I am being tasked with writing a program that will have 4-5 users on a network operating windows pc concurrently. I’m very confident with single user webapps and uploading to cloud server but this is a bit new to me.
I am thinking of using the make .exe compiling but wondered if someone could point me in the right direction for saving/using data on a network? Should I make an exe or stick with webapp? Where is the best place to keep the data? It’s a vet clinic with debtors, drugs and critical info so data integrity is paramount obviously. Any advice much appreciated.
Securing their server is most important. Their IT provider should be consulted about this. As for creating an exe I don’t see a real benefit here. A web app can send and get data from a server and scripts on the server can fetch and return data from a data base, usually an sql one. I write web apps with responsive design that will work on any device, PC, phone or tablet, even Linux because the browser is the key. You will also need to consider encryption when sending passwords or sensitive data to/from the server. If you stick with Chrome you can save data locally to an sql db. IE and Edge and Firefox don’t support sql so if you make an exe you will have to use some other db for local storage.
John
Thanks John
What happens user1 opens page x which loads a list.
Then user2 opens page x again loads the list.
Then user1 modifies the list. What happens to user2’s list? Do you have a setinterval routine checking the list on the server? It’s this scenario that is all new to me.
What you are possibly describing can be quite a complex programming project, or not depending on the type of list. For example, I have a recipe/shopping list NSB web app that can be used by Mom, Dad and the kids simultaneously. Mom can make the shopping list on her PC/Mac and Dad and the kids will see this list on their phones. Dad and the kids go shopping and to different grocery stores. When one buys some item it can be seen as bought by the the other shoppers (and Mom at home on her PC/Mac as well). Internet connectivity is, of course, required.
This was no simple task and required date/time stamping items in the list and some complex coding to make it all work. But from my experience, it can be done.
John
Does your app regularly check online for any changes to the list or only when data is changed by a user?
It can sync data automatically under specific conditions, like after adding a new recipe or returning to a home form after entering a list of items for shopping. Auto sync needs to be turned on from settings. The manual method shows a sync icon on all forms which is circled in red after data has changed on the device. After selecting this icon/button it syncs and the icon red disappears until data is changed again. I do not have a periodic sync test at this time to check for updates on an interval basis. The example I gave does work but would require manual syncing to see if there is new data. For this particular app I don’t see interval testing as an important feature.
John