ASTROMARK FAQ

Q:  Does AstroMark invoke the browser or can I have a completely separate client side application that I distribute to my authorized customers?

Q:  How can I use buttons instead of Right-Click menu commands at run time?

Q:  In a multi-page application, how can I open the other pages at run time?

Q:  How do I connect to my database? I am using Microsoft Access.

Q:  Is AstroMark a Delphi component or add-in?

Q:  Can I create a form template and modify it for different pages?

Q:  Would AstroMark be suitable for small company use where the website is a virtual domain with a hosting company?

Q:  Is it okay to access a data table simultaneously from AstroMark and from LAN applications?

Q:  What scripting language does AstroMark use?

Q:  How much server-side programming is involved?

Q:  Can you derive from and customize classes within AstroMark?

Q:  Is there a way to create a banner ad?

Q:  Is AstroMark the same idea as Citrix and Windows terminal server? 

Q:  What are the maximum number of users AstroMark is currently supporting on a live system? 

Q:  I went to your site, requested a page and only saw 5 records.  Does that mean AstroMark can only load 5 records?

Q:  Can our users hide the AstroMark viewer and just use Netscape or IE to get to your forms?

Q:  Is AstroMark Viewer maintained by GenoTechs exclusively or can source code for the Viewer be purchased for user customization purposes?

Q:  What operating platforms does AstroMark support?

Q:  What Web servers does AstroMark support?

Q:  I am testing AstroMark but It keeps saying "Cannot find DBServer.db" or "Unknown Alias" when I try to run my application? 

Q: Why does AstroDesigner keep opening the Code Editor when I don't need it?

Q:  Why does AstroMark use the BDE? 

Q:  Does AstroMark invoke the browser or can I have a completely separate client side application that I distribute to my authorized customers?

A:  AstroMark has its own viewer which can be set up to be launched from an HTML browser (i.e. MSIE or Netscape) OR AstroMark can run completely independent--without any other browser.

After you distribute the AstroMark viewer to your clients, you do not need to distribute any other EXE.  The database pages which the user sees are retrieved from your web site and displayed using the AstroMark viewer.  If you make a change to the page, you only update the file on your web site and the clients will see the update the next time they access the site. 
 

A:  Most of the commands can be turned on or off in AstroDesigner at design time for a given page. First click on the page itself. In the Object Properties select MenuOptions and open the dialog. Here, you can check or uncheck the commands as desired. Then using the OnClick event of a button, you add the code, Example:

This code surfaces the Load Records menu command on a button.
Procedure Page1.Button1Click(Sender: TObject);
begin
   CustomerTable.LoadRecords;   //Add this line of code
end;

Here are the code syntax to add to the Onclick event of the button you want to use for each command. Use qualified names when object is in another page. 

ResetSize:  ResetSize; or PageName.ResetSize;
Release page:  Release; or PageName.Release;
Help:  PageHelp; or PageName.PageHelp;
Exit AstroMark Viewer: Terminate; or PageName.Terminate;
Hide AstroMark Viewer: HideViewer;
Show AstroMark Viewer: //There's no equivalent code;
Sort Records: DataSetName.SortRecords; //DataSetName is the query or table.
Refresh Records: DataSetName.ServerRefresh;
Load Records:  DataSetName.LoadRecords;
Find Records: DataSetName.FindRecords;
Submit Changes: //parameter of 1 means as one transaction
DataSetName.ApplyUpdates(0); or DataSetName.ApplyUpdates(1) ; 
Cancel Changes: DataSetName.CancelUpdates;
The rest of the commands cannot be surfaced on a button. 
 

A:  This code in the OnClick event of a button can be used to load a page to the client.

Procedure Page1.Button1Click(Sender: TObject);
begin
   If not  LoadPage( 'OrderFormPage.gti' ) then
       ShowMessage( 'Cannot load the page:  ''OrderFormPage.''' ); 
end;
 

There's a user guide in Acrobat PDF at: http://www.astromark.com/amuserguide.pdf

A:  AstroConverter and AstroProvider are Delphi components, for converting existing Delphi applications to web enabled GTI files but AstroDesigner is not a Delphi component or add-in.  It is a completely separate suite of tools consisting of a Development environment, Server, and thin-client Viewer.  However, because AstroMark's underlying language is WebPascal, it may be possible to cut and paste some Delphi procedures into AstroDesigner.

A:  Yes. Just create a page with all you want on your template including code.  Then make sure you save the page in a special AstroMark directory ~\Projects\Templates\PageTemps. Whenever a page is added from this directory to a project using Page | Add Page from the main menu, AstroDesigner treats it like a template and creates a copy of the page and its associated .gtc file. You can modify and rename the copy and save it in the current project's own directory.

A:  Yes.  Our demo site at Astromark.com has several domain names that are linked to the same site.  For example, the URLs, www.i-mark.com, www.linkserver.com, and www.astromark.com will take you to the same AstroServer.exe.  Each domain can have its own directory and unique set of web pages or use a common directory containing the same web pages if you so wish.

A:  Yes.  However, keep in mind that AstroMark will also run locally over your LAN as well as over the Internet, so you don't really need a separate LAN application.

