Glossary

A

ASP: An acronym which means "Active Server Pages". It is a server-side scripting environment introduced by Microsoft in 1996 and is comprised of built-in objects, server-side scripts, ADO capability (access to databases), and ActiveX components which allow web developers to build dynamic web sites such as search engines, e-Commerce sites, auction houses, sharehouses, web portals, and more. Other technologies that are similar to ASP are ASP.NET, PHP, CGI/Perl, Cold Fusion, and Apple's Web objects.; 20/20 products use ASP extensively to build pages on the web server. We have written a more detailed article which is available at our online Knowledge Base.

C

"Code-Friendly" Names

Some functions and features of 20/20 DataShed will alter the name of a main category (or other behind-the-scenes data) for use in file names or HTML code.

In cases where puncutation or invalid file name characters would cause an error, 20/20 DataShed strips the information of those extraneous characters. Normally, this happens behind-the-scenes and doesn't bother anybody...however, when creating new HTML templates it is important to understand this concept.

So, to create a "code-friendly" name, 20/20 DataShed passes the real name of a category (for example) through a function which strips the string of non-word characters such as: " , ' & # @ ! ~ ( * etc.

A name like: Automobiles becomes Automobiles (No Change.)
A name like: Residential Homes becomes ResidentialHomes (The empty space is removed.)
A name like: Jimi's Guitars becomes JimisGuitars (The apostrophe and empty space are removed.)
A name like: 24 Karat Gold becomes 24KaratGold (The empty spaces are removed.)

Therefore it is important to understand that HTML templates designed for a main category called "Johnny's Best-Western 16 Oz. T-Bone Steaks!" should be named according to the "code-friendly" rules.

print_template(JohnnysBestWestern16OzTBoneSteaks)(Print Me!).html
item_template(JohnnysBestWestern16OzTBoneSteaks).html
summary(5)view_template(JohnnysBestWestern16OzTBoneSteaks).html

H

HTML: An acronym which means "HyperText Markup Language" which is the first language of web pages.; The official HTML language specification can be viewed at the World Wide Web Consortium; HTML is related (and one of many precursors to) XHTML.

I

IUSR or IUSR_<localmachinename>: This acronym refers to the "Internet USeR" and is an NTFS or Active Directory user account used by web servers to manage the anonymous users of a web site. In every Microsoft operating system there is a user account designated to anonymous users (or "sguests"s) which controls exactly which files/folders those guests have access to.; So, when I.T. personnel talk about the IUSR account they are referring to the visitors of a web site and usually talking about providing those people access to specific content while preventing them from have access to sensitive information.; Note that the user account is actually named "IUSR_<the computer's name>". In Windows XP, this user account belongs to the "Everyone" group (which is why some technical documents or help sites sometimes instruct users to "give the Everyone account Read/Write access").; See also NTFS, "permissions".

IIS: This acronym refers to the "Internet Information Service" in the Micrsoft Windows operating system.; The "Internet Information Service" is one of a family of services available in the Microsoft Windows XP, Vista, and Microsoft Windows Server platforms which provide access to communicate and serve content on the internet.

N

NTFS: This is an acronym which stands for "NT File System". Of course, "NT" is also an acronym which loosely stands for "NeTwork" but refers specifically to the Microsoft operating system released in the mid-90s called "Windows NT". This file system was designed for and released with Windows NT and has become standard in all Microsoft operating systems ever since.; This term is commonly used in discussions about file/folder permissions and file/folder security. That is because the "NTFS Security" settings grant or deny a user access to the computer's file system and control which files and folders that person can access on the computer.; See also permissions and IUSR or IUSR_<localmachinename>.

