A lot of questions :-)

#1 · May 31, 2022, 9:52 pm

Hi everybody :-)

This post was originally intended for Luis, but his advice was to ask all the questions on the Forum because everyone benefits from it - so I do as I am told :-)

I was never particularly interested on WEB programming, but, time is changing :-)

Please, do not be judgy, I really don't have much experience and knowledge about WEB programming...

Some questions is possible really stupid, but....sorry...:-)

So, let's begin:-)

I have to develop on my day job a relative complex DB (warehouse management) , WEB based and, of course, VN WEB is my choice.

1. How and where I can enter my server IP address which can hold the DB file(s) - in my case, it's a Synology NAS DS218j.
In neoPHP or on other place ?

I found neoPHP is always set as "localhost", can I enter a server IP address instead of "localhost" - in my case Synology IP address ?

Which port I have to open?
8888 or different ?

2. I saw example for neoTable but I can't find this example in sample apps?
Maybe I'm looking in wrong place ?
Does neoTable work with SQLite or just with MySQL ?

Can I generally use SQLite or I need to use MySQL ?

Which files I have to have on my Synology server to run application?

Can i create a folder with PHP config files, DB file etc.. or it is a wrong approach ?

How can I start app when is ready?

Click in index,html?

Or something different?

I'm sorry for stupid questions but, as I said, my knowledge of WEB programming is very, very humble and some things I just don't understand...

And last question - can I made WEB app with VN for WIN ?
And if i can, how ?
Can I use Access or I need to use SQLite / MySQL ?

Once again sorry for my stupid questions...

Hope that will help to anyone, beginners specially :-)

Thank you in advance :-)

Cheers!

#2 · June 1, 2022, 11:42 am

Quote from luishp on June 1, 2022, 11:42 am
Hi @dglojnar, thank you for sharing your questions here!

I was never particularly interested on WEB programming, but, time is changing :-)

It's a different aproach. Let's see some differences

Traditional Windows executables:

You get a .exe file you must distribute, install and execute in the final PC's

They will work only on Windows computers.

It's increasilly dificult not to get blocked by antivirus software.

You can do almost anything on the user computer.

Web applications:

They run within a web browser (so they are multiplatform and will work on any device)

They are usually deployed as a single instance, on a hosting service, under a domain name (ir: myawesomeapp.com)

Updates are automatic: just upload the new version to your hosting service and every user will get it.

You don't need to install them. Although you can: PWA, compiled .apk, neoEdge, NWjs...

Due to security restrictions, you have limited access to the user device and sometimes permissions are needed (except for neoEdge or NWjs)

Now the questions:

How and where I can enter my server IP address which can hold the DB file(s) - in my case, it's a Synology NAS DS218j.
In neoPHP or on other place ? I found neoPHP is always set as "localhost", can I enter a server IP address instead of "localhost" - in my case Synology IP address ? Which port I have to open? 8888 or different ?

When you need server side scripting (ie PHP) a web server is mandatory. VisualNEO Web includes neoPhp Server wich includes PHP 7.4.
When a web server is running locally (in your computer) you should access your app (once compiled) using http://localhost as the URL instead of the path to the .html file (file:///...). A web server recognizes a file whose name is index.html file as the start page. Alternatively, you can use your local IP address to run your compiled app (ie: http://192.168.1.3).

When you upload your compiled application to a web hosting service, you can share a public domain name so anyone (with Internet connection) can run it from a web browser (ie: https://myawesomeapp.com). Of course you can optionally protect your app with a user and password.

Usually databases are located within the same server as your web server (localhost) but sometimes you will need to access data from a remote database with it's own server and IP address. If you use neoPhp to connect to a remote MySQL database you will need something like this into your config.php file:
$dbAlias[0]="mydb";
$dbNames[0]="realDataBaseName";
$dbServerNames[0]="192.168.12.2:3306";
$dbUserNames[0]="MySQLUserName";
$dbPasswords[0]="MySQLUserPassword";
As you can see, I have used "192.168.12.2:3306" instead of "localhost". There is an IP and a port number separated by ":".
3306 is the "default port" to connect to a MySQL database.

I saw example for neoTable but I can't find this example in sample apps?
Maybe I'm looking in wrong place ?
Does neoTable work with SQLite or just with MySQL ?

neoTable uses neoPhp internally. It works with SQLite, MySQL, SQLServer and ODBC databases.
You will find some sample apps under MyDocuments\VisualNeoWeb\Sample Apps\neoPhpSamples folder.

Can I generally use SQLite or I need to use MySQL ?

I usually prefer SQLite for most small projects but you can use MySQL too. For more information, please take a look here:
https://www.hostinger.com/tutorials/sqlite-vs-mysql-whats-the-difference/

Which files I have to have on my Synology server to run application?

You will need a web server running (Apache, NGINX, IIS...) to open a port for external access to the web server (usually 8080) and probably a fixed IP if you want to access your app from outside your own network. It's usually easier and quite more secure renting a hosting service (there are quite cheap or even free options).

How can I start app when is ready?
Click in index,html?

If it is running from a web server, just write the server URL (ie: http://localhost or https://mydomainname.com/myapp). If you just double click the index.html file you will execute it locally under a "Non Trusted Connection" (file:///) and some commands and functionalities could be blocked.

Once again sorry for my stupid questions...
Hope that will help to anyone, beginners specially :-)

They are not stupid questions.
I hope this post will help you and others who are trying to understand how to start creating Web Applications.

Although there are many options, the basic way to deploy your application should be:

1. Develop and test your app locally (use neoPhp Server if you need)
2. Compile your web app.
3. Zip all the files and upload them to your web hosting service (I recommend a hosting with cPanel as the control panel as it's really easy to use).
4. Unzip the files on the server.
5. Share your project URL.
6. Done.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Best regards.

Hi @dglojnar, thank you for sharing your questions here!

I was never particularly interested on WEB programming, but, time is changing :-)

It's a different aproach. Let's see some differences

Traditional Windows executables:

You get a .exe file you must distribute, install and execute in the final PC's
They will work only on Windows computers.
It's increasilly dificult not to get blocked by antivirus software.
You can do almost anything on the user computer.

Web applications:

They run within a web browser (so they are multiplatform and will work on any device)
They are usually deployed as a single instance, on a hosting service, under a domain name (ir: myawesomeapp.com)
Updates are automatic: just upload the new version to your hosting service and every user will get it.
You don't need to install them. Although you can: PWA, compiled .apk, neoEdge, NWjs...
Due to security restrictions, you have limited access to the user device and sometimes permissions are needed (except for neoEdge or NWjs)

Now the questions:

How and where I can enter my server IP address which can hold the DB file(s) - in my case, it's a Synology NAS DS218j.
In neoPHP or on other place ? I found neoPHP is always set as "localhost", can I enter a server IP address instead of "localhost" - in my case Synology IP address ? Which port I have to open? 8888 or different ?

When you need server side scripting (ie PHP) a web server is mandatory. VisualNEO Web includes neoPhp Server wich includes PHP 7.4.
When a web server is running locally (in your computer) you should access your app (once compiled) using http://localhost as the URL instead of the path to the .html file (file:///...). A web server recognizes a file whose name is index.html file as the start page. Alternatively, you can use your local IP address to run your compiled app (ie: http://192.168.1.3).

When you upload your compiled application to a web hosting service, you can share a public domain name so anyone (with Internet connection) can run it from a web browser (ie: https://myawesomeapp.com). Of course you can optionally protect your app with a user and password.

Usually databases are located within the same server as your web server (localhost) but sometimes you will need to access data from a remote database with it's own server and IP address. If you use neoPhp to connect to a remote MySQL database you will need something like this into your config.php file:

$dbAlias[0]="mydb";
$dbNames[0]="realDataBaseName";
$dbServerNames[0]="192.168.12.2:3306";
$dbUserNames[0]="MySQLUserName";
$dbPasswords[0]="MySQLUserPassword";

As you can see, I have used "192.168.12.2:3306" instead of "localhost". There is an IP and a port number separated by ":".
3306 is the "default port" to connect to a MySQL database.

I saw example for neoTable but I can't find this example in sample apps?
Maybe I'm looking in wrong place ?
Does neoTable work with SQLite or just with MySQL ?

neoTable uses neoPhp internally. It works with SQLite, MySQL, SQLServer and ODBC databases.
You will find some sample apps under MyDocuments\VisualNeoWeb\Sample Apps\neoPhpSamples folder.

Can I generally use SQLite or I need to use MySQL ?

I usually prefer SQLite for most small projects but you can use MySQL too. For more information, please take a look here:
https://www.hostinger.com/tutorials/sqlite-vs-mysql-whats-the-difference/

Which files I have to have on my Synology server to run application?

You will need a web server running (Apache, NGINX, IIS...) to open a port for external access to the web server (usually 8080) and probably a fixed IP if you want to access your app from outside your own network. It's usually easier and quite more secure renting a hosting service (there are quite cheap or even free options).

How can I start app when is ready?
Click in index,html?

If it is running from a web server, just write the server URL (ie: http://localhost or https://mydomainname.com/myapp). If you just double click the index.html file you will execute it locally under a "Non Trusted Connection" (file:///) and some commands and functionalities could be blocked.

Once again sorry for my stupid questions...
Hope that will help to anyone, beginners specially :-)

They are not stupid questions.
I hope this post will help you and others who are trying to understand how to start creating Web Applications.

Although there are many options, the basic way to deploy your application should be:

1. Develop and test your app locally (use neoPhp Server if you need)
2. Compile your web app.
3. Zip all the files and upload them to your web hosting service (I recommend a hosting with cPanel as the control panel as it's really easy to use).
4. Unzip the files on the server.
5. Share your project URL.
6. Done.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Best regards.

Vadim and CN_Iceman have reacted to this post.

#3 · June 1, 2022, 4:12 pm

Dear Luis @luishp,

What can I say except a BIG BIG thank you for perfect explanation :-)

I have now a lot to do, but, I like it :-)

Once again thanks a lot, your help and support mean a lot to me (and to other forum members!)

Cheers!

luishp and Vadim have reacted to this post.

#4 · June 1, 2022, 6:54 pm

@dglojnar one of my biggest frustations is not having time enough to create a complete course.
Now that VisualNEO Web is mature enough I have three main goals:

Getting more users into VisualNEO (it will allow me to dedicate more time to it)
Creating a "Beginner to ninja" VisualNEO Web course.
Developing a template system and a "ready to use" app template collection.

Unfortunately most of my time is "wasted" trying to get money for my family from other resources :)

Please let me know if you have more questions or doubts.
I'll be here to offer all my best.

Best regards.

Vadim, CDY@44 and CN_Iceman have reacted to this post.

#5 · June 1, 2022, 7:06 pm

@luishp

Thank you for your kind words and offer:-)

Courses sounds like a terrific idea, maybe you can add a CMS for dummies like me :-)

I , of course, read it neoCMS topic, but...I was like...confused, even with your detailed instructions i didn't figure out how can I really use it...

Stupid, I know...but, as I said, WEB programming is not my favorite thing....

Anyway, if I have any questions/doubts I'll be so free it bothers you a little with questions!

Cheers and keep up good work :-)

#6 · June 1, 2022, 7:48 pm

WEB programming is not my favorite thing

I'm sure it will be soon :)

A lot of questions :-) - Forum

A lot of questions :-)