Filling Web forms

[kaaliya]

hi,
I have just created a web form with some textfields using ASP.NET and hosted it on some free site.
Now i want to fill this form using some other application.
So i wanted to know how can how can i access those textfields using some other application.

Basically what i want to do is to create a standalone application that will connect to that webpage containing the webform and fill it automatically with some predefined data given at the time of coding.

Thanks

[sashi]

Hi Kaaliya,

Why would you fill up your web form with data passed along a standalone application? Why not retrieve data from database?

Step 1
Use your standalone application to save the desired data to a temporary location i.e. text file / database

Step 2
Fill up your web form with saved data

Advantages
Both your web application & standalone can share the same database

[kaaliya]

Thanks for the reply Sashi!

My problem is that i want to update a database automatically every 5 minutes hosted on a free hosting site from a remote computer.
Therefore i wanted to develop a standalone application for that purpose.

So i created a web form with some fields so that the application can fill in the fields automatically and update the database.
it sounds a bit noobish but if u've got a better solution then pls tell me.

thanks

[sashi]

Why not use windows service instead of standalone application? You can schedule your service at a specific interval i.e. update your database every 5 minutes.

Does the free hosting provider allow remote database access? Which database are you working on? SQL or MS - Access? These are the things you have to consider.

I would prefer windows service in terms of automation. Set the interval and the rest is taken care. Good luck :)

[kaaliya]

Yes even i was thinking about windows service.
The hosting provider does provide SQL Server support but the problem is that it doesnt give me any IP address through which i can access the database.
so i guess i'll have to access it by creating pages/web forms on the space provided by the hosting site.

[sashi]

Why not look at web service in that case?

[kaaliya]

:-o
ok.. let me tell u my exact problem. :)
I will be doing some processing at my computer and I want these changes to be updated in the database hosted at the free hosting site. Some other remote computers will accessing that database through the asp webpages that are already there.
Also, i dont want the database to reside in my system in any case therefore i have hosted it at a free site.
Now how can i update the database from my system?

Initially i thought creating a web form with all the fields connected to the database and then use an application/windows service to fill it automatically with results produced at my system. But i cant figure out how to access those textfields on the web form through the windows service/application.

[sashi]

Kindly refer to below attached links, hope it helps you.

Post Data to a Web Form Using the Internet Transfer Control

* this is a classic vb code *

Using HttpWebRequest to send POST data

[kaaliya]

Thanks.. I got it!
I can make use of the 'querystring' here..

[sashi]

Good luck & have a wonderful day ahead :)

Happy coding!