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Description
Building an online application at QuickModules.com
is simple. There are two ways which this could be done: either copy
a template of a pre-designed application and custom it to your taste,
or start from scratch and build the necessary module(s). Either way,
the development process is quick and no programming is involved. If
you are developing the module from scratch and the applications requires
data from a database, then make sure you design
the database tables first. If you are copying a template, then the
necessary database tables will be created for you automatically.
Copying
a Template
The easiest way to create an application is to copy an existing one.
QuickModules.com has made available a set of pre-designed applications
that are commonly used. To copy one an application from a template,
click on the 'Templates' link in the toolbar on the left. This will
display a list of all available templates. Click on the template of
the application in which you are interested; the modules and tables
associated with that application will be copied into your account.
Modules
A module is a collection of procedures run in sequence. One or more
module make up an application. Modules can be accessed by clicking on
the 'Modules' link in the toolbar on the left. This will display a list
of all modules created under your account. A module can be edited for
modification or deletion by clicking on the 'Edit' bullet ( )
to the left of the module name in the list. A new module can be created
by clicking on the 'Create a new module' link at the bottom of the modules
list. In the 'Edit Module' screen, you may specify the name, description,
and any comments about a module. You can also specify whether or not
the module is accessible via the Internet without login. The URL through
which the module can be accessed is also displayed on this screen.
Procedures
A procedure is a certain task that is performed as part of an application
module. Each module contains one or more procedures which are executed
as part of that module. At QuickModules.com, procedures are created
of a particular type; each type has pre-defined functionality to perform
a particular task or display certain information in the user's browser.
Using those procedures, an application can be built easily and quickly,
without any programming.
Procedures
are associated with a module. To edit the procedures of a module, you
first need to edit the module itself. A module is edited by clicking
on the 'Modules' link in the toolbar on the left, then clicking on the
'Edit' bullet ()
to the left of the module name in the list. This will display the 'Edit
Module' screen for that module. At the bottom of that screen, you will
find the 'Edit procedures' link. Click on that link to obtain a list
of all procedures defined for this module. A procedure can be modified
by clicking on the 'Edit' bullet ()
to the left of the procedure name in the list. A new procedure can be
created by clicking on the 'New' button. When creating a new procedure,
you first need to specify the type of procedure to create. The system
will provide you with a list of procedure types from which to choose.
Some procedures require association with a database table. Those are
grouped under the 'Database Procedures' section. For instance, a 'Data
Entry' procedure requires association with a table because data is entered
into a particular table. On the other hand, a 'URL Redirection' procedure
does not require association with a table because it does not require
any data. For procedures that are associated with a table, you should
choose the proper table from the list box at the top of the screen.
This is done only when the procedure is being created. Once the procedure
is created, the procedure editor will then display the options available
for that particular procedure type.
To learn
more about procedures and the different types available, please click
here.
Running
a Module
To run a module, click on the 'Modules' link in the toolbar on the left
to obtain a list of all modules in your account. From this screen, click
on the 'Run' bullet ( )
to the left of the module name in the list to run that module. The processing
will start with the first procedure definde for that module and flow
of control will progress according to how it is defined in the procedures
themselves. If no flow of control is defined, then the procedures will
be executed in the sequence in which they are defined. A module may
be run directly using web link (URL) and without having to log on to
your account at QuickModules.com. Read the next section for more information.
Linking
to a Module From a Website
To make good use of a QuickModules.com application, you need to be able
to run it from within your website, not simply run it from within your
account. Running an application remotely is more useful since any user
of the website will be able to access it; also, it will add more power
to your website. QuickModules.com makes it easy to run applications
remotely. This is done by allowing direct linking to modules using regular
HTML links (URLs). By default, linking to a module is disabled for security
reasons. You can enable access by editing the module and checking the
option titled 'Allow access to this module through a URL link'. The
'Edit Module' screen will also specify the URL link which you may include
in your web page for direct access.
To learn
more about how to use links in your web page and how to pass information
to the module, click here.
See
Also
Table Design
Procedures
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