A:  WebPascal.  It is a derivative of Object Pascal, much the same way as Java is a derivative of the C++ language.  WebPascal extends Object Pascal to make internet computing possible.  There are really very few changes and additions to the language.

A:  None.  All functionality needed for interfacing databases such as record insertions, deletions, modifications, SQL execution, stored procedures and triggers are already built into AstroServer.  However, if there is any special customization that you need, you are certainly free to develop such customization in any tool either as a DLL or separate EXE or CGI deployed where AstroServer could reach and execute the file.

A:  No. However, You can derive new classes in Delphi, or any other object oriented design tool, create an interface DLL or executable and install that with AstroServer. Then using the GetSpecialData function from AstroMark you can manipulate the properties and methods of instances of your class from a remote location.

We are evaluating the possibility of derived classes in AstroMark for future releases.  The main impediment, understandably, is that the viewer would somehow need to know about your new class. We have vowed not to apply any ActiveX or Java applets in order to avoid all their security pitfalls, so we are working on a new technology that enables us to dynamically incorporate customization while preserving the security features of AstroMark.

A:  Yes.  Use either the GTFlash or GTMarquee components to create a banner ad.

A:  We hear from other clients that the Citrix solution relies on passing mouse and keyboard events and getting screens back.  With AstroMark, all events can be safely handled at the client side without the high traffic back and forth (like with Citrix).  Also, once a screen is up it does not need to be recreated as does Citrix and DHTML. With AstroMark screens, only the data changes. 

A:  If AstroServer is purchased before December 31, 2000, there is no maximum limit for the number of concurrent users.  The number of  users  handled is largely determined by your bandwidth and server computer resources.  A key point, however, is that unlike many other web database solutions, AstroMark is stateless (i.e. NO persistent connection), so the server computer's resources are optimized, and thousands more clients can be served simultaneously. 

A:  Definitely not. 5 is the default. The application programmer determines at design time how many records he/she wishes to let the user load at a time.  Our demos show different maximum record values of between 5-1000 records, and you can set any value you want, bearing in mind that the more the slower the response time.  To get the complete database, one would right click the mouse, and select the "Load Records" menu item and click OK, and continue this until all records were retrieved. This command can be added directly to a page by the programmer.

If the programmer chose to, he/she could have all records from the database loaded at once.

A:  Yes.  The programmer can design the pages so that Astromark viewer is hidden and only the AstroPage appears.  Users can also use the popup menu item in AstroMark to hide the viewer at any time.  Links to AstroPages can be included in HTML pages so that when clicked, the link runs AstroMark and requests an AstroPage (If AstroMark is installed on your computer, here's an example. http://www.astromark.com/publicforum.gti)

A:  If I am correct, you are really asking if we are willing to license the underlying technology of AstroMark.  The answer is yes, we would consider a licensing arrangement, but AstroMark is not open source. The success of MS Windows OS is that it is not open source.

A:  Since Windows comprises over 90% of the Internet user market, this is the first platform to be released.  Next in line is the Unix environment closely followed by MacIntosh operating system for Apple computers.

A:  AstroServer can run alongside any other HTML web server without interference.  However, AstroServer can serve both HTML pages, AstroPages, and all their associated files, so a separate HTML server is not required

A:  This is one of the problems to be resolved soon. In the mean time, instead of closing the code editor when it pops up, just minimize it. It will stay out of your way while you drop components on the form. When you need it, just press F12, or double-click the object you want to add code to, or right-click the mouse over the page and select Code Editor. Any of these will open and show the Code Editor even if it is minimized.

A:  On the error "Unknown Alias".  For AstroPages containing database connections, AstroServer and LocalServer want's to know which databases they are allowed to access and what UserName and Password is required where applicable. To tell the server, select Utilities | Server Registration from main menu. Use the Database tab of AstroServer Configuration dialog window to set up the information for each different database you will be using.  This is a onetime setup. Once a database is registered here you never have to do it again if everything is the same. You can register as many different databases as you wish.  When you deploy your application to AstroServer, just copy the DBServer.db file to the server's home directory.  If the AstroServer is on a separate computer, make sure that the BDE and ODBC alias names used in the designing of the pages are available to AstroServer as well.  Use the Help button on the AstroServer Configuration window to learn how to setup a database and other configuration issues.

On the error "Cannot find DBServer.db", locate the file DBServer.db in your computer. Open a file called LocalServer.ini using Window's NotePad. Set the value of DatabasePath to point to the location of DBServer.db. If this fails send us email to get the LocalServer.dll that uses AstroServer.ini to locate DBServer.db. No we don't want to use Windows Registry for this.

A:  AstroMark's use of the BDE makes it easy for any database type to be used on the development and server side.  AstroMark can also use your ODBC connections setup in Windows to directly connect to a database without the BDE. AstroMark has a thin client database on the client side that requires no BDE.  Web pages created with AstroDesigner do not require the developer to create an installation package (like with LAN applications), so you need not worry about deploying the BDE to the client.  After all, a true internet application is one where the developer only needs to deploy the application once to the server computer.  When changes are made, you simply replace the affected pages at the server side only.  AstroServer takes charge from that point to the client side.

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Last Update: 9/21/2002