Web Index Tool

What is Web Index Tool?

In DM2003 almost all types of files, including data files, desktop files, notes, scripts and HTML applications may be downloaded from the remote servers via HTTP or FTP protocols. However, standard Open File dialog box allows to browse only local file system and network shares, while folders on web servers cannot be browsed. Hence, for comfortable work with remote content users need special tools.

For example, let's suppose that you would like to store a group of data files on web server to share your work with people outside local network. To open data files in DM2003, you have to enter URL of the file:

It would be much more convenient to click hyperlinks instead of typing URLs, as in usual web pages. Primary purpose of Web Index Wizard is to create such web pages automatically.

How to make and use Web Index?

First you need to open Script Editor and run HTML Wizard (Help | Wizards | HTML Wizard). Select "Web Index page" from application type combo box, and click "Next" to select data files as shown on the screenshot below:

1. Enter file mask (as in the standard Open File dialog) and click button to select folder with data files;
2. In the list of files you can uncheck items to exclude them from the index.

Click OK button to place HTML code of the page into the Script Editor and save this file, then upload your data files, their descriptions (metadata) and index page on some folder on the server. Web server interprets files named index.htm or default.htm as "default" document, so you need to provide only domain and path:

http://www.datamaster2003.com/samples

Typically you will open index page in the Browser window. As you can see, it looks like simplified version of Data Browser:

1. Files table displays files and allows you to show file details and load file into the DM2003 workspace. When you click somewhere in the table row, you select appropriate element; by clicking hyperlink you can load file.



2. File details allows you to display MetaBase information for selected data file (if any). Metadata for data files stored in the separate files (these files have the same name as data files but another extension - *.txt by default). Another way to display MetaBase records is to use property pages interface: select File | Properties command in the DM2003 or file manager application. In addition, for data files you can select X and Y columns: in this scenario, Web Index application will plot data when you click hyperlink to load data file.

Keep in mind that file names must be composed from the following set of characters: 'A'..'[', 'a'..'~', '0'..'9', ' ', '_', '-', '+', ']', '^', '.', '=', '(', ')'. You should avoid using characters of national alphabets because these characters are not URL-compatible, and some web servers can't handle such file names. Also remember that URLs may be case-sensitive on some systems.