P

Permissions: Permissions (often NTFS Permissions or IIS Permissions) are a set of controls or policies which provide a specific user of any computer access to specific contents of that computer's file system.; For example, a visitor to your web site is likely an anonymous user which is controlled by a specific NTFS or Active Directory user account on the web server to control which files on that computer that visitor can access. Likewise, the server's administrator is controlled by a different user account which provides that person with access to other tools on the same computer. In this manner, the NTFS Security (permissions) policies allow a server administrator to protect sensitive content within a computer.; A typical web site which uses HTML usually requires "Read" permissions for the anonymous user account so that visitors to a web site can browse the pages. However, with any database application or a web site with upload scripts, "Write/Modify/Delete" permissions are also required for the anonymous user account so that the web site's visitors can put files on the web server's hard drive and edit the contents of the database. In these cases, some security is relinquished to the scripts and source code -- in other words, 20/20 DataShed is also in charge of security to ensure that sensitive information is protected while the users of a web site have access to special features.; See also NTFS, IUSR or IUSR_<localmachinename>, and IIS.

Q

Querystring

A QueryString collection retrieves keys and values of the "QueryString" variable in the HTTP header. The QueryString is specified by "key/value" pairs following a question mark (?) in a URL. Several different processes can generate a query string. For example, the anchor tag

<a href="example?string=this is a sample">string sample</a>

This example generates a key named "string" which has a of "this is a sample". Query strings are also generated by sending a form or by a user typing a query into the address box of the browser.

Many querystring values can be passed in the URL if they are properly separated by an ampersand character (&). For example:

anyPage.asp?Query1=Value1&Query2=Value2&Query3=Value3

Querystrings in 20/20 DataShed are used to pass information from one page to another. For example, if you are browsing through listings that are "For Sale", then somewhere in the address bar of your web browser you will see in the querystring:

listings.asp?strCurrentPage=3&transaction_type=For%20Sale

In this example the current page is "3" and the "%20" characters are an encoded version of an empty space.

S

SSI: An acronym which means "Server-Side Include" and refers to the process of writing dynamic data into web pages as they are processed by the web server.; SSI has been an integral part of web servers for many years -- as early as some of the first UNIX systems -- and is an important technology within all modern web servers.; Most often, SSI is used to bring together a group of files within a single processing stream wherein each file has unique content. However, SSI commands allow other functionality as well; for example a common use for SSI commands is to insert the current date and time within a web page.; A common command looks like this:

In this example, the web server includes a file called "file.inc" into the current document.; 20/20 DataShed uses SSI extensively. 20/20 DataShed also incorporates an alternative method called "Server.Execute", which is integral to Microsoft's ASP engine. For more information about using SSI and "Server.Execute" with 20/20 DataShed, please visit this article: How To Incorporate "Include" Files Into 20/20 DataShed's Pages.

T

Tokens in 20/20 DataShed

The tokens available in 20/20 DataShed allow otherwise static templates to drawn information from the database or other resources to be displayed in the web pages and email messages.

Examples:

[ParentCompanyCompanyName:] When this token is used within the contactinfo_template.html template file, the company name of the parent company is inserted.
[MultiPhotoModule:] When this token is used within the item templates, the "Multi Photo Module" is inserted and displays the images associated with the current item.

Some tokens are available for use in specific template files. (Because some tokens have specialized features that are useful only in specific contexts.)

See the Tokens Reference for comprehensive information about all tokens available for use in 20/20 DataShed's templates.

Note that there is no public standard for such tokens. These features have been created by 20/20 Applications specifically for 20/20 DataShed and any similarities to tags, commands, or syntax in other languages is purely coincidental.

U

URL: An acronym which means "Uniform Resource Locator" which is the official name of a web page address.; Except to purists, URL is synonymous with URI (which means "Uniform Resource Indicator").

X

XHTML: An acronym which means "eXtensible HyperText Markup Language" which is the most recent language of web pages. Some consider XHTML to be the future of web pages (and a variety of other rich text media).; The official XHTML language specification can be viewed at the World Wide Web Consortium; XHTML is a successor (in part) of HTML.; 20/20 DataShed makes extensive use of XHTML code and where possible is compliant with the "XHTML 1.0 Transitional" language specification.

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