How do I connect to an ACT! Database from an ASP.NET Web Application?

[Steve561]

I am developing an ASP.NET C# Web application that will need to access data from an Act! contact management system.

I have looked into two methods of doing this:

1) As ACT! is essentially a DBase IV database, I can connect using an ODBC driver. However, this only allows me to query the main Contact table. It is important that I can query all tables, such as the email address table. The ACT! documentation does however state that their database is not fully ODBC compliant and does not recommend connecting to it in this way.

2) Use the Act OLE component. I have been able to successfully use this component to connect to and query the ACT! Database. However this is through a C# Console Application. When placing the same code in a ASP.Net Web Application the browser hangs indefinitely on the Open() method.

I have tried placing the code in its own thread (to make it as similar to the console app as possible) but the code still hangs on the Open() method.

I have also tried wrapping this code in its own COM object but with still no success.

I am aware that this could be a permissions issue but I do not really know where to start. I can query the database remotely whether I have logged in or not.

So, the questions are…

1) Is there a way to view the entire ACT! database using an ODBC driver?

2) Using the ACT! API, how do I connect to the ACT! database from within a .Net Web Application?

(The ACT! API method would be the most preferable solution)

Any help would be much appreciated!

Thanks

Steve.

 

[Storyteller]

Hello Steve,
Do you have a copy of the ACT! SDK?
That is where I would start.
Good luck with your application.

Regards,
Michael

 

[Steve561]

Hi Michael

I have been using the Act! SDK but it doesn't seem to be very ASP.NET friendly. It works fine in a C# Console app though.

This subject has become an ongoing discussion on the Experts Exchange...

http://www.experts-exchange.com/Databases/Q_21142984.html

(Sorry tek-tips.com for linking to another forum but it will save me from writing the same thing over and over again!)

I hope this will help anyone else with a similar Act!/.Net problem.

Regards

Steve