Packaging browser based applications for Windows

[Chuck Anderson]

I have decided to create a browser based Php application for a
client/friend of mine (HTML forms to PDF, for one - perhaps a contacts
interface). He has a web site, so I can upload the application to his
web site, which is on a LAMP platform. The only down side to this is
that if he can not get online, he can not use the application. So, as a
backup, I want to find the easiest (simplest) way for him to be able to
run the application on his home/office Windows PC (without him needing
to understand how it works).

I run Apache with a Php module, and MySQL on my Windows machine. I am
aware of XAMP and some of the other complete Windows packages, but I
feel like it is too much to have him keep Apache and MySQL running all
the time (by putting Apache and MySQL into Windows startup). If I have
to go this route, I'll need to be sure that the server is locked up
tight, too (no remote access possible).

Are there other simpler ways to provide the proper environment (Windows)
to run browser based Php applications? Is there an easy way to install
the application so that it starts Apache and MySQL by itself when
needed? Php-GTK looks like a lot to learn. What I'd really like to do
is provide an environment where my browser based applications (I've
written a lot of them for myself) will run. I'm not sure what path
would be the best one to begin to follow and would appreciate some
advice on how to best set this up.

--
*****************************
Chuck Anderson • Boulder, CO
http://www.CycleTourist.com
*****************************

[Rik]

Chuck Anderson <we************@seemy.sigwrote:

I have decided to create a browser based Php application for a
client/friend of mine (HTML forms to PDF, for one - perhaps a contacts
interface). He has a web site, so I can upload the application to his
web site, which is on a LAMP platform. The only down side to this is
that if he can not get online, he can not use the application. So, as a
backup, I want to find the easiest (simplest) way for him to be able to
run the application on his home/office Windows PC (without him needing
to understand how it works).

I run Apache with a Php module, and MySQL on my Windows machine. I am
aware of XAMP and some of the other complete Windows packages, but I
feel like it is too much to have him keep Apache and MySQL running all
the time (by putting Apache and MySQL into Windows startup). If I have
to go this route, I'll need to be sure that the server is locked up
tight, too (no remote access possible).

Are there other simpler ways to provide the proper environment (Windows)
to run browser based Php applications? Is there an easy way to install
the application so that it starts Apache and MySQL by itself when
needed? Php-GTK looks like a lot to learn. What I'd really like to do
is provide an environment where my browser based applications (I've
written a lot of them for myself) will run. I'm not sure what path
would be the best one to begin to follow and would appreciate some
advice on how to best set this up.

WOS
http://www.chsoftware.net/en/useware/wos/wos.htm
Maybe alter/trim it down to your needs, and then he'll have a nice singel
executable to use.

--
Rik Wasmus
Posted on Usenet, not any forum you might see this in.
Ask Smart Questions: http://tinyurl.com/anel

[Toby A Inkster]

Chuck Anderson wrote:

He has a web site, so I can upload the application to his
web site, which is on a LAMP platform. The only down side to this is
that if he can not get online, he can not use the application.

Google: VMWare Player.

--
Toby A Inkster BSc (Hons) ARCS
Contact Me ~ http://tobyinkster.co.uk/contact
Geek of ~ HTML/SQL/Perl/PHP/Python*/Apache/Linux

* = I'm getting there!

[NC]

On Mar 12, 1:10 pm, Chuck Anderson <[e-mail]:

>
Are there other simpler ways to provide the proper
environment (Windows) to run browser based Php
applications?

Yes. Check out nuSphere phpDock:

http://www.nusphere.com/products/phpdock.htm

Basically, it is a local HTTP and browser combined.

Is there an easy way to install the application
so that it starts Apache and MySQL by itself when
needed?

phpDock runs its own HTTP server, so you don't need Apache. You still
need to deal with starting and stopping MySQL, however. One way to
deal with this problem is to avoind it altogether by using SQLite
rather than MySQL.

I'm not sure what path would be the best one to
begin to follow and would appreciate some advice
on how to best set this up.

There is no best way, unfortunately. You can't turn a client-server
application into a desktop application by just waving a magic wand...

Cheers,
NC

[=?UTF-8?B?T2xpdmVyIEdyw6R0eg==?=]

Chuck Anderson schrieb:

Are there other simpler ways to provide the proper environment (Windows)
to run browser based Php applications? Is there an easy way to install
the application so that it starts Apache and MySQL by itself when
needed?

And another package will all combined for deployment on CD:

http://www.server2go-web.de/

OLLi

--
We're making beer. I'm the brewery.
[Bender, Futurama 312]

[=?UTF-8?B?T2xpdmVyIEdyw6R0eg==?=]

Oliver Grätz schrieb:

And another package will all combined for deployment on CD:

http://www.server2go-web.de/

Wow, I tried this out just after telling you about it. It's really just
download, unzip, start the exe and you're up and running with Apache,
MySQL and PHP. There's a config file to change the ports for Apache and
MySQL, the default is on non-standard ports to avoid colliding with
eventually installed servers. You can set which browser to start, which
page to load and whether the servers should be shut down after closing
the browser! It's even pre-packaged with an autorun config so you can
just burn your app on CD and run it from there.

OLLi

--
All Glory to the Hypno-Toad!
[Futurama 307]

[Chuck Anderson]

Oliver Grätz wrote:

Chuck Anderson schrieb:

>Are there other simpler ways to provide the proper environment (Windows)
to run browser based Php applications? Is there an easy way to install
the application so that it starts Apache and MySQL by itself when
needed?

And another package will all combined for deployment on CD:

http://www.server2go-web.de/

OLLi

I want to say thanks to all for the great suggestions. This once looks
pretty simple, but I will check them all out and post back ...
eventually. Transparency is going to be the key. I don't want to
confuse my client. First, I need to create the application. (I am
using FPDF for the first time to create an HTML form - into a database -
then to PDF document).

--
*****************************
Chuck Anderson • Boulder, CO
http://www.CycleTourist.com
*****************************