3WGenCat - World-Wide Web General Catalogue

Piero Massimino, Astrophysical Observatory, V.le A.Doria 6 - 95125 Catania - Italy
e-mail: piero@astrct.ct.astro.it - Personal URL: http://www.ct.astro.it/web/pm_home.html
Keywords:
catalogue, database, retrieval, html forms, multilink, query
Abstract

3WGenCat means World-Wide Web General Catalogue.

It includes two program groups: the first one generates and builds an indexed database from an original ASCII format archive; the second one gives immediately access to the database from any WWW client. Moreover the client can use only one query to scan automatically a lot of databases. These latter can be detached on different servers. In fact the first program group is also able to create a database-network (databases with the same structure but not stored in the same server) and the "html form" that the clients will use to insert the query.

3WGenCat can also change the organization of the original database: more or less fields, new fields order and length, new fieldnames. Because of a configuration INI file, the manager can easily modify anything.

When the user inserts the query, WWW components of 3WGenCat allow to link the client with the server/s by using some sophisticated "on the fly" html forms. These latter are automatically able to send the query to the other servers that the client has previously chosen.

3WGenCat will manage the queries, will search for the data and will display the results in different formats.

The results of the searching can be displayed in html, text and standard format. In html format it is possible to obtain either a synthetic list (each item will be hyper linked with the whole record) or an expanded list of data; in text format the records are displayed without control characters; Standard format is a special output of the records set by the managers of the database-network.

URL to examine 3WGenCat running

http://www.ct.astro.it/preliminary_lib.html

URL to obtain a copy of 3WGenCat

http://www.ct.astro.it/3wgencat.html


Below is an example of the preliminary html form.


Below is an example of the on the fly html form.


Below is an example of the results of searching (Expanded form).