Web and Database Programming: Database Content Management

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Web and Database ProgrammingDatabase Content
Management

• David Goldfeder
• Web and Database Specialist
• Mechanical and Industrial Engineering

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Objectives

• To understand what constitutes a database driven
  web site.
• To understand the requirements of such a web
  site.
• To analyze the preparatory steps necessary in
  designing such a site.
• To discuss different content management
  techniques available to site administrators.
• To analyze database driven content management.

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What is a database driven site?

• Definition a database driven site is one where
  some or all of the content of the site is stored
  within a database for retrieval when requested by
  the client.
• Requirements
• Web server
• Server-side programming language
• Database

1.1 (4)
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Normal Site Operation

• Client requests a page.
• Server locates page.
• Server processes server-side script.
• Server returns requested page to client.
• Page is displayed to client.

1.2 (4)
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Database Driven Site Operation

• Client requests a page.
• Server locates page.
• Server requests content from database.
• Database returns content to server.
• Server processes content.
• Server processes server-side script.
• Server returns requested page to client.
• Page is displayed to the client.

1.3 (4)
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Database Driven Site Operation
1.4 (4)
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Requirements

• Web Server
• Server Side Programming Language
• Database Technology

2.1 (4)
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Requirements Server Side Programming Language

• Language choice should be driven by the
  preference of the programmers.
• Only real requirement is the ability of the
  language to communicate with the chosen database
  technologies.
• Some communication can be performed via Open
  Database Connection Protocols (ODBC)
• Other languages provide optimized libraries (i.e.
  PHP with the mysql and mysqli extensions).

2.2 (4)
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Requirements Database

• Like the programming language, database
  technology decisions are driven by the preference
  of the programmers.
• Database should be compliant with SQL standards
  and provide the ability to set foreign keys
  within a table (a.k.a. relationships).
• Stored procedures, triggers, views, etc. are
  nice, but not necessarily required for a site
  with lower throughput.

2.3 (4)
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Requirements Database

• Necessity of a separate data server determined by
  demand. There are arguments on both sides of
  this issue
• Data server can be made more secure than a web
  server, thus protecting the data.
• Database becomes more scalable on its own machine
  and receives a greater portion of processing
  power.
• Transmission time between machines can impact
  response to client on pages with a large amount
  of queries.
• Two machines to maintain rather than one.
• Cost becomes a factor when purchasing more than
  one server-quality machine.

2.4 (4)
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Database Driven Site Design

• Database drives the content, not the layout.
• Consider where the database hooks will be
  necessary during design process.
• Ability to use programmatic server includes
  becomes helpful in separating content sections
• Decide early the amount of database content that
  will be used to display that page.

3.1 (8)
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Distributed Content Management

• Definition a system which allows the content
  experts to create the data (content) for each
  page while the programmers focus on the display
  of these data.
• Databases can provide the repository for the data
  that the experts create.
• How do the experts put the data in the database?
• How do the programmers retrieve said data for
  display?

3.2 (8)
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Paradigm Shift

• In a database driven content management system,
  there is only one file per type of layout.
• For example, if you have a splash page and a
  content page, you might only need two files to
  run the whole site.
• This does not include the administrative tools
  that are written to allow content experts access
  to the databases.

3.3 (8)
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Layout Type Splash Page
3.4 (8)
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Layout Type Content Page
3.5 (8)
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Layout Type Content Page
3.6 (8)
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Layout Type Content Page
3.7 (8)
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Design Concerns

• Dont do safe design just because the
  programming is complex. Let the programmer make
  it happen.
• In other words, design first, then program.
  Otherwise, programming concerns could trump
  layout/interface design.
• Programming concerns are only concerns for
  programmers.
• Layout and interface directly influence the way
  people work and access your site. Theyre job
  should be easy, the programmer can drink more
  coffee!

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Content Management Techniques

• Apply dynamic template onto static pages
• Include static content into dynamic template
  (a.k.a. Fusebox)
• XML/XSL
• Database Content Repository
• Each of these can be a distributed content
  management system. The distributed part is
  determined by who controls the content, not the
  technique used to manage that content.

