Automating Web Databases with SimpleDB
A Free Tool for Database Development
By Paul Helinski
Whether you are a graphic designer, a small businessperson, or an IS programmer, you're eventually going to find that your Web site needs a database. The chances are also good that you don't want the expense and infrastructure of a full-blown SQL project. The utility I present here, called SimpleDB, might be your answer. It keeps its entries in a simple text file delimited by tab characters, and can be administrated entirely from the Web through simple add, edit, and delete forms. It's also fully searchable and can be used on any UNIX or NT Web server running Perl 5. (Also see "
Online".)
I presented this utility in a recent book to set up an auto-parts database with radiators, bumpers, and water pumps. That's what I would call a "products" database. Here, I'm going create a singles Web site where people can search for a mate by age and gender. I'll explain the installation, limitations, and uses for different types of applications, including a products database, as we go. The possibilities for using SimpleDB are endless, with very little hacking required.
Getting Started
The project files for this example are available electronically (see "Source Code Availability" on page 3) and include six CGI programs. If you're running on UNIX, edit the first line in each of these files to match the location of Perl 5 on your system.
