A website which autoupdates from a database?

[fitzkil]

Hi. I was given the task to create an internal website in our company, which will update (feed) from a database (they were talking MySQL). I have no idea if that is possible and what to google for. My first guess was if it is possible it's using php.

You can have a look at this example, where they have a HTML page with four graphs which are being fed automatically somehow and the page is programmed to refresh avery so senconds, showing you an up to date graph : http://www.insidernews.com.br/diversos/cotas_fabio.html

Any ideas appreciated!

[ajberrow]

If you're intending to carry-out the project yourself, remember that high-level programming is not trivial and a fair amount of knowledge is needed before you kick-off, especially if, for example, you're going to access databases and build charts on the fly with the data grabbed from the database.

First things first :

• What exactly does the application need to achieve?

• What's wrong with using the static pages you already have?

• Do you have any previous high-level programming experience?

[fitzkil]

Hi. No I don't. I won't write the program myself. We'll have to hire people to do this but it's esential that I understand the general process. We're in a tight budget so I will try doing myself all that is possible. I need to have an idea of where to start.

1.We need to have a website which will display a small table (something like 4x4). This table will display the latest prices of a few investment products which we buy and sell constantly.

2. We also need a simple graph (something like the one in the example) that will display the price history of these products.

What we already have: We have a program that shows prices of hundreds of financial products in real time. This program has a function to export every few seconds the data into a database (MySQL for example). So I need the table in the website to display particular data from this database which is being updated constantly, and the graph (which I believe can be generated using a PHP script from the data in the database, but how could they've done something like in the example?).

I know it's confusing, but thanks for helping.

If you're intending to carry-out the project yourself, remember that high-level programming is not trivial and a fair amount of knowledge is needed before you kick-off, especially if, for example, you're going to access databases and build charts on the fly with the data grabbed from the database.

First things first :

• What exactly does the application need to achieve?

• What's wrong with using the static pages you already have?

• Do you have any previous high-level programming experience?

[ajberrow]

fitzkil,

I think you've about got the process right - find someone else to do the work and understand the requirements properly so that you can manage the project properly.

What I'd do next, if I were in your shoes, is get hold of whoever built or understands the static pages you already have and ask them how the charts are built. It may be that there's a process which builds those price histories on the fly, keeping the names the same for each new chart so that the static pages need to know nothing more than the names and locations of the files.

If that is the process which is in use, as it appears to me is the case, then all your new script will need to do is access the database to grab the latest prices and throw them into a table and grab the latest copies of the price history images.

If that's not the process currently in use, post some more information here and I'll see if I have any further ideas.

Fundamentally, what you have to consider is exactly what you want the script to achieve and work back from there through all the available data until you find the source of the data that you require. There must be someone in the organisation with a good understanding of the data which are available who can help you with this. But you have to be persistent with your questioning and always, always ask more questions if you don't understand what you're being told - some techies seem to have the bewlidering attitude that everyone will understand the TLAs they use and have a good grounding in computer processes - don't let them blind you with science.