Old Problem Revisited (Full Version)

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Aelaron -> Old Problem Revisited (6/8/2004 17:39:52)

Hello everyone.......

I have recently taken on the joy of trying to self teach myself how to create web pages that provide an interface to a database. I have some familiarity with front page and have used it in the creation of static webpages. I have never worked with a database and am trying to learn to interface with a SQL 2000 database.

My issue is one that seems to be a common one, and that is the dreaded "Database Results Error - database connection undefined".

I found this forum in a search for a solution to this error. I have reviewed the original post regarding this topic and tried all of the suggestion provided there to include rebuilding my web, reverifying the database connection through the tools menu on frontpage, and trying to use the fpselect.asp file to try and identify the problem.

However, when I use the fpselect.asp file I downloaded from the other thread as well as the version off the microsoft website, I get the following message:

Global.asa successfully fired
The global.asa that was fired is inside of this Web.
This means that this Web is an application root.

Microsoft VBScript runtime error '800a0005'

Invalid procedure call or argument: 'Mid'

/fpselect.asp, line 41

So I counted the lines in this asp file and that line states:

"strConnect = Mid(strConnect, 16, intConLen - 2)"

I have tried to work with my server's IT support and the administrator for my webserver seems to be as new at this as I am.

Any help in either getting the fpselect.asp file to run or a solution to my database connection issue would be appreciated.

Thanks!

JB



Spooky -> RE: Old Problem Revisited (6/8/2004 18:02:43)

Could you also post the values of the variables?

eg :intConLen, strConnect

It just seems to be the actual connection string you are having problems with?



Aelaron -> RE: Old Problem Revisited (6/8/2004 18:22:27)

How do I find out what the values of those variables are?



Spooky -> RE: Old Problem Revisited (6/8/2004 18:36:12)

Ok, so its actually the test file that fails?

What happens if you use this code in a blank asp page?

(Save it as "test.asp" for example) 

<%
Response.Write("<P>APPLICATION VARIABLES: There are "& Application.Contents.Count & "<br>")
Response.Write("-------------------------<br>")
   For Each strName in Application.Contents
     If IsArray(Application(strName)) then
       For iLoop = LBound(Application(strName)) to UBound(Application(strName))
          Response.Write "   <b>" & strName & "(" & iLoop & ")</b> - " & Application(strName)(iLoop) & "<BR>"
       Next
     Else
       Response.Write  "   <b>" & strName & "</b> - " & Application.Contents(strName) & "<BR>"
     End If
Next
%>



Aelaron -> RE: Old Problem Revisited (6/8/2004 18:44:23)

When I use that code in a blank ASP page I get:

"APPLICATION VARIABLES: There are 0"

JB



Spooky -> RE: Old Problem Revisited (6/8/2004 18:50:38)

Ok, that suggests to me the web is not marked as an application.
Do you have a file called global.asa in the root directory?

If so, your host needs to enable the web as an application.

If not, what happens when you "import" a database into your website "live" ?



Aelaron -> RE: Old Problem Revisited (6/8/2004 18:57:27)

Yes I have a global.asa in the root directory.

I am not quite sure what you mean by the term "import" a database. As well as the term "live".

The method described in the link "live" takes me to, is how I have currently been working with my database. I open my web via the http:// path that I would use in a browser.

Could that be my problem? I am beginning to think I might be chewing off more than I can swallow.

JB



DesiMcK -> RE: Old Problem Revisited (6/8/2004 19:19:38)

I know how you feel about chewing more than you can swallow. I regularly fell like that. But stick with it. The guys here will lead you through it. They are ace!! Just ensure that you post all the details you can and don't be afraid to admit to ignorance - I do it all the time. This site has taught me so much that I could not ever quantify.

Stay with it,

Desi



cliffdeen -> RE: Old Problem Revisited (6/8/2004 19:31:41)

It would be a lot easier on you if you were using Frontpage and Access to create your web site and establish a connection. You can use Access as the "Frontend" to the SQL Database - this will help you create the queries you need to grab the data from the tables. After those queries are created, then you can use frontpage to establish the database connection for each page you create and then gather and post the data to the web page by using those queries via a database region "link" on the web page. With these two tools you can accomplish quite a bit for a web site that accesses and updates a db. In addition, with frontpage you can look at the code it generates to get the information and display it, which will help you learn how html can work for you.

