website and tracking information

[chaotycenygma]

i need some information on how you guys would go about making a website that could give you information based on a number you put it. This information will be tracking information on a particular package. The number will be a given number that corresponds with that package. Basically, all the files are dbase files that need to be converted into something readable. I then need to be able to use php or something to search through the readable information from the dbase file and then put it on the screen for the user looking for the tracking information. How would you go about this. Any help is greatly appreciated.

[barn_de]

hi chaotycenygma,

i don't know if i understood your question right. but here what i would do:

what about putting the dbase db into mysql? you than easily can query the mysql db, to get all the infos you need.

barn

[lorax]

chaotycenygma - welcome to WebmasterWorld,

The number will be a given number that corresponds with that package.

Do you mean the product number will have a tracking number?

[ergophobe]

Note that dBase support is built in to MySQL. However, the manual says:

dBase files are simple sequential files of fixed length records. Records are appended to the end of the file and delete records are kept until you call dbase_pack().

We recommend that you do not use dBase files as your production database. Choose any real SQL server instead; MySQL or Postgres are common choices with PHP. dBase support is here to allow you to import and export data to and from your web database, because the file format is commonly understood by Windows spreadsheets and organizers.

[chaotycenygma]

ok, let me try to clarify. I have package information that is saved in dbase files (ie. blah.dbf). I need to be able to read these dbase files and so that a user on a page can simply type in the number that deals with there package and that information comes up. I have found a dbase converter that can change the dbase file into sql or csv. Other than that my knowledge is limited.

[chaotycenygma]

i also need to be able to do all this in somewhat of an automated fasion.

[ergophobe]

I think you will be helped a lot by the articles in the forum library [webmasterworld.com], especially the one on the basics of extracting info from a MySQL database.

That alone should get you pretty far.