Topic: wanna add database interactivity withyout using php to flash project

Yo guys new question! I'm making a simple cbt in Flash MX right for a pal and I need to put some database interactivity. Its nothing very complex just that users register themselves before proceeding to use the cbt.

The database will store basic stuff like username, password, and progress & last page visited( the last page visited will hold a numericla value corresponding to the last frame the user was on when exiting the application ). The thing is that how do I implement this without turning it into a web based system i.e. without using PHP asp etc. By using php I guess it'll turn into a web based cbt rather than a desktop based one.

Its a simple idea that can be implemented even using file access but I'm looking for a way to do this without using any web server scripting language cos I don't want to make this into a web based project.

Any ideas guys!

cbt ?? You really need to stop abreviating things!

But I have bad news for you. Databases (for the most part) are programs that reside on a web server. If you want to run any kind of program on a webserver you'll need to use a server side programming language that can interface, there's simply no other way to do it.

It you want ot make it a desktop based system then your options are severly limited to the operating system and what the flash player can actually access on that operating system, and that's before you know if the OS has a DBMS you can use. Deveopling desktop apps is a completly different ballgame and flash isn't really designed for this kind of stuff, you'd be better looking at using Director if you want to develop cd/desktop multimedia applications as it has the ability to access the file system natively (or through xtras which are packaged extensions to the director environment), you can also embed flash movies inside director projectors.

Java would be another option, a free one to boot, but if you knew enough java then you probably wouldn't be asking this question.

(Edited by Cameron on 04-16-2004 21:13)

I understand completely. Franly speaking I'm trying to help out a friend who made the wrong choices in his semester project so to speak. He thought he could get away with making a computer based training system in Flash without having to put in any database functionality let alone a login screen .

I guess he was wrong . I told him that in any case database interactivity would be a necessity in any cbt no matter how simple and using flash would ultimately transform his 'cbt' into a web based project if it integrated database.

His 'finished cbt was more of a presentation tweaked up a bit '.. atleast thats what his accessor said. Thanx anyway, Atleast now I have expert backing to tell my pal about the hot water he's in .

Is the actual assignment to use a database? It seems using Flash MX's Shared Object would be more then sufficient to complete your task. Unless of course the requirement is to create a flash-based application using a DB

Why don't you give us more information?

Bandwagon American Since 9/11/01

I still have no idea what a "CBT" is ??? Some special kind of training system? You didn't mention training system in the first post....

If it's simply a training system of some kind, and it's desktop based, I'd be asking why you'd need any kind of 'login'... Desktop programs don't usually need to distinguish between 'users' so they don't need you to login. You don't login to MS Word now do you.

But I'm really just stabbing in the dark here because I still have no idea what a cbt is. It's always better to explain "what" you're doing not just what you think the problem is, chances are there might be a better way to go about things. If you only explain the problem, we can only give you a limited set of answers.

in my little world, cbt means 'computer based training'.

If your going to create an .exe out of your .swf file.. you may want to look into www.northcode.com. It will allow you to read from a database using the ADO pluging.
I use this software at work, it is quite reliable.

http://www.northcode.com/swfstudio/features.html
scroll down to the ADO section

It would depend on security but couldn't you store data in flat files? But if you don't need the data to persist beyond the actual 'session' then perhaps not. It would also depend on the enironment - you'd handlle things different on a CD than online than on the desktop (I'd imagine).

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well its actually a simple computer based training sotware..
any user registers himself for use. Its actually a desktop based thing, so only one user uses it at a time. The persistent informatiion is more like a users profile and progress the user have made on his training so far.

Its not wholly necessary to use a database for it any way. All that the project neds is a way of identifying a user when he' she logs on and thats just about it. Th erequirement is t add some sort of file handling or dataa manipulation.

IN short users login to the system the system will display a welcome screen and then goes to the last lesson the user was on when he/she was last using the program. The information to be persisten t is :
-Username and Pww
-Last lesson user was on in last use of software(i.e. the last frame on the timeline the user was on)
-Marks the user has obtained in test so far

Its basically storage and retrieval and anything like even flat files could also serve. So if ther is a way to keep the persistent information either in databases or files I'd like to know

Is security an issue for this thing at all? I mean I personally think Flash's local Shared Object is the way to go with this. It's probably not the single most secure means of creating a login process, but if all you're doing is creating a school project to show a professor that you can login and it saves your progress, this should be sufficient.

Bandwagon American Since 9/11/01