The mgiGuestbookDB Tag Tag Behavior Use the mgiGuestbookDB tag to create a guestbook with entries stored in a database. Tag Syntax The mgiGuestbookDB tag has three modes. Each mode has different required and optional parameters. The modes of mgiGuestbookDB are: submit - Submits the guestbook entry to the database. display - Displays the guestbook entries from the database. submitAndDisplay - Submits the guestbook entry to the database and displays the guestbook entries from the database. Submit Mode The submit mode of the mgiGuestBookDB tag has a beginning tag with two required parameters and three optional parameters, a body, and an ending tag. The tag form is: <mgiGuestbookDB name="myGuestbook" mode="submit" odbcDatasource="Source Name" odbcUsername="Name" odbcPassword="Password"> MGI Tags and Text </mgiGuestbookDB> Required Parameters: name - The name of the guestbook. mode - The mode is the function that the mgiGuestbookDB tag performs. In "submit" mode, the mgiGuestbookDB tag adds the guestbook entry to the guestbook database. In submit mode, the body of the mgiGuestbookDB tag is required and cannot be empty. Optional Parameters: odbcDatasource (NT only) - The odbcDatasource is the name of datasource on the server that provides access information for an external ODBC database. If the odbcDatasource parameter is included, counter information will be stored in the specified ODBC database rather than the internal MGI database. Inquire with the server administrator for additional information about the use of ODBC databases. If you include the odbcDatasource parameter, the odbcUsername and odbcPassword parameters are required. odbcUsername (NT only) - The odbcUsername is the username required to access the ODBC datasource. The odbcUsername parameter is required if you include the odbcDatasource parameter. odbcPassword (NT only) - The odbcPassword is the code required to access the ODBC datasource. The odbcPassword parameter is required if you include the odbcDatasource parameter. Display Mode The display mode of the mgiGuestBookDB tag has a beginning tag with one required parameter and seven optional parameters, and an ending tag. The tag form is: <mgiGuestbookDB name="myGuestbook" mode="display" resultsPerPage="Whole Number" page="Whole Number" resultsVariableName="Name" odbcDatasource="Source Name" odbcUsername="Name" odbcPassword="Password"> </mgiGuestbookDB> Required Parameters: name - The name of the guestbook. Optional Parameters: mode - The mode is the function that the mgiGuestbookDB tag performs. In "display" mode, the mgiGuestbookDB tag displays guestbook entries from the guestbook database at the location of the mgiGuestbookDB tag. "Display" is the default mode of the mgiGuestbookDB tag. resultsPerPage - The resultsPerPage is the number of guestbook entries to display. The default value is 25. page - The page is the set of guestbook entries to display. For example, if the resultsPerPage is set to "25", then page 1 displays entries 1 to 25 and page 2 displays entries 26 to 50. The default value is 1. resultVariableName - The resultVariableName is the name prepended to the guestbook result variables that contain information about the guestbook results. You may choose any name for the result variable prefix. To display guestbook result variables use the mgiGet tag. In the following list of available result variables, the resultVariableName value is "resultvar". Result variables are created and available anywhere on the page after the mgiGuestbookDB tag. resultvar_ResultCount - A page variable with the total number of entries in the guestbook. resultvar_FirstIndex - A page variable with the index number of the first entry shown on the page. resultvar_LastIndex - A page variable with the index number of the last entry shown on the page. resultvar_PrevPage - A page variable with the number of the page preceding the current page. The value of this variable is zero (0) if the current page is 1. resultvar_Page - A page variable with the number of the page currently displaying. resultvar_NextPage - A page variable with the number of the page following the current page. The value of this variable is zero (0) if the current page is the last page. odbcDatasource (NT only) - The odbcDatasource is the name of datasource on the server that provides access information for an external ODBC database. If the odbcDatasource parameter is included, counter information will be stored in the specified ODBC database rather than the internal MGI database. Inquire with the server administrator for additional information about the use of ODBC databases. If you include the odbcDatasource parameter, the