[Javascript] JavaScript to PHP variable transfer

[Mike Dougherty]

Obviously the scope of this problem goes beyond a 'simple' solution

The initial delivery of this forms suite (with all it's dhtml, form
validation, and state maintenance) must be pretty cumbersome too, right?

Have you looked at using XML with SOAP?  I don't know much about it, but
it sounded to me like "web services" were designed to facilitate exactly
this kind of communication with the server via http.

I know that's not terribly helpful, but I haven't had a need to learn
more about it.

-----Original Message-----
From: javascript-bounces at LaTech.edu
[mailto:javascript-bounces at LaTech.edu] On Behalf Of David Lovering
Sent: Thursday, August 21, 2003 12:49 PM
To: [JavaScript List]
Subject: Re: [Javascript] JavaScript to PHP variable transfer


Firstly, the client and the server are on opposite sides of a secured
pipe -- and CGI/BIN stuff and cookies have both been shut off.
Completely.
Non-negotiably, and forever.  I barely have the means to do
session-variables (sans cookies), and can't rely on it because they are
talking about
shutting session-variables down on the server.  Anyway,
session-variables
without cookies is pretty much a useless gesture.

Secondly, there are several thousand miles between the client machines
and
the server(s), so latency can be an issue -- and a full-fledged forms
dump
typically takes longer than merely porting one or two variables back and
forth.  Multipled by tens of thousands of forms transactions per-day,
this
would
be bad.

Thirdly, there are many different scenarios governing what fields will
be
selected for transfer, and some of the fields (if sent empty) will have
radical and wrong
interpretations at the other end.  In essence, the same "form" is used
for
about twenty different and very complex purposes.  Simply doing a
"submit"
sends
everything in one hellacious mass.  If these fields could be subdivided
into
neat little clumps for each scenario, I could make lots of little forms
-- 
but the
overlap is about 86%, and the customer spec won't tolerate reloading new
frames with "appropriate" forms for each scenario.

Fourthly, the nature of the pipe driving the server has some rather
stringent bandwidth issues (which we are trying to deal with).  Not only
are
we trying
to move as much of the validation and forms pre-processing as possible
onto
the clients (using JavaScript and Java), but also working vigorously to
limit
the amount of back-and-forth transfers the ordinary sort of transactions
might require.

Lastly, we are trying to improve the speed of the transactions -- and
forms
processing on the scale we are talking about exceeds our specifications
for
turn-around.  Wish it weren't so, but it is.

Now you know what kind of mess I'm dealing with.

One of the key sticking points that this picture causes is a need to
follow
the JavaScript DOM chains from window to window, pulling key bits off of
different panes and then presenting them in an acceptable form to the
server
PHP functions for accessing the various database(s) this application is
built around.  Having a relatively painless way for PHP to interrogate
JavaScript for both the DOM mapping and the field values on-the-fly
would
be a tremendous help, particularly as the screen content can be
selectively
varied on a rather massive scale.

Capiche?

-- Dave Lovering

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Mike Dougherty" <mdougherty at pbp.com>
To: "'[JavaScript List]'" <javascript at LaTech.edu>
Sent: Thursday, August 21, 2003 9:54 AM
Subject: RE: [Javascript] JavaScript to PHP variable transfer


> Why are you attempting to do this?  I don't understand why you
wouldn't
> submit your value back to the server over a normal transport mechanism
> (either post, or via cookie) and have the receiving page process that
> value in the usual way.  Knowing the intended use might help solve
this
> problem, or propose a more easily implemented solution.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: javascript-bounces at LaTech.edu
> [mailto:javascript-bounces at LaTech.edu] On Behalf Of David Lovering
> Sent: Thursday, August 21, 2003 11:30 AM
> To: [JavaScript List]
> Subject: Re: [Javascript] JavaScript to PHP variable transfer
>
>
> Well, maybe not.  "x$" becomes an implicit executable, and not a
regular
> string.  Not good!  I'm still looking for a way to take the output of
a
> JavaScript directive and pipe it (or use I/O redirection, or something
> similar) in order to plant it in a regular, editable PHP variable.
I've
> tried various flavors of the PHP routine eval, and so far there is no
> joy.
>
> Help!  Mind growing numb!
>
> -- Dave Lovering
>
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "David T. Lovering" <dlovering at gazos.com>
> To: "[JavaScript List]" <javascript at LaTech.edu>
> Sent: Wednesday, August 20, 2003 3:20 PM
> Subject: [Javascript] JavaScript to PHP variable transfer
>
>
> >
> > In regards to my previous posting, I tried something so simple that
it
> had
> earlier eluded my consideration, and lo and behold, it worked!  The
> method
> (if done elegantly) requires two routines -- one in JavaScript, and
one
> in
> PHP:
> >
> > <html>
> > <head>
> >   <title> bogus </title>
> >   <script language='JavaScript'>
> >   <!--
> >     var myVal = 'happy, happy!';
> >
> >     function getvariable(val) {
> >       var dummy = eval(val);
> >       document.write(dummy);
> >     }
> >   // -->
> >   </script>
> >   <?php
> >     function get_JS_var($js_var_name) {
> >       $x = "<script> getvariable('" . $js_var_name . "');
</script>";
> >       return $x;
> >     }
> >   ?>
> > </head>
> > <body>
> >   <form name='myForm' action='javascript:void(null)'>
> >     <?php
> >       $abc = get_JS_var("document.forms[0].name");
> >       $def = get_JS_var("myVal");
> >     ?>
> >     <center><?php print "abc: " . $abc; ?></center><br>
> >     <center><?php print "def: " . $def; ?></center><br>
> >   </form>
> > </body>
> > </html>
> >
> > As you can see should you try it, the method works fine -- both for
> static
> variables,
> > and for JavaScript objects.  I imagine something similar could be
made
> to
> work for
> > PERL, Python, etc.
> >
> > -- Dave Lovering
> > _______________________________________________
> > Javascript mailing list
> > Javascript at LaTech.edu
> > https://lists.LaTech.edu/mailman/listinfo/javascript
> >
> >
>
>
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