CATEGORY:STARSITE
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Nucleus

About StarSite

StarSite-XML™ from Binary Star is a web-based, data-aware content management system that assures the delivery and update of consistent and reliable data.

StarSite is Multi-Value based and uses Nucleus as a host-side, rule-set manager. This means that multiple user interfaces- Browser, GUI (Client GUI, and Text (dumb terminals)- share common business rules.

The StarSite programming paradigm is 'event-driven'. Events from the web server are processed as non-persistent requests from the client.

  • Display a form and data
  • Produce a report
  • Request a report
  • Validate form data

Web Server / Interface support

The general StarSite Implementation process
  1. Flowchart and create specifications for the User Interface (UI) (the look and feel)
  2. A 'rule-set' is defined
    • The rule will dictate all data retrieval and update
    • Rule field names can be used in the HTML template markup.
  3. Basic HTML documents are designed and created
    • HTML markup and CSS
    • Write browser-based action using javascript, flash, etc
  4. HTML docs are imported as Starsite templates using STARMAINT.
  5. Template is associated to the rule-set
  6. Create web events that:
    • Get Form/Page
    • Post Form/Page
  7. Configure the server
  8. Test the application
  9. Deploy

Steps 1, 2 and 3 can be in tandem. In most cases, data base definition precedes and finalizes faster than the surrounding UI.

Web Events

The project.EVENTS program. The GET and POST events. The QueryString.

see: STARGATE

HTML Template

Templates are text items containing HTML or XML. They are found in the thread.HTML,TEMPLATES file, where thread is the Starsite thread name.

Pages built by hand or through IDE's like DreamWeaver, Microsoft Front Page, Adobe Page Mill or others can be imported. see: STARMAINT

HTML Functions

Expandable functions:

Template Brace Commands are expandable functions. There are internal Starsite functions such as dbsetup, input, display, insertand user-defined expandables defines in the project.HTML,FUNCTIONS file.

HTML Links

Another expandable file used specifically to feed url's to the application.

STARMAINT

The default character-based IDE for defining the components of a STARSITE appplication.

see: STARSITE:STARMAINT

STARGATE

StarSite Function library
  • INITIALIZE
  • SET.AUTO.USER
  • GETENV

StarSite Internal environment Variables
  • $CHOICE
  • $QTY
  • $USERBLOCK
  • $LOGINKEY
  • $SCRIPTNAME
  • $PAGE
  • $COUNT
  • $PAGES
  • $NODECOUNT
  • $CURRENTCOUNT
  • $COUNTER
  • $REFPAGE
  • $ID
  • $KEY
  • $QTY

See also