Hi guys. I run my family's website, and my brother is into our family's genealogy. We are trying to work together on this issue. He has sent me a program on a CD that will share our family's roots traced back to Ireland. What I'm trying to do is figure out if I can somehow load this program up onto the site, to where if a family member clicks on the link for it, the program (which is a viewer for the info he's compiled) will start for people to view our family info.

My questions are.. can this be done on a website? Will my family members have to have the viewer installed on their machine prior to viewing the info? Or will I have to just zip the entire thing up and have them all download it?

I'd appreciate any thoughts on this! Thanks.

Short answer "no". Long answer "yes", but not without a lot of difficulty and added expense. Citrix is one solution that comes to mind, but it is a very expensive proposition.

I'm not sure what skills you have, but one option would be to see if the application has an "export" function that will dump the data into somethig such as XML, CVS, tab delimited, etc. You could then build a small web app with something like PHP to import the data file into a database and you could build your own front end for the visitors to view the data. I did something similar with a Windows app for cataloging my DVD collection.

Michael J

I've been thinking about the same subject since I explore web programming. I just don't find the rite path to choose yet. I have the same question in my mind and i don't know what programming language can do that.. running a software in a web page. I definitely sure it can be done, just like "meebo.com" did. When I "View Source", I know its not a normal basic procedure stacking HTML markup to create a page like that. How they do that? What programming language should I consider for something like meebo.com which looks like running a software in a web page?

I display my genealogy on my website using the free Dynamic Family Tree Compiler Software at www.dftcom2.co.uk. It works well, it's easily to use, and it leaves you with just five small files needed to display your genealogy inforamtion. This software requires your genealogy information to be in a Family Tree Maker file or a GED file. The software uses Java plug-ins which the viewer may or may not already have loaded on their PC, but which can eaily be downloaded and installed.

meebo.com is not "running software" in their site. They are using API components of those services which lets developers interact with them. So, they are just creating a web interface that pulls/pushes information back and forth to those services.

You particular application would almost definitely not have such an API available. Even if it did, you would need to run the software on a machine that is accessible from the webserver where the information was to be displayed. Plus you would have to write your own application for creating the web front-end. Not a simple task by any means even for an experienced developer.

I suggest you look into pklinger's suggestion.

Michael J

I made some research and find out that API refers to Application Programming Interface. Also there's a lot of API tutorial and this include C++ and Java. Is this mean that for every software, it is depends on programmer whether to develop API for that software or not? How do they write/develop API? If this is advance programming subject, what is the basic programming language that I should learn first before exploring API?

I forgot one thing, also, can PHP interact with API? To create site like meebo.com, what programming language should i consider for?

An API has to already be built into an application. You cannot build your own API for a program unless you have access to the source code. The meebo site is interacting with the API's that those IM programs already have built into them.

The language you would use to access an API is "usually" not a factor. But, in any case the program that you are linking to would not be creating the presentation, i.e. the display, navigation, etc. If an API for that program existed it would allow you to make a query (e.g. get parents for person A) and return back the results. You would have to then parse out the information you want in the data returned and decide how to display it.

You are really doing down a dead end here, IMHO. Even if the application has an API, trying to build a front-end would be a huge task even for an experienced programmer.

I think you should take pklinger's suggestion and use a ready made geaneology program for the web.

Michael J

I didnt mean to interfere pklinger solution. I just really interested to know, how the creator of those IM software, write an API, and can be use by site like meebo/e-buddy. I interested to learn and build something like meebo.com, but I don't know which programming language to start of. Which language to consider for writing software as well as API, and which server side scripting for something like meebo.com? For server side, can I create the same with PHP? Or should I change to ASP? For software and API, where should I start? C/C++/Java? (is there any programming language that can be use to write both software and web scripting?) I dont want to lost and learn for nothing, I want to explore and hope to achieve something like meebo. Please advise.

As I stated before, the language you use is mostly irrelevant. For a website interface you could use PHP, ASP, .NET, Colde Fusion, etc., etc. as long as the language has the functions available to interface with the API.

As an example, take a look at this page:
http://repeat-offenders.org/modules...

There are three different "modules" on that page that are interacting with other applications/sites.

In the middle of the page you will see the details of a game server running BattleField2 as well as a list of the players that are currently on the server and their score.

On the right-hand side of the page you will see two different blocks with details for a TeamSpeak server. It shows the channels and players that are on the server.

Then on the left-hand side of the page you will see a donation block. The data for that is updated in real time from PayPal. If you were to click the link to make a donation, as soon as you completed the transaction at PayPal it would be displayed on that site.

Each of these works just a littple bit differently. But, the basic scenario is you send a request to a server and the server returns back the information (or an error message). Then the developer is responsible for creating the page and displaying the information from the server in a logical way.

For example, for the TeamSpeak block, I have to do three different queries: One for the server details, one for the channel details, and one for the player details. The player details would be returned in a long string of data. There would be two different types of delimiters - one to delimit each record and another to delimit the data within a record. Each record contains player name, time logged in, login name, ip address, etc.

So, if two players were on the server you might get a string of data in the format:
"Player1,152.35.114.35,loginname,1:23:14/Player2,166.29.84.135,loginname2,0:23:14". That string would need to be split up into meaningful information and then populated into a display.

Michael J

I think I get the picture how it works based on your information and the website. At least there is 2 API at the website if im rite. Its from Paypal, and from the game itself. Therefore API is not just related to software is it? Its about tools of certain program function (either web/software related) that has been made available to other developer for his/her program, and its no more than 'request' and 'get'. Therefore, at the moment (besides 'heavy' Java applet), there is none yet available technology to embed a plain software in a webpage? Will it be possible or it is possible? I just have this things in my mind that, wouldn't it be nice if one can write a plain software (eg. photo editor) and other people can access directly from web browser.

You can't do it from a website per say (at least that I've never seen). But, you can allow the user to run the software on their machine from the server (i.e. the software runs on the server, but the user is presented with the interface on their desktop as if they had installed it on their machine. This can be accomplished with Citrix (there may be other solutions). But, this is a VERY expensive proposition.

My company allows our customers to license our software in that method and we charge thousands of dollars a year for that service (we spend millions ont he citrix servers and licenses).

Michael J

Also, trying to run a program through a website without the proper licensing would be a huge violation of copyright and could open you up to litigation.

Michael J

That's an expensive technology. I also dont think any web host services have Citrix ready. I just know about running software from server as running in own machine. So it is possible. Yet, to make it run under web browser, im still clueless. Remember mIRC? Once that run under desktop can now be access as webchat as Java applet. However, I believe to make the same with photo editor written in Java and embed it as applet will take times to load. I know that with Imagemagick or GD, plus PHP, we can edit photo in a web page. The only thing is, it would be nice if one can present the page as meebo interface. Its lite, can open close window, drag and drop, thats make me thought it is running a software, but they are not. In which language can I achieve the same result to get interface like meebo?

Also, while searching for what I just known about remote desktop application, I found realvnc.com. Its open source. But I believe Citrix is more better.

OK, I'm done. You seem to undestand some of the concepts but not others. What you want to do is not possible unless

1) You use a solution such as Citrix and get the proper licensing from the vendor

2) The program was built with the proper API

Good luck to you.

Michael J

Thank you Michael J. :)