Few years ago we have added into Valentina Server HTTP port, so it have:
- normal port
- SSL port
- HTTP port
- SNMP port
We added this HTTP port to be able do the next step — implementing admin built-in right into VServer. So user can access from any browser this admin by HTTP. We see the following advantages of this:
- it is enough install server on you mac/win/linux computer and this admin will be available immediately, without need in Apache/PHP/else.
- this admin will allow to manage vserver from platforms where not exists VStudio or iValentina. For example Android users will be able manage VServer.
Such admin of vserver we was going implement on C++ of course.
But some time ago we have got idea to use Valentina Reports for this, which could do HTTP generation from report. We have spend some time to make couple of prototypes of this idea. And while we did them, we have already made few improvements in our Reports to support this. The most important are:
- Into all controls of reports was added group of “HTML Export” properties, such as ‘attributes’, ‘id’, ‘link’.
- Link now can have expression pattern like expression control
- Valentina Project file now can keep resources such as: Java Script libs, pictures, CSS.
- Report have got ‘Page Header’ HTML property, where we can specify JS script and functions.
Also was made some improvements into VSERVER and VSQL:
- Valentina SQL improved to allow usage of variables in SHOW commands
- VSERVER improved to work better as HTTP server.
Of course yet many job todo and tasks to resolve, but you should see an idea. We are welcome all developers who like this idea to participate in discussion on Valentina beta list. This features of reports will be available in the next build of VStudio 5.0b40.
Aha, one more thing! 🙂
You can ask how this help to us, we develop own applications, not VSERVER. But lets look first of all on REALstudio and its WEB support. It is clear that in this case REALstudio generates mini-HTTP-server application.
We going in the near future try to take our admin.vsp project, with admin reports, and embed it into an example RB project. It seems we will need only to implement code that resolve CGI queries and calls a report specified in that CGI.
Important is that with this admin.vsp idea, PARADIGMA becomes self user of own own Report Designer and engine. This should help us better feel what can be improved. For example, yesterday I have asked our main developer of report designer, what was your felling why you did admin.vsp? Comfortable? Answer was — “Ruslan, I have to see some not comfortable places. I will improve them asap.” Good? Of course …
And finally this is a snapshot from a browser of the page generated as HTTP from Valentina Reports. Note that JS library works here to do syntax highlighting …
This is how this report looks in Report Designer:
