Connecting A Website To a DataBase

[tactfulsaint]

Hello everyone,
I need Help connecting my website to a database.

i could use anyones help.
Thanks

[LeBurt]

I'll help, what's your issue?

[tactfulsaint]

i have a website that i wanna connect to a database but i dont know how to link it to my database.

[LeBurt]

Hmm, that's a simple question that requires a long answer. Here's a few pointers.

1) First, HTML alone does not allow linking a website to a database. You need another language in between that will interface with the database and produce the HTML code on the fly using the query results. For example, you have a list of students in your database along with exam results and you want to post that list on a web site, in a table. The "middle language" would send the query to the database and fetch the results. Then, it would create your HTML tags ( etc.) and form a valid HTML page with the results inside.

2) There are many "middle languages" available, the most popular (I think) being PHP. It's easy to install and will run on Windows, Linux and OS X all the same. It will interface with all of the most popular database management systems such as MySQL, PostgreSQL, MS SQL, etc.

3) Read read read. Nothing you get you started quicker than a good book. I recommend O'Reilly's Learning PHP and MySQL which was of great use to me.

Hope this helps.

[jwaldron82]

What if you are using Microsoft Access as the database package.. what scripting Language does that require when linking your database to your website?.... or Oracle...

[LeBurt]

jwaldron82:

It is incorrect to assume that the choice of a database system "requires" a scripting language. In fact, in many cases a scripting language will support many database systems. For example, PHP will support mySQL, PostgreSQL, Oracle and even Access.

In an ideal world you are free to choose the scripting language and the database system independently. In the real world, you are sometimes restricted as you suggest by one or the other (in your case, you appear restricted to using Access). That will of course influence the choice of the other. As far as I know, Access is supported by most scripting languages through ODBC, which is like a driver for databases. Any scripting language that supports database connections through ODBC should be able to connect to Access.

PHP and ODBC: http://ca.php.net/odbc

[mhahnel]

On a related note. I'm trying to upload buddypress visitor maps to my website. Unfortunately, this requires uploading geolitecity.dat which is a 30mb file. I am on byethost which has a file upload size limit of 10mb. Therefore I have uploaded the file to an external website here.

http://h1.ripway.com/markhahnel/GeoLiteCity.dat

Is there anyway to link the file to the site so that the plugin can run correctly.

Thanks for your time,
Mark