Running on the Web

Term/Acronym

Meaning (in the PxPlus Web Server Reference)

Base launcher

The basic PxPlus Web Server launcher or engine, responsible for reading the configuration and launching the individual Web servers (port monitors).

CGI

Common Gateway Interface.

Client/browser

A browser or query engine sending a request for information or tasks.

Cookie

A variable=data pair you can use to transfer status and tracking information from one page to another.

DNS

Domain Name Server.

FTP

File Transfer Protocol.

GMT

Greenwich Mean Time.

HTML

HyperText Markup Language.

HTTP

HyperText Transfer Protocol.

IP

Internet Protocol.

Port monitor

An individual Web server that monitors a given port or TCP/IP socket. The terms "port monitor", "Web server" and "server" are sometimes used interchangeably in this reference and in the PxPlus Web Server dialogue box prompts on-screen. See Port Monitors.

SMTP

Simple Mail Transfer Protocol.

Task handler

PxPlus Web Server application that processes requests from the port monitor and returns completed results to the port monitor. (Task handlers are also referred to as sub-servers.) See Task Handlers.

TCP/IP

Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol.

TCP/IP Socket

The number you assign to the port or socket. The typical default socket for a Web server number is 80. Each port monitor must have a unique socket or port number.

URL

Uniform Resource Location request. Use standard URL coding conventions for requests to the Web Server. Requests to run PxPlus programs follow standard CGI coding conventions.

Web Server

Case-sensitive, mixed case is the PxPlus Web Server application. Any other usage (case insensitive) is a port monitor. The terms "port monitor", "Web server" and "server" are sometimes used interchangeably in this reference and in the Web Server dialogue boxes on screen.

Symbol(s)

Meaning

[ ]

Square brackets enclose optional elements in the syntax format.

Example:

With the special HTML code format ~~argument[?suffix]~~, you can use either an argument with a suffix (e.g. ~~Total?F:####0.00~~) or just an argument (e.g. ~~Total~~).

{ }

Curly brackets enclose a list of elements where you must select one item.

Example:

With {yes|no}, you must select either yes or no.

|

Vertical bars | pipes are used to separate a series of possible values.

Example: 

{yes|no}

...

Dots indicate the continuation of a list of elements.

Symbol(s)

Meaning

!

Exclamation mark:  Use the exclamation mark in the PxPlus language to begin a programmer's remark. It is syntactically the same as using a REMark directive.

Example:

! This is a remark.
REM This is a remark, too.

" ... "

Double quotes:  Use double quotes to enclose string literals in your PxPlus programs. Double quotes are not used in URL syntax.

Example:

?stringvar=abc in your URL is the equivalent of stringvar$="abc" in your PxPlus code.

#!

Pound sign + Exclamation mark:  An ASCII CGI program starts with the pound sign plus an exclamation mark. Use the mime type application/PxPlus for ASCII PxPlus programs. CGI programs (other than PxPlus programs) are not currently supported.

%

Percent sign:  A leading percent sign in your PxPlus program denotes a global variable, as in the Web Server system variables:  %exit_code and %print_fn.

A leading percent sign is also used in Web Server syntax as a prefix for characters that are invalid in HTML but still needed in your transmission to the browser.   (Send them as their HTA value, prefixed by the % percent sign.)

&

Ampersand:  Use the ampersand as the separator between arguments in a URL statement.

Example:

http://server/myapp/myprog?stringvar=abc&nextvar&a_var

*

Asterisk:  When you include the leading asterisk as in *web, PxPlus will prefix your program name with the full path name to the PxPlus lib directory automatically and will change the asterisks to underscores.

Example:

*web/merge would become something like:  g:\software\pxplus VX.X\lib\_web\merge.

You can also use asterisks in the PxPlus language to enclose specialty file names, such as *MEMORY*, and to serve as operators (e.g., in multiplying value*1.05 and in 'C'-type operators, etc.).

+

Plus sign:  Use the plus sign in your URLs to encode spaces on the data side of a variable=data pair or spaces between arguments on the variable side (no equals sign).

Example:

http://www.pvxplus.com/makewish;init?this+that&what=dog+cat+pig

(Plus signs in your PxPlus language syntax have the usual conventional meanings, i.e. as addition operators, etc.)

:

Colon:  Use the trailing colon to denote the end of a line label in your PxPlus program. An entrypoint in your URL, such as yourprog;entrylabel, refers to the ENTRYLABEL: line label in your program where the task handler would start executing your Web application.

;

Semi-colon:  Use the semi-colon in an URL to indicate an entrypoint in a program (i.e. a line label where execution should start).

Example:

call "yourprog;start_here", this_arg,that_arg 
http://server/makewish;init?this+that&what=dog+cat

<...>

Greater than and Less than:  Use greater than and less than symbols as brackets to enclose special HTML attributes or object tags.

Example in a PxPlus program: 

0020 PRINT (%PRINT_FN)"<html><head>"

?

Question mark:  Use a leading question mark to denote the start of an argument list in your URL.

Example:

http://myapp/mypvxprog?myvar&stringvar=abc&anothervar

You also use a question mark to denote the start of a suffix in a Web Server specialty code in HTML pages.

Example:

~~Total?F:####0.00~~
~~myprog;filltable?T~~

In conventional PxPlus syntax, a question mark is the same as a PRINT directive.

Example:

You can use either ? (%PRINT_FN)"<html><head>" OR PRINT (%PRINT_FN)"<html><head>"

~~ ... ~~

Enclosed by double tilde:  Use double tildes to enclose Web Server specialty codes in HTML template pages.

Example:

~~myprog;filltable?T~~