IDC - Internet Database Connector - Uses SQL to perform a query
HTX - HTML Extension Template - HTML template used to format the 
      query results (Actually, this extension can be anything.)

   Datasource:coe
   Template:Location.htx
   SQLStatement:SELECT LibraryLocation, 
   +Program , Format("date",'Long Date') as xx1,
   +Age, Registration, ProgramInformation
   +FROM "Calendar of Events"
   +WHERE "Calendar of Events".LibraryLocation='%LibraryLocation%';

   Datasource:Name of ODBC alias (may contain spaces)
   Template:Name of the template file - normally *.htx
   SQLStatement:SQL select statement,
   + additional lines must start with a plus sign
   + must end with semicolon; 

Format("date",'Long Date') as xx1

Any string which contains a space must be enclosed in double quotes, single quotes, or square brackets ([test this]). Which is used is currently just trial and error. If an MS Access query produces code with double quotes, and that code won't work, try changing them to single quotes. For instance, '%LibraryLocation%' is enclosed in single quotes because the data returned sometimes contains spaces.

An example of a query with embedded formatting HTML

   Datasource:coe
   Template:Location.htx
   SQLStatement:SELECT LibraryLocation, 
   +'<b>' & Program & '</b><br>
   +' & Format("date",'Long Date') & ', ' & Format("Time(beg)",'Medium Time') 
   + & ' ' & Format("Time(end)",'Medium Time') AS Dtime, 
   +Age, Registration, ProgramInformation
   +FROM [Calendar of Events]
   +WHERE [Calendar of Events].LibraryLocation='%LibraryLocation%';

Additional SQL examples are provided here.

• Form parameters are referenced as <%idc.fieldname%>
• IDC query results are referenced as <%fieldname%>
• The current record number is referenced as <%CurrentRecord%>
• Conditional processing is supported - <%if criteria%> ... <%else%> ... <%endif%>
  Use EQ GT LT GE LE NE CONTAINS - (case does not matter)
  (GE LE NE are not documented in IIS 2.0)
  Nesting may have problems. The 1st <%endif%> may cancel all the IF's.

<form action="dbf.idc" method="POST">
   <p><input type="submit" name="B1" value="Submit">
      <select name="city" size="1">
        <option selected>Denver</option>
        <option>Seattle</option>
        <option>Bufflo</option>
     </select>

</form>

   Datasource: odbc dbf test
   Template: dbf.htx
   SQLStatement: SELECT DISTINCT COMPANY, CITY
   +FROM CUSTOMER
   +WHERE(CITY = '%city%')
   +ORDER BY COMPANY, CITY

   <p><%idc.city%>
   <%begindetail%>
   <p><%city%> *** <%company%>

   <p>
   <%enddetail%>

<table border=1> <%begindetail%> <tr><td><%Shipper%> <td><%if ShipperPhone eq ""%> &nbsp; <%else%><%ShipperPhone%> <%endif%> <%enddetail%> </table>

Since returns and tabs are ignored by web browsers, it is strongly suggested that text fields in the database contain the necessary html code to format the data.

If you plan to develop pages on your local machine, load the Microsoft Personal Web Server which is free from Microsoft. It was originally about 700K. Support for Active Server Pages (ASP) adds another 20 Meg and includes VisualBasic and JavaScript interpreters. Unfortunately, Microsoft no longer provides the smaller 700K file.

For security reasons, web servers won't execute a file unless you tell the server that the file is executable. For the Microsoft servers, this is accomplished by running the Server Administration application. With the Personal Web Server, this is done by double clicking on the icon in the system tray. You need to Add a directory, Assign an alias, and make the directory Executable. Once this is done, the IDC and HTX files should be placed in that directory and referenced as http://serverName/alias/YourName.idc.

There are a number of additional security/permission problems related to getting IDC/HTX database access to work when using Windows NT. (Windows 95 does not have these problems ... but it also has no security :) Basicly, IIS does its work as IUSR_servername which needs full access to several sources including the database files and the system temporary directory. Details

• As part of his MS Access page, Lars M. Hansen has produced a very basic IDC/HTX tutorial. However, the Troubleshooting page is highly recomended (no longer available 07-10-04).
• An excellent IDC/HTX tutorial is included in Chapter 8 of the IIS 3.0 manual. IIS 2.0, Ch 8
• The World Wide Web Database Developer's Guide with Visual Basic® 5 contains good information on The IIS Internet Database Connector (IDC).
• I provide 2 additional pages - SQL examples and some raw notes.

URL: http:// cpcug.org / user / clemenzi / technical / HTML_Examples / IDC_HTX.htm