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Use ASP commands to modify a database

You can use Dreamweaver to create ASP command objects that insert, update, or delete records in a database. You supply the command object with the SQL statement or stored procedure that performs the operation on the database.

  1. In Dreamweaver, open the ASP page that will run the command.
  2. Open the Server Behaviors panel (Window > Server Behaviors), click the Plus (+) button, and select Command.
  3. Enter a name for the command, select a connection to the database that contains the records you want to edit, and select the editing operation that you want the command to perform—Insert, Update, or Delete.

    Dreamweaver starts the SQL statement, based on the type of operation you select. For example, if you select Insert, the dialog box looks like the following example:

    View full size graphic

  4. Complete the SQL statement.

    For information on writing SQL statements that modify databases, consult a Transact‑SQL manual.

  5. Use the Variables area to define any SQL variables. Provide the name and run-time value. Specifying the type and size of each variable prevents injection attacks.

    The following example shows an Insert statement that contains three SQL variables. The values of these variables are provided by URL parameters passed to the page, as defined in the Run‑Time Value column of the Variables area.

    View full size graphic

    To get the Size value, use the Databases panel in Dreamweaver. Find your database in the Databases panel and expand it. Next, find the table you’re working with and expand it. The table lists the sizes for your fields. For example, it might say ADDRESS (WChar 50). In this example, 50 is the size. You can also find the size in your database application.

    Note: Numeric, Boolean and date/time data types always use -1 as the size.

    To determine the Type value, see the following table:

    Type in database

    Type in Dreamweaver

    Size

    Numeric (MS Access, MS SQL Server, MySQL)

    Double

    -1

    Boolean, Yes/No (MS Access, MS SQL Server, MySQL)

    Double

    -1

    Date/Time (MS Access, MS SQL Server, MySQL)

    DBTimeStamp

    -1

    All other types of text fields, including the MySQL text data types char, varchar and longtext

    LongVarChar

    check database table

    Text (MS Access) or nvarchar, nchar (MS SQL Server)

    VarWChar

    check database table

    Memo (MS Access), ntext (MS SQL Server), or fields that support large amounts of text

    LongVarWChar

    1073741823

    For more information on the type and size of SQL variables, see www.adobe.com/go/4e6b330a.

  6. Close the dialog box.

    Dreamweaver inserts ASP code in your page that, when run on the server, creates a command that inserts, updates, or deletes records in the database.

    By default, the code sets the Prepared property of the Command object to true, which makes the application server reuse a single compiled version of the object every time the command is run. To change this setting, switch to Code view and change the Prepared property to false.

  7. Create a page with an HTML form so users can enter record data. In the HTML form, include three text fields (txtCity, txtAddress, and txtPhone) and a submit button. The form uses the GET method and submits the text field values to the page that contains your command.