Chapter 16. User Directory
IN THIS CHAPTER
Now that we've looked at a static WML application, it's time we show how powerful wireless applications can be by attaching to a dynamic back-end database. This chapter highlights the basic features of WML integrating with VBScript to access a database. The application environment we've chosen is not the only one you can use; many other application environments (ColdFusion, Java/JSP/EJB, and other database choices) can be used as well. The next chapter contains a sample scheduling application. It will include more server interaction and demonstrate how you can bi-directionally integrate with a dynamic back-end for these kinds of applications. In deciding what application to create here, we used standard criteria to select a relevant mobile application where data is needed, selective, and easily accessed on the go.
For the first example, we've created a directory of phone numbers and email addresses for employees from three different companies. The goal of this directory is to send our WAP device a few employee records for each of the several companies and then allow the user to directly call or email those employees.
This chapter will serve as an in-depth walkthrough of the code itself. We'll start with the home deck and then walk through each of the remaining decks, thus showing you the context for each block of code in a relatively simple WAP application. At the end of the chapter, you'll find a complete listing of the code, including comments. In the next chapter, we'll go into more detail and show you some advanced tips and tricks for building your own WAP application.