Setting up Web targets
A Web target provides the physical and management structure
for the folders and files within it. When you work with a Web target,
you do so within the context of a workspace. You must set up the
Web target before you can begin developing content. After you set
up a Web target, you can add new content, or content based on existing
files that you import.
You will complete the following tasks to produce most Web
targets:
- Create a Web target
- Modify Web target properties, configuring the Web
target to meet your Web environment delivery requirements - Set up connection profiles and the folder structure
for your files - Import existing files you want to use
- Create new Web pages with the Web page wizards and
the HTML editor - Add HTML elements and controls, including design-time
controls, to your Web pages using drag-and-drop programming - Write scripts that take advantage of the event-driven
infrastructure provided by the Web Target object model - Test your pages to make sure that they appear and
work as planned - Deploy your Web application to a production environment
where client browsers can access your Web site
Creating
a Web target
You create a Web target using the Web Site wizard, the PowerDynamo
Web Site wizard, or the JSP Target wizard. Creating a Web target
defines the folder structure for the target.
PowerDynamo Web Site wizard
You use the PowerDynamo Web Site wizard to create a database
Web site. If you want to set up a PowerDynamo file-based Web site,
you must use the Web Site wizard instead, and then run the Name
New Deployment Configuration wizard from the Target Properties dialog
box.
When you use the PowerDynamo Web Site wizard to create a Web
target, the wizard also creates a deployment configuration for the
target. The wizard provides default information (that you can modify
in the wizard or from the Target Properties dialog box) for the
new deployment configuration.
| Deployment information | What it is used for |
|---|---|
| Mapping prefix | The prefix identifies the part of the URL that immediately follows the server name. For example, for the URL http://www.my_company.com/MyWeb, “MyWeb” would be the mapping prefix. |
| ODBC data source and login information | To set up a new database Web site or to connect to an existing one. |
| Object model | The object model you want to use in your server scripts. If you write server scripts using the default Web Target object model, you can deploy the same content to several different servers. You can also choose not to use any object model. |
Target Properties dialog box
After you create
a Web target, you can modify the target properties and add deployment
and debugging configurations from the Target Properties dialog box.
You access the Target Properties dialog box from the pop-up menu
for a Web target in the System Tree. The Target Properties dialog
box for a Web site target has the following options for property
selections:
| On this page | Set these options |
|---|---|
| Options | The path of the Web target’s Source folder and Build folder. |
| Deploy | The local and remote deployment configurations for your target.You can also set the deployment priority of the various deployment configurations, create new deployment configurations, make changes to existing configurations, and remove deployment configurations. |
| Run (JSP targets) or Run/Debug (Web site targets) |
The start page for the target and the deployment configuration you want to use for running and debugging when you click the Run button from the PowerBar or select Run>Run Target from the PowerBuilder menu.For PowerDynamo targets, you can select whether to debug client or server scripts, and the location of the server you want to debug. |
| Database (Web site targets only) | The database profiles required by your Web site. |
To create
a Web target:
-
From an open workspace, select File>New.
or
In the Workspace tab of the System Tree, right-click
the workspace name, and select New from the pop-up menu. -
On the Target page of the New dialog box:
Click this wizard To create this JSP Target A JSP Web site that gets deployed to
Tomcat or EAServer.PowerDynamo Web Site A Web site that gets deployed to a PowerDynamo application
server using an ODBC database site type configuration.Web Site A Web site that gets deployed to ASP,
to the file system, or to PowerDynamo for any of its site type configurations
(including ODBC).The New Target wizard starts.
- Follow the instructions on the wizard pages.
Adding deployment and debugging configurations
After you
create a target, you can add deployment and debugging configurations and change settings
for the target from the property pages for the target. The Web Target
debugger works only with PowerDynamo deployment configurations.
You must add a deployment configuration before you can select a
debugging configuration.