odbcUsername and odbcPassword parameters are required. odbcUsername (NT only) - The odbcUsername is the username required to access the ODBC datasource. The odbcUsername parameter is required if you include the odbcDatasource parameter. odbcPassword (NT only) - The odbcPassword is the code required to access the ODBC datasource. The odbcPassword parameter is required if you include the odbcDatasource parameter. SubmitAndDisplay Mode The submitAndDisplay mode of the mgiGuestBookDB tag has a beginning tag with two required parameters and six optional parameters, a body, and an ending tag. The tag form is: <mgiGuestbookDB name="myGuestbook" mode="display" resultsPerPage="Whole Number" page="Whole Number" resultsVariableName="Name" odbcDatasource="Source Name" odbcUsername="Name" odbcPassword="Password"> MGI Tags and Text </mgiGuestbookDB> Required Parameters: name - The name of the guestbook. mode - The mode is the function that the mgiGuestbookDB tag performs. In "submitAndDisplay" mode, the mgiGuestbookDB tag adds the guestbook entry to the guestbook database and displays guestbook entries from the guestbook database at the location of the mgiGuestbookDB tag. In submitAndDisplay mode, the body of the mgiGuestbookDB tag is required and cannot be empty. Optional Parameters: resultsPerPage - The resultsPerPage is the number of guestbook entries to display. The default value is 25. page - The page is the set of guestbook entries to display. For example, if the resultsPerPage is set to "25", then page 1 displays entries 1 to 25 and page 2 displays entries 26 to 50. The default value is 1. resultVariableName - The resultVariableName specifies the type of information that is saved in a page variable. If the resultVariableName parameter value is "resultvar", then the following page variables are created and available anywhere on the page after the mgiGuestbookDB tag (Use the mgiGet tag to display variable information.) resultvar_ResultCount - A page variable with the total number of entries in the guestbook. resultvar_FirstIndex - A page variable with the index number of the first entry shown on the page. resultvar_LastIndex - A page variable with the index number of the last entry shown on the page. resultvar_PrevPage - A page variable with the number of the page preceding the current page. The value of this variable is zero (0) if the current page is 1. resultvar_Page - A page variable with the number of the page currently displaying. resultvar_NextPage - A page variable with the number of the page following the current page. The value of this variable is zero (0) if the current page is the last page. odbcDatasource (NT only) - The odbcDatasource is the name of datasource on the server that provides access information for an external ODBC database. If the odbcDatasource parameter is included, counter information will be stored in the specified ODBC database rather than the internal MGI database. Inquire with the server administrator for additional information about the use of ODBC databases. If you include the odbcDatasource parameter, the odbcUsername and odbcPassword parameters are required. odbcUsername (NT only) - The odbcUsername is the username required to access the ODBC datasource. The odbcUsername parameter is required if you include the odbcDatasource parameter. odbcPassword (NT only) - The odbcPassword is the code required to access the ODBC datasource. The odbcPassword parameter is required if you include the odbcDatasource parameter. Example Usage and Output Submit Mode <mgiGuestbookDB name="myGuestbook" mode="submit"> <p><b><mgiPostArgument name="Name"> said:</b></p> <p><mgiPostArgument name="Comments"></p> <p><hr></p> </mgiGuestbookDB> In this example, a guestbook entry is added to the guestbook database from a form submission. Display Mode <mgiGuestbookDB name="myGuestbook" mode="display" resultsPerPage="20" page="2"> </mgiGuestbookDB> In this example, the guestbook entries from 21 to 40 are displayed. If the guestbook entries were submitted as in the submit mode example, they would appear as follows: Ralph Barber said: I prefer your products because they are easy to learn and use Marcia Simpson said: Does your product come in blue? SubmitAndDisplay Mode <mgiGuestbookDB name="myGuestbook" mode="submitAndDisplay" resultsPerPage="20" page="2"> <p><b><mgiPostArgument name="Name"> said:</b></p> <p><mgiPostArgument name="Comments"></p> <p><hr></p> </mgiGuestbookDB> In this example, new guestbook entries from a form submission are submitted to the guestbook database as in the submit mode example and displayed as in the display mode example. Suggested Usage Database-Driven Guestbooks