4.1 (5)
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1. Apply dynamic template

• One of the most common management techniques.
• Allows anyone to create the static pages and then
  the programmers to apply the necessary look and
  feel to them.
• Example Dreamweaver templates

4.2 (5)
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2. Include static content

• This technique is often called Fusebox.
• Essentially, there is one page, called the box
  which controls the layout.
• Then, any files which are displayed in that
  layout are included into the box. These are the
  fuses.
• Truly separates content and display by putting
  them in different files.
• Content experts can create fuses while the
  programmers worry about the box.

4.3 (5)
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3. XML/XSL

• Similar to Fusebox would be to make the XSL
  transformation the box and the XML files the
  fuses.
• XML can be created from many applications,
  including MS Office.
• Software can help a person make well-defined XML
  files.

4.4 (5)
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4. Database Content Repository

• But, why do you need so many files?
• If you have a box into which you can plug fuses,
  put the fuses in the database.
• Often requires very few files for the public
  site.
• However, the content management files for
  getting the content in to the database make up
  the lions share of the system.
• Dynamic form builders can come in handy for
  making new content on the fly.
• More likely, however, the programmers will
  probably be creating a number of web forms which
  handle different types of content.

4.5 (5)
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DB Content Repository Needs

• Depend on the layout and content of your site.
• Most common database needs are
• Page table this can be as simple as the page
  title and an identifier (page_id)
• Menu table using the page_id, look up the
  necessary menu information
• Content table textual and graphical content on
  a page maintaining the page_id relationship with
  the other two tables.

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How does the Content Expert interact with the
Database?

• Answer web forms.
• Programmer can create an authenticated system
  where content experts can access the existing
  page information and change it as necessary
  365/24/7.
• Downside this does impose a certain amount of
  conformity between pages. Any page that upsets
  the status-quo (i.e. calendars, contact pages,
  etc.) usually needs its own form.
• Upside content experts never need to touch
  software like Dreamweaver, they just use a web
  browser.

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How Many Web Forms?

• Depends on the number of different page types.
  Some common forms are
• List of links
• Paragraphs with headers
• News articles
• Events and/or event calendars

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But what about the HTML?

• If content experts enter their data into web
  forms, how do these data end up as a web page?
• Answer server side programming and form
  validation.
• Form validation for each type of content form
  creates the necessary HTML and then saves it in
  the database.

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But what about the HTML?

• Content experts could enter HTML directly into
  the web form.
• This creates the possibility of a site
  vulnerability called a Cross Site Scripting (XSS)
  attack.
• Someone would have to break into the
  authenticated system to perform the attack.
• Somewhat defeats the purpose of the management
  tool, which was to remove HTML concerns from the
  content experts in the first place.

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Example Nano-CEMMS

• http//dev.nano-cemms.uiuc.edu/

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What if

• the content expert needs a list, or a link, or
  an image, or an
• If youre allowing HTML and the experts know what
  to do, this can solve the problem.
• More likely, though, this isnt a viable solution.

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What if

• Client side solution
• JavaScript can often be leveraged to provide the
  ability to enter lists and links so that expert
  doesnt have to worry about the HTML involved.
• Example
• Downsides
• can only add information to the end of the
  content.
• if HTML is blocked in form processes (to protect
  against bad markup) then you need a different
  markup (like BBCode) to control your display.
• Not WYSIWYG
• Could use pop-up interface windows to provide
  similar functionality, to solve many of these
  downsides, as long as the visitor allows you to
  pop a window, of course

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What happens when theweb form isnt enough?

• If possible, make a new web form. Some problems
  can be solved by making a new tool for the
  content experts.
• Could allow a WYSIWYG editor via Java or perhaps
  even Flash.
• Example Editize
• Problem with these is that they could be slow and
  require a plug-in which may not be available.
• Many, Editize included, can accept copy/paste
  from Word and other applications, however.

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Do database content management solutions it
really help?

• How does all this back-end processing help save
  time for the programmers?
• Depends on the environment
• A site with a team of dedicated programmers and
  content experts may have available workers to
  avoid this type of system.
• A smaller site without a dedicated web programmer
  cant always wait for one to be available.
  Content has to go online as soon as possible.

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