Good Luck

cliff



Spooky -> RE: Old Problem Revisited (6/8/2004 20:33:35)

Open a new asp page for editing (With your site live in frontpage) and try this.

Insert > database > results > and use the sample database.
Just create a default "DRW" to see if the results are displayed.



Aelaron -> RE: Old Problem Revisited (6/8/2004 21:03:17)

First off.....

Cliffdeen offered up:

quote:

It would be a lot easier on you if you were using Frontpage and Access to create your web site and establish a connection. You can use Access as the "Frontend" to the SQL Database - this will help you create the queries you need to grab the data from the tables. After those queries are created, then you can use frontpage to establish the database connection for each page you create and then gather and post the data to the web page by using those queries via a database region "link" on the web page. With these two tools you can accomplish quite a bit for a web site that accesses and updates a db. In addition, with frontpage you can look at the code it generates to get the information and display it, which will help you learn how html can work for you.


I have no clue what you just suggested here. I understand the terms of front end and so forth, but my history with any sort of database is nil. I had been directed to the SQL Database because my IT doesn't support Access databases. I had initially tried to do everything in Access, but when I got this same error, I was told that my IT group would not help because they don't support Access.

Secondly.....

Spooky recommended:

quote:

Open a new asp page for editing (With your site live in frontpage) and try this.

Insert > database > results > and use the sample database.
Just create a default "DRW" to see if the results are displayed.


I did this and get the same Database not defined error as when I try to query my own database.

Thanks again for your directional assistance,

JB



Spooky -> RE: Old Problem Revisited (6/8/2004 21:08:48)

This is a Windows server?



Aelaron -> RE: Old Problem Revisited (6/8/2004 23:54:36)

I don't know if it's a windows server. I'll have to ask that question. I assume so, but don't know for sure.

JB



Spooky -> RE: Old Problem Revisited (6/9/2004 1:06:01)

quote:

I was told that my IT group would not help because they don't support Access


It makes me wonder :-)

With Frontpage open live, go tools > Site (or web) Settings > and you should see the server info



Aelaron -> RE: Old Problem Revisited (6/9/2004 10:13:44)

Web settings says:

FrontPage Srever Extensions version 4.0.2.7802

Server version Microsoft-IIS/5.0

JB



Spooky -> RE: Old Problem Revisited (6/9/2004 15:43:31)

I think go back first and find out why they dont support Access and if they do support global.asa
If they need you to use SQL server, then they should be more helpful with the setup [&o]
The global.asa is really the key if you want to use 'wizard' based databases. Otherwise it becomes custom asp.

It sounds as if you host your own web / intranet server via your company? hopefully that will make support calls easier



Aelaron -> RE: Old Problem Revisited (6/10/2004 13:21:26)

As for Access, they just don't support the technical aspects of using it. I did have everything in an access database, but was having trouble getting form submissions to get in the database. I was getting an "unable to open object" error when I would submit the form.

I escalated to my IT and they said it had something do to with the permissions on the web. So they would fix them. Once they "fixed" them I got the "Database undefined error".

I escalated to my IT again and they said that since I was using Access they couldn't help me. That my problem should be resolved if I switch to SQL Server since that is what is supported by my IT.

OK, so I switch everything over to this SQL Server and still have the same issue. Database undefined.

I escalate to my IT again and this is what I get:

quote:

I reviewed the issue that you are having. To have a form that connects to a SQL server you would need to add the supporting ASP code. Do you know how to write ASP code? Host does not support coding issues because we are not staffed to support code.


I really don't think that this is a coding issue given that I can't even connect to the sample database that you had me test before. This is becoming a very frustrating experience.

Thanks for all your helpful suggestions.

