Database Application Front End

**Lennart** · Jun 27 '08, 07:21 PM

Re: Database Application Front End

On Jun 13, 5:27 pm, Nano <mhr...@gmail.c omwrote:

Hey,
>
I have been studying and working on databases for quite a time now. I
know quite a lot about databases. Now I have been assigned a project
where I have to build an application using the database. I know all
the work to be done with database. The cause of worry is front end of
the application. Since I have no expertise in any of the language I am
totally helpless, how to develop a good front end.
I know I can easily make a front end on MS Access but that do need MS
Access to be installed on every machine running the application which
seems to be impossible looking at the cost of Microsoft licenses.

I haven't tried myself, but open office (http://www.openoffice.org/)
is free and has similar functionality as MS Office

[...]

/Lennart

**Dave Hughes** · Jun 27 '08, 07:21 PM

Re: Database Application Front End

Lennart wrote:

On Jun 13, 5:27 pm, Nano <mhr...@gmail.c omwrote:

Hey,

I have been studying and working on databases for quite a time now.
I know quite a lot about databases. Now I have been assigned a
project where I have to build an application using the database. I
know all the work to be done with database. The cause of worry is
front end of the application. Since I have no expertise in any of
the language I am totally helpless, how to develop a good front end.
I know I can easily make a front end on MS Access but that do need
MS Access to be installed on every machine running the application
which seems to be impossible looking at the cost of Microsoft
licenses.

>
I haven't tried myself, but open office (http://www.openoffice.org/)
is free and has similar functionality as MS Office
>
[...]
>
/Lennart

I just tried out the forms functionality in the Base application in
OpenOffice.org. Rather rudimentary, but it does work - so that's
certainly a cheap option (and of course, OOo's got quite a bit of
scripting functionality - although last time I tried it back in 2.0 it
was rather flaky).

A few years ago I would've recommend Delphi [1] for this sort of thing
without hesitation. Okay, it's quite expensive and only supports
Windows (don't mention the CLX ;-), but it was an /excellent/
environment for building database front-ends.

Nowadays, I'd prefer to build a web front-end where possible (makes
roll-out, and the whole cross-platform question a lot simpler).
However, although there's plenty of frameworks out there to make
building database-backed webapps easier (myriad Python frameworks
[2][3][4][5], Zend [6], Rails [7], a whole slew of Java stuff, etc.,
etc.) I'd say it's still a good deal more complex to build a decent,
secure, cross-browser web app than it is to whip up a single-platform
front-end in Delphi (unsurprisingly ).

Given that you were thinking about Access I'm assuming a web front end
isn't what you're interested in anyway. So, I'd recommend you take a
look at the Lazarus project [8] - it's an open source reimplementatio n
of Delphi. Last time I checked it was still rather flaky on some
platforms, but it already had equivalents for most of Delphi's database
interface components (db-aware edit, listbox, checkbox, radiobutton,
grid, navigator, etc.), various connection components (MySQL,
PostgreSQL, Oracle, Interbase/Firebird, and ODBC IIRC), and
happily(ish) compiled GUI apps for Windows and Gnome.

Although I've never used it myself, I've also heard good things about
Visual FoxPro [9] (which can apparently build standalone apps which
access remote databases). It's being sunset [10], but perhaps that'll
just make it cheaper?

Also, there used to be something called DB2 Forms. Again, not something
I've ever used but it sounded like a quick'n'easy way to build
interfaces. Unfortunately I can't seem to find any trace of it -
perhaps it's been sunset and replaced by something else?

[1] http://www.codegear.com/products/delphi/win32
[2] http://pylonshq.com/
[3] http://www.djangoproject.com/
[4] http://turbogears.org/
[5] http://www.zope.org/
[6] http://framework.zend.com/
[7] http://www.rubyonrails.org/
[8] http://www.lazarus.freepascal.org/
[9] http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/vfoxpro/bb190288.aspx
[10] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visual_...Recent_history

Cheers,

Dave.

**The Boss** · Jun 27 '08, 07:21 PM

Re: Database Application Front End

Dave Hughes wrote:
<snip>

>
Also, there used to be something called DB2 Forms. Again, not
something I've ever used but it sounded like a quick'n'easy way to
build interfaces. Unfortunately I can't seem to find any trace of it -
perhaps it's been sunset and replaced by something else?

Not replaced but renamed to DB2 Table Editor (7 years ago ... ;o) )
IIRC it used to support only DB2 for zOS, but that seems not to be the case
anymore:

http://www-306.ibm.com/software/data/db2imstools/db2tools/db2te/

Cheers!

--
Jeroen

**Nano** · Jun 27 '08, 07:21 PM

Re: Database Application Front End

Thanks everyone for replying, this is sure a lot of help.

@Hughes:
I will surely be more happy with a web based front end but since I
didn't know any programing (ASP or ASP.Net) so thats why I was
hesitating. But if the programes mentioned can help me in my cause
then a web base front end would definately be the better. I will try
these and will et you know. Since I am novice in progrmaing so I am
looking for solution that is for begineers not the programers.

Thanks :)

Regards,
Hasnain

On Jun 14, 3:29 am, "The Boss" <use...@No.Spam .Please.invalid wrote:

Dave Hughes wrote:
>
<snip>
>
>
>

Also, there used to be something called DB2 Forms. Again, not
something I've ever used but it sounded like a quick'n'easy way to
build interfaces. Unfortunately I can't seem to find any trace of it -
perhaps it's been sunset and replaced by something else?

>
Not replaced but renamed to DB2 Table Editor (7 years ago ... ;o) )
IIRC it used to support only DB2 for zOS, but that seems not to be the case
anymore:http://www-306.ibm.com/software/data...b2tools/db2te/
>
Cheers!
>
--
Jeroen

Database Application Front End

Database Application Front End

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment