International Carpathian Control Conference ICCC’ 2002 MALENOVICE, CZECH REPUBLIC May 27-30, 2002
DEVELOPING AND REMOTE CONTROL OF WEB INFORMATION SYSTEMS
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Radim FARANA1 and Lubomír SMUTNÝ2 Department of Control Systems and Instrumentation, VSB - Technical University of Ostrava, Ostrava, Czech Republic,
[email protected] 2
[email protected]
Abstract: This paper deals about the possibility of actual technologies, which use the dynamic HTML pages, especially ASP (Active Server Pages) technology, and their use for the designing systems support. Authors start at their long-time experiences with the weboriented information systems building, as well as the designing process support. There are the exercises “Databank of control systems devices” and “The steel manual” shown in the paper and demonstrate actual capabilities of Internet information technologies. Database applications allow sophisticated data selection, editing and presentation on Internet with help of a thin front-end application like web browser. Key words: HTML, ASP, database, Internet, designing
1 Introduction Developing of information systems for control system designing is in progress at the Department of Control Systems and Instrumentation, VŠB-TU Ostrava, for long time. It is taken advantage of the author’s team creativity to support this work. The first of this works, which obtained extensive familiarity, has been the “Databank of control systems devices“. Primarily database application has been through many conception changes and grows to utilizable version. The data update prove to be its basic problem, like is usual for many similar applications. The problem consists in on the one hand the human resources insufficiency, and on the other technical problems with update data recovery and distribution. The Internet utilization looked as interesting solution either for updated data distribution or for full application realization. This paper shows consequential application, available on Internet. The area greatness of its use and till do not prepared background affect to continuing problems with data update and restrict its applicability, like more other similar Internet projects. 487
Second presented application task “The steel manual” shoves the vitality of selected way. Authors participated on its development and this application is more than eight months provided by the company “Dům techniky Ostrava, spol. s r. o.”. It is proved, that narrow delimitation of activity is open to easily maintain the application in actual state a extend it step by step.
2 Databank of control systems devices Application for registration, searching and processing information about control systems devices is build by their author’s team approximately for ten years. It has passed a few of development stages. It has been changed especially the data structure in order to find, sort individual devices data as easy as possible and place chosen data to the control systems specification card as a part of the working plans. This services performs the database client program developed in Microsoft Access 2000 (from here comes its name “Databanka PAŘ 2000”, which means “Databank of control systems devices 2000”) Possibilities and the database client interface for operating with control systems devices are shown in Figure 1. After choosing the device type is shown list of all parameters including procurable values. As soon as a concrete value is chosen the value list of all other parameters is adjusted. So that is not possible to select a value combination, which do not exists in the database. This searching system is allowed thanks to the data storing system. All available information about all device types is included to one table and the device type identifies the concrete meaning of stored parameters. This meanings are stored to a special table too, through this technology is very easy to add new control device type to the database. It represents only adding one record to the device types table. Particular problem was storing pictures, figures, previews, and diagrams to the database. Showing and printing pictures was unperturbed in background of the database client, but complications arose from their sending to web browser, when this application has been connected to Internet. Therefore all pictures have to be deposited to external files. Any web browser supporting frames can be used as a web client for this application, which are near all browsers now. Starting screen is shown after connecting the application main page. It includes the registered devices statistics and allows either searching or editing of control systems devices. Searching system is quite different in comparison with database client. They are not shown all registered parameters, but a list or registered parameters only. List of available values is shown after choice of a parameter (Figure 2). Found control systems devices are shown in a shortened form at first (Figure 3) – both figures has been decolourised for better paper readability. Next it is possible to see all information about one control system device including its diagrams, figures, photographs or other documentation clicking on the highlighted device name. User can send full catalogue sheet on the assigned E-mail address or save on a local hard disk for the later use. The specification card creation is not a part of the web client, because it needs to store individual client data to the provider database, which requires realisation of secure communication between client and server, user identification and authentication systems and a lot of next services, which all together extend beyond the free internet access.
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The system functionality is of course limited by this services absence and the application can work as an information source only. Input information processing represents a huge loading of the author’s team and is not possible without immediate concern of control systems suppliers, sellers or producers. That is why we now work on a system for easier data updating, ration data processing, automatic firm catalogue sheet takeover, as well as a strategy how to involve suppliers for their data updating, with the aim of being really valuable source of control systems devices.
Scope of choice parameters
Actual choice result + results showing
Details about a concrete device Supplier’s data
Showing of device picture or diagram, if exists
Figure 1. Database client of the “Databank of control systems devices 2000”
3 The steel manual Application “The steel manual” represents much smaller and easier application, thought the data structure is much more complicated. It includes data about steel types, steel groups divided by their use, information about belonging steel types under groups, steel norms data etc. Concrete searching starts by placing chosen steel mark or number and follow by showing the table of steel equivalents or by showing the list of tables included this steel type. After selection of chosen table is shown list of steel type equivalents for concrete use. Typical searching output is shown in Figure 4. A advantage of this application 489
is previous experience from selling and use of printed version of the steel manual and also running of this application by entrepreneurial subject, which guarantee the continuous data update by professional worker. More than fifty users all around the Czech Republic utilize this application thanks to the professional support and the number of registered steel norms is still going up.
Figure 2. Device searching in the background of a web client
Figure 3. Searching results in shorted form in the background of a web client 490
Application main menu Concrete steel data Hyperlink to norm data
Figure 4. The steel manual data searching results
one steel from one group
more steels
List of steels from the same steel group
List of steels steel from one group steel from more groups List of steel groups
Steel norm data
Figure 5. The steel manual data searching algorithms 491
4 Conclusions This contribution shows applicability of Internet technologies for control system designing on two realized applications. Readily available technologies make possible to create functional and user-friendly information system. The limitations due by communication between browser and web server can be overcame by suitable application algorithms design. Unfortunately is not possible to convert the database client functionality to the web client only, for reason of different communication technologies. This contribution also advertises to problems, especially continuous data update. Our experiences say, that information systems have not a chance to succeed without the continuous and very fast data update. Both presented information systems are available on Internet for professional use. Presented results have been achieved within the framework of the collaboration with Dům techniky Ostrava, spol. s r. o. and during developing the research project MSM 272300012.
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