For more information about deploying a Web target, see Chapter 11, “Building and Deploying
Web Targets”. For more information
on debugging a Web target, see Chapter 12, “Troubleshooting Web Targets”.
Local and target deployment configurations
Before you add a deployment configuration, you should decide
whether you want to create a test (local) configuration, a shared
or production (target) configuration, or both. You can deploy using
both types of configuration at the same time.
Local configurations are stored in your registry, while target
configurations are stored in the PBT file. PBT files with target
configurations can be shared in a source control system, but users
will have to make certain that any configuration paths, database
profiles, and target mappings have identical names on all machines
that use the source-controlled target configurations.
Multiple deployment configurations
You can add multiple deployment configurations to the list
of local or target configuration profiles. You can change the order
of the configurations in the list by using the wavy arrow keys above
the configuration list boxes. A check box next to each deployment
configuration in the list lets you select which of the configurations
you want to use the next time you deploy your Web target. When you
add a configuration, it is selected for deployment by default.
To add deployment and debugging configurations:
-
Right-click the Web target on the Workspace
tab of the System Tree. - Select Properties from the pop-up menu.
-
Click the Deploy tab, then click the Create New
Configuration button for a local or target deployment configuration.The Deploy page is one of four pages in the Properties dialog
box for a Web Site target. It is one of three pages in the Properties
dialog box for a JSP target.
The New Deployment Configuration wizard starts.
-
Follow the instructions in the New Deployment
Configuration wizard.After you click Finish on the last wizard page, the new deployment configuration
displays in one of the list boxes on the Deploy page of the Target
Properties dialog box. You can use the toolbar above the list box
to edit, delete, or change the order of the configurations in the
list. -
Click the Run (JSP target) or Run/Debug
(Web site target) tab, and select a start page for your Web target.You must give the complete URL, including the server name,
if you want to start your Web application from the design-time environment.
Choosing a URL If you use the Choose URL dialog box (URL picker) that you
access from the ellipsis button next to the Start Page field, only
the file name portion of the URL that you select is added to the
field. You must then type in the protocol, domain, and prefix portion
of the URL (before the file name in the Start Page field) to be
able to start the application from your design-time environment. -
For PowerDynamo targets, select the check boxes
for the types of scripts you want to debug.You can select client-side scripts, server-side scripts, or
both. If you select server-side scripts, you can select whether
you want to debug scripts on a local or a remote server. If you
select scripts on a remote server for debugging, you must provide
the machine name of the server. -
Select a deployment configuration that you want
to use for running or debugging.The deployment configurations you created for the current
Web target are available for selection from the Deploy Configuration
For Running (JSP targets) or Deploy Configuration For Running/Debugging
(Web site targets) drop-down list.
Importing files for an existing Web site
You can import folders
or multiple files into your Web target. If you want to use an existing
Web site as the starting point for development, you can import the
site into a Web target.
The site you import must be a file-based Web site. The folder
structure of the Web site becomes the folder structure in the Web
target. The Web target creates a map of the resources used by the
site and tracks the content, links, and components.
Once you have imported files or a complete Web site, you can
modify the content and organizational structure to suit your Web
application.
To import files or an existing Web site into a
Web target:
-
Right-click the Web target on the Workspace
tab of the System Tree. -
Select Import Files or Import Folder from the
pop-up menu. -
Select the files or the folder you want to import
and click OK or Open.
Defining connection profiles
If you plan to use database connections or EAServer connections,
you must define connection profiles for these types of connections:
| Profile type | Create for |
|---|---|
| Database connections | Database connections that your pages use directly, and connections to be used by Web DataWindow objects |
| Connections to EAServer | Components your application will access that are stored on the server |
You set up database connection profiles from the Tools>Database
Profile menu item. You can set up EAServer profiles either from
the Tools>EAServer Profile menu item or by right-clicking
anywhere on the Components tab of the System Tree.
For information on setting up these profiles, see Connecting
to Your Database
.