
                if "f17" is the external Web site URL field, and
                   "f18" is the external banner URL field.

          Examples For Search URLs Using the "Get" Method:

             Insert "url_flds=f17" if "f17" is the external Web site URL field.

             Insert "url_flds=f17,f18" if "f17" is the external Web site URL field,
             and "f18" is the external banner URL field.

             Example: <a href="/cgi-bin/bizdb-search.cgi?template=bizdb-detail&dbname=bizdb&f2=Internet&url_flds=f17,f18&action=searchdbdisplay">List Records under Internet Category</a>


    (O-8) Switch-off / Switch-on the Display of Html Codes Associated With a Blank Field

          You may use the "<!-- check-display-fxx-" and "check-display-fxx- -->" pair
          to suppress the display of Html codes associated with a blank field in
          any search report.

          Example 1 - For any non image or URL fields:

             <!-- check-display-fxx- (must be on a new line)
               any other html codes you want them suppressed if fxx is empty
               **fxx** (this must not be an image or url or email field)
               any other html codes you want them suppressed if fxx is empty
             check-display-fxx- --> (must be on a new line)

             where "fxx" is "f2", "f3", "f4", etc.

          Example 2 - For an image field:

             <!-- check-display-fxx- (must be on a new line)
               any other html codes you want them suppressed if fxx is empty
               <img src="**fxx**" border="0">
               any other html codes you want them suppressed if fxx is empty
             check-display-fxx- --> (must be on a new line)

          Example 3 - For an URL field:

             <!-- check-display-fxx- (must be on a new line)
               any other html codes you want them suppressed if fxx is empty
               <a href="**fxx**">**fxx**</a>
               any other html codes you want them suppressed if fxx is empty
             check-display-fxx- --> (must be on a new line)

          Example 4 - For an E-mail field:

             <!-- check-display-fxx- (must be on a new line)
               any other html codes you want them suppressed if fxx is empty
               <a href="mailto:**fxx**">**fxx**</a>
               any other html codes you want them suppressed if fxx is empty
             check-display-fxx- --> (must be on a new line)

          Example 5 - Turn on certain Html codes for an empty fxx field:

             This example illustrates the opposite operation of the "check-display"
             command for an empty field. With the use of "<!-- check-display-!fxx-"
             and "check-display-!fxx- -->" pair, you could display certain html codes
             if fxx is an empty field.

             <!-- check-display-!fxx- (must be on a new line)
               any other html codes you want them suppressed if fxx is empty
               <a href="webmaster@anything.com">Contact Webmaster for details</a>
               any other html codes you want them suppressed if fxx is empty
             check-display-!fxx- --> (must be on a new line)


    (O-9) Frequently Asked Questions and Separately Priced Add-Ons 

          Please visit the following links to learn more about our BizDB software:

          1. Possible Software Customizations - 
                http://www.cnctek.com/essential-support-data/possible-customizations.txt

          2. Separately Priced BizDB Add Ons - 
                http://www.cnctek.com/bizdb-html/
                Click the "Features" Image button at the top of the screen.

          3. Answers to the Frequently Asked Questions -
                http://www.cnctek.com/essential-support-data/database-solutions.txt

                ***Note*** Some answers are for our other software products such
                as "BizDB for Members", "ImageDB" and "ImageDB for Members". Without
                the relevant components, you cannot implement the specified features.


P.  Obtaining our Professional Installation Service at affordable rates

    The following schedules are for reference only. Please write to us to confirm
    before placing your order.

    (1) BizDB installation based on the sample online business directory templates
        (similar to our Online Demo site) - US$120
        (After the installation, you may modify/reconfigure the cgi scripts and html
         templates to meet your own needs. We trust that this will save you a lot of
         time.)

    (2) Customized BizDB configuration and installation - US$240
        Up to 15 user fields. Add US$60 for each additional 5 fields.
        We will try to match your site's style and background if we can.
        (If the design is sophisticated, we will request to charge more.)

    (3) You can also send your own Webpage designs to us. We will convert them into
        suitable templates and make all the interfaces working. This cost is roughly
        between US$120-US$160 depending on the complexity.

    (4) CGI Script Customization - Subject to the result of analysis of your change
        request. Will be charge at a rate of US$60/hour if the request is accepted.

    (5) Database conversion - Starting from US$120 subject to complexity.

    (6) Other installations (eg. BizDB Add-ons) - Will be available at affordable rates.

    *** All prices and rates quoted above are subject to change without prior notice.


Q.  Please Help Us to Help You

    Since the launch of our Web Database Website in 1998, we have already
    helped many small businesses to setup simple and easily manageable database
    oriented Websites. Most feedbacks are encouraging.

    Your constant support is important to us. So if you are happy with our
    software, please do us a favour by adding a link pointing to our site from
    your site.

       Title: BizDB Web Databases
       URL: http://www.cnctek.com/bizdb-html/
       Description: Collection of affordable and flexible Web database software
                    and search engine products.
       Banner: http://www.cnctek.com/cncban03.gif

    You can also send us the URL of your BizDB installation so that we can
    add it to our "Satisfied Customer Installations" list.

    

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Now you are on your online Web database business. Good Luck!


Best regards,
Webmaster
CNC Technology
Web Site Design, Hosting and Marketing Services