JB



dpf -> RE: Old Problem Revisited (6/10/2004 13:41:09)

I sure don't miss working for large orgainzations and IT dept's..<smile>



Spooky -> RE: Old Problem Revisited (6/11/2004 0:25:12)

What did they say when you asked about marking the web as an application?



Aelaron -> RE: Old Problem Revisited (6/11/2004 11:20:53)

I haven't gotten a response to that. As I am away from the office and have only been communicating by e-mail. I will let you know what happens once that part has been done.

JB



Aelaron -> RE: Old Problem Revisited (6/12/2004 16:07:12)

OK....here's the current status of things:

I got a personal web set-up on another server and used Frontpage2003, I was using FrontpageXP, to setup a database results page and data entry form that uses an Access database and one that uses a SQL 2000 database and all work perfectly.

I informed my IT to take a look at the settings on my personal web and see where the differences are compared to my business web. They said that they have made both of them match exactly.

This should answer the application question right? I'm not so sure.

Anyway, I got to my business web and remove all my current database connections and global.asa in an attempt to start from scratch as I did on my personal web.

No luck. When frontpage attempts to save the global.asa file to the root of my business web it gets an error stating: "The folder "/" is marked as executable. This will not allow saving files in to this folder".

Does this error shine any light on the problem?

Is marking a root executable the same as marking it as an application?

Thanks in advance for the assistance.

JB



Spooky -> RE: Old Problem Revisited (6/12/2004 16:12:17)

If you right click > properties on the root folder of your web in Frontpage, does it look like this?

[image]local://upfiles/909/6E44272D55F7421FB6FC7B7C90BC71EA.jpg[/image]



BeTheBall -> RE: Old Problem Revisited (6/12/2004 16:49:57)

<my 2 cents>

Tell the IT dept. to open IIS Manager, right-click your site and choose properties. They then should click the "Properties" tab.

They will see the screen below. If the button in the circled area says "Create", then they need to click it to mark the web as an application.

[image]local://upfiles/5648/BE7D36C9F2BB41E7ADCFCAD3E98B7036.gif[/image]

</my 2 cents>



Spooky -> RE: Old Problem Revisited (6/12/2004 16:55:21)

quote:

Is marking a root executable the same as marking it as an application?

No, as above



Aelaron -> RE: Old Problem Revisited (6/12/2004 21:20:34)

Spooky -

No it doesn't look like the image you submitted. Since I don't have 50 posts, I can't upload an image of what it looks like. The difference is that the "Allow programs to be run" box is checked.

JB



BeTheBall -> RE: Old Problem Revisited (6/12/2004 21:29:36)

You cannot tell if the web is marked as an application via FrontPage. Have IT check it via IIS as I mentioned above.



Aelaron -> RE: Old Problem Revisited (6/13/2004 7:32:25)

Bethebal-

I will check when I am back at work. I was just answering Spooky's question since it's something I can do from home.

JB



BeTheBall -> RE: Old Problem Revisited (6/13/2004 14:13:55)

No problem. I feel your pain. When I first began doing ASP pages, I finally had to grab an old desktop machine, install IIS and conduct hours of research on folder permissions and othe issues. Then I had to call IT and tell them everything they had done wrong with the web server. Following my directions, they finally got everything fixed. Keep in mind, at the time these people were making twice as much money as I was. Luckily, now all I have to do is tell them to create the application and I send a copy of the above picture in case they have somehow forgotten. [8D]



Aelaron -> RE: Old Problem Revisited (6/14/2004 15:25:04)

Betheball -

I just completed a net meeting with the IT tech and insured that the root is flagged as an application via your attachment.

One thing that I noticed was that your IIS properties box has only 6 TABs where as the IIS properties box for my web folder has 9 TABs.

As mentioned earlier, I have been able to get all my database functions to work on my personal server hosted by the same IT. The IIS properties box is identical to the picture you provided.

I have left my IT to figure out what their problem is regarding my business web. I can begin my work on my personal web and import the work in to my business web once they get their act together.

Thanks again for your assistance,

JB



BeTheBall -> RE: Old Problem Revisited (6/14/2004 15:32:55)

Personally, I have never seen this work, but have you tried the fix here:

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;292628



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