Web middleware - What's your favorite? 1

[captsnappy]

Not sure if middleware is the correct term, but between the different flavors of web-enabling products for VFP such as Active VFP, FoxWeb, FoxInCloud, West-Wind, etc., what is your favorite? What are the pros and cons of each?
TIA

 

[TamarGranor]

I haven't done tried enough of them to have an opinion, but I will point out that FoxInCloud is a wrapper about West Wind Web Connection. Basically, they help you do the work to convert your desktop app into a web app that uses West Wind.

Tamar

 

[EzLogic]

I have been using foxweb for about 4 years.
good support
fast.
easy to configure
and deployed in over 30 huge national clients with 800 locations each.that i have done.

from web based only, to vfp desktop connecting to the backend using the web, to web connecting to backend ERP system

Ali Koumaiha
TeknoSoft Inc.
Michigan

 

[captsnappy]

Thank you, both.

 

[claudefox]

ActiveVFP is pretty easy and a lot like PHP as far as you just put VFP code in HTML and it just runs. It also uses a VFP mtdll automatically so the technology is a little more current.

Coming up in the upcoming AVFP version are some cool things like MVC, extension-less URLs, and jQuery mobile examples

 

[vinitsky]

You are a little bit mixing apples and oranges.

Products like Active VFP, Foxweb, and Active Foxpro Pages allow you to include script in your HTML that connects to a VFP runtime and allows you to issue VFP commands and get a result back. You can then diaplay that result in HTML however you wish. Since you are not running VFP like in a desktop, you cannot call any VFP commands that have a visual component. It is just like creating web pages with ASP; instead of including ASP script commands you include VFP data commands.

For that type of product, AFP (Active Foxpro Pages) has some very good session control (important in the stateless web). AFP was purchased a wile back by Christen W., a world reknown VFP developer, and I am not sure what its status is today. My direct experience with Active VFP was limited; we were never able to get it running on our Win2003 servers and were not able to get any assistance. Foxweb is also a good product.

The second type of product is something like FoxinCloud or WebConnect. WebConnect can run as a script engine like above, but it also contains an extensive framework for developing web apps using VFP as the development engine. FoxInCloud is a system that takes any VFP app and converts it to HTML and javascript for running on the web while still maintining development in VFP and the ability to run the app on the desktop.

The first step in the decision is what am I looking to do? if I have VFP data and want to create websites to access it, scripting is great. If I actually want to take VFP apps and web enable them, then somthing like FiC is the direction to go.

 

[claudefox]

Another one like FoxInCloud is VFP2IIS (

http://www.vfp2iis.com/)

 

[vinitsky]

Unfortunately VFP2IIS is no longer being actively developed or officially supported.

 

[imanraiin]

see action -> about vfp2iis with javascript

http://www.astechindo.com:75

 

[EzLogic]

Here is a Demo of our barebone eCentral system. Written 100% pure VFP and FoxWeb (ofcourse with html and css etc..)

1- Dealer portal with vfp9 back end system
2- completely data driven with our Backend ERP system that it ties in to
3- 100% FoxWeb
4- running on a bit old server, p4 2Ghz, win2k3, iis 4g ram
5- real time shopping cart, authorize.net integration, fedex integration, real time account management, ordering, fulfillment, logistics, etc..

again, this is barebone demo, the real clients have some real nice portals we did for them.

http://www.ezcellpos.com/index.fwx

user: ALI
pass: ALI

Foxweb forum written in foxweb, source codes are free and included.

http://www.ezcellpos.com/forum/index.fwx

same username and pass.


Here is another one that is production and 100% FoxWeb and VFP9 we did for a client in Michigan

http://www.RaycoAcc.com

Again, all these were 100% pure Foxweb and VFP9 backedn.



Ali Koumaiha
TeknoSoft Inc.
Michigan

 

[imanraiin]

in the case of display output to a web design that foxweb 100% using html and assisted by javascript (jquery / javascriptkit and others) and foxpro participation only in terms of processing data, therefore if the user does not have the minimum knowledge in html so it seems a little difficult to use foxweb this .

 

[EzLogic]

Imranraiin,

if one wants to do the web, one would need to have minum knowledge in html, css, etc..

also, Foxweb can be using without displaying html.

you can make it consume and serve xml and soap etc..

Ali Koumaiha
TeknoSoft Inc.
Michigan