and
http://www.bwbeach.com/marketan.htm

max at bodoin dot com

edit: and I don't need cash.

[ 04-21-2005: Message edited by: Mad Max ]

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Here are a few more details.

Do I need physical access to the server? if so this may not work. I'm hosted with a cheap $4.00 a month account with www.godaddy.com

Idealy I'd like the forms to post to the database and keep records of who visited, at what time, from where, email address, home address, what if any comments or questions they left etc...

Then I'd like a web interface that would allow me to look at and sort all of the retrieved data.

Right now my forms are posting like this

But I don't have 3 million dollars.

Or even $300,000

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quote:

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Originally posted by doublefresh:
Ok,

Here are a few more details.

Do I need physical access to the server? if so this may not work. I'm hosted with a cheap $4.00 a month account with www.godaddy.com

Idealy I'd like the forms to post to the database and keep records of who visited, at what time, from where, email address, home address, what if any comments or questions they left etc...

Then I'd like a web interface that would allow me to look at and sort all of the retrieved data.

Right now my forms are posting like this

Form2mail.php is a script I borrowed that just mails the info back to me.

In all honesty I doubt I'll be getting more than 4 or 5 replys through the web each week so the database it not really needed yet, but in the future it may recieve 20 or so a week and at that point the database would become helpful for keeping track of things.

My question, how easy is it to set up mysql? Is it something I can just upload to the server or do I need physical access?

I don't have much experience with databases. Is it pretty easy to use?

Are there other options that would work better than PHP and sql?

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There are other options but not many as easy / cheap as PHP & MySQL. You may want to consider switching hosts. I use LunarPages (recommendation from here) and it's only $7.95 / month with a bunch of features including PHP and MySQL (you need to add a buck here and there for additional stuff but it's still very competitive (lots of storage (up to 3Gb) and bandwidth (up to 40Gb)). If your current host does not support MySQL I don't think you want to go throught he headaches of uploading and configuring it yourself (that's if they even give you the privs to do that in the first place).

Tracking user posted data, storing it in a database and then viewing it after the fact is really easy. We can talk about that after you have figured out what host you are going to use.

Ease of use? I use PHPMyAdmin, I think that's it's correct name, and it provides a GUI interface to MySQL making everything nice and easy. alternatively you can access it through a command line but that's more painful. As far as databases go it's fairly easy to use. There are the usual nuances that you come across when you try and write SQL statements e.g. what works in Oracle might not work in SQL Server might not work in DB2 might not work in MySQL, etc.

I can post some sample code a little later.

[ 04-22-2005: Message edited by: Mad Max ]

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I'd be happy with just a few good links to pre-written code that I can modify. I don't want to re-invent the wheel.

We can do PHP/MYSQL on your server or I can host it for you on mine with ASP and MSSQL.

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There is nothing there yet.

mysql37.secureserver.net
MySQL Active doublefresh 0MB 4/23/2005

I get a promp to

# Create new table on database
With a NAME and FIELDS boxes.

I guess I have to create a table before I do anything else.

E-mail me for user name and password.

mike@building-zone.com

Cheers, Max

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Let me go back and check.

I tried out the sample on the page and it's pretty cool.

I did a view source and saw this

Sample PHP / MySQL for Mike

Name
Address
City
State
Zip

Previously entered data...

EDIT : look for a mail with this heading:
PHP and MySQL example

I sent it from my work account i.e. skillsoft.com

[ 04-28-2005: Message edited by: Mad Max ]

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