About the DataWindow plug-in
The DataWindow plug-in lets you display a Powersoft report
(PSR) on a Web page viewed in a browser that supports Netscape plug-ins.
A PSR file contains a report definition (source and object)
as well as the data contained in the report when the PSR file was
created. Because its data is saved with it, a PSR file does not
require a database connection, but the data is static and cannot
be refreshed.
Supported browsers
The DataWindow plug-in requires use of a Web browser that
supports Netscape plug-ins, such as the Netscape browser and Microsoft
Internet Explorer versions 3 through 5.5 Service Pack 1.
Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.5 Service Pack 2 and later versions
do not support Netscape plug-ins. If you are using the Enterprise
or Professional edition of PowerBuilder, you can use the DataWindow
Web control for ActiveX to display a PSR in Internet Explorer. For
more information, see the DataWindow Programmer’s
Guide
.
Security
There are no security issues for the DataWindow plug-in. It
does not run any local applications and it does not write local
files unless the user explicitly chooses to save the report locally.
The DataWindow plug-in displays PSR files only. PSR files
are read-only, so there is no need for a secure version of the DataWindow
plug-in.
Restrictions
The PSR cannot use the RichText presentation
style.
How the DataWindow plug-in works
The DataWindow plug-in displays a PSR with its data and formatting
as it was previewed and saved from the Report painter, DataWindow
painter, DataWindow control, or DataStore. The PSR displays all
the formatting in the DataWindow or report object, including rotated
text, colored text, shading, or edit styles like check boxes or
radio buttons.
The data is a report–there is no data entry or database
access.
A pop-up menu in the Web browser lets the client print the
report or save it in several formats. If clients save the report
as a local PSR file, they can view it in InfoMaker, which has more
tools for searching, filtering, and sorting the data.
The DataWindow plug-in implements the Netscape plug-in API
and requires a browser that supports this API (for information,
see “Supported browsers”).
Client-server interactions, in detail
Table 32-1 describes
in detail what happens between the client and server when the user
views an HTML document containing a DataWindow plug-in.
| Step | What the client does |
How the server responds |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Web browser requests the HTML document from the server |
The server sends a header identifying the document’s MIME type (text/html) |
| 2 | The browser receives the MIME type and prepares to receive an HTML document |
The server sends the HTML document |
| 3 | The browser receives the HTML document and displays it |
— |
| 4 | The browser recognizes the Embed element, reserves space for the plug-in on the page, and requests the PSR file from the server |
The server sends a header identifying the PSR’s MIME type (application/data window) |
| 5 | The browser receives the MIME type and prepares to receive a PSR file |
The server sends the PSR file |
| 6 | The Web browser receives the PSR file | — |
| 7 | The browser searches its Plugins directory for the DLL that corresponds to the MIME type (application/data window) |
— |
| 8 | The Web browser loads the plug-in DLL and displays the PSR file |
— |
Requirements
Each client that will browse pages containing DataWindow plug-ins
needs the DataWindow plug-in DLL installed on the local machine.
Name and location
The name of the DataWindow plug-in DLL is NPDWE100.DLL.
PowerBuilder installs it in the PowerBuilder 10.0Internet
ToolsPlugins directory.
Installing and configuring the DataWindow plug-in
The DataWindow plug-in is not installed on your computer if
you select the Typical setup type when you install PowerBuilder.
You can install the plug-in by running a custom installation of
PowerBuilder and checking the Web Plugins box on the Select Components
page. Click the Change button on that page to select the plug-ins
and controls you want to install. This section describes setup tasks
that you may need to perform after installing
the plug-in.
Installation location
The DataWindow plug-in is installed in the PowerBuilder 10.0Internet ToolsPlugins directory.
The PowerBuilder installation program might also install a copy
of the plug-in in your Web browser’s Plugins directory
if you have Netscape installed.
If you have no browser installed or the installation program
did not find the browser, you need to install the Netscape Web browser
and then copy or move the plug-ins to your browser’s Plugins directory.
Current versions of Microsoft Internet Explorer do not support plug-ins.
Developing and deploying a DataWindow plug-in
What you do
There are four main tasks involved in displaying a PSR in
the DataWindow plug-in.
To display a PSR in the DataWindow plug-in:
-
Save a PSR file.
-
Create an HTML page that embeds the DataWindow
plug-in. -
Configure the Web server by registering the appropriate
content type (MIME type) and copying the HTML page and PSR files
to appropriate directories. -
On all client workstations, install the DataWindow
plug-in DLL.
Resulting components
When everything is set up, the various computers will have
the components listed in Table 32-2.
| Computer | Component |
|---|---|
| Server | MIME type application/data window registered for the file extension PSR |
| HTML page with an Embed element for the PSR |
|
| PSR file | |
| Client | DataWindow plug-in DLL in the browser’s Plugins directory and supporting DLLs |
What’s next
The rest of this chapter describes the four steps for displaying
a PSR in the DataWindow plug-in:
- Saving a Powersoft
report (PSR) - Creating an HTML page
- Setting up the Web server
- Setting up users’ workstations