Using access DB as search tool on website

jwortley · #1 (**permalink**) 06-03-04, 17:55

I'm not sure this is the right forum for this, but I'll give it a shot.

What i want to do is take either an excel database or an access database of a catalog of animals.

The columns would be (Phylum, Family, Genus, Species, PIcture Number) for instance.

I want to set this up in a series of drop-down boxes, and search forms so that it looks like this.

PAGE

[Drop down box with choices of Phylum]

[Drop down box of the choices of families within that Phylum]

[Drop down box of Genuses in that Family]

[Drop down box/or search box of the species in that genus]

After a species is selected, I want it to pop up with all of the corresponding information on it (IE, its latin name, where it is located , what GPS coordinates it was found at, and on the right, I want a picture of it to pop up) I can sort the pictures in any way, I just don't know how to approach it.

Seppuku · #2 (**permalink**) 06-04-04, 13:11

There is certainly a way to accomplish this. Do you know any ASP?

jwortley · #3 (**permalink**) 06-04-04, 13:38

I have never had any exposure to these languages (ASP, mysql), I am a quick learner though.

I heard a rumor that mysql would be the easiest language to do this with, if not, by all means I would love some instruction.

Seppuku · #4 (**permalink**) 06-04-04, 13:45

If you've never used MySQL before, it's not necessarily the easiest, but it's better then using Access, and free. If you're not planning to have many people hitting the DB and you're familiar with Access, that may be the way to go.

Before you can start with ASP you need to have an IIS server setup. Do you have at least that much?

jwortley · #5 (**permalink**) 06-04-04, 13:48

Possibly, is that something I can install?

Sorry that I'm such a newbie

Seppuku · #6 (**permalink**) 06-04-04, 13:55

What OS are you running?

jwortley · #7 (**permalink**) 06-04-04, 14:08

I am running Microsoft XP Pro on my computer.. the one the website is on is Linux

Seppuku · #8 (**permalink**) 06-04-04, 14:13

ah... so you want to write a web app that runs on Linux to which interfaces with a DB containing data that you currently have in Excel and Acces..

That's why someone recommended MySQL. Look into PHP as the scripting language instead of ASP, but what you're attempting to accomplish is entirely possible.