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The WaSQL Platform
There are so many solutions for building a website. I have seen tons of front end solutions - Content Management Systems (CMS) and Website builders. In addition, there are many backend development engines that are now supported by most hosting providers - PHP, ASP, ColdFusion, and Mason to name a few. Have you ever wondered why there are so many? I think that the answer is that none of them really work - they are not as easy as advertised and do not give the developer all the flexibility he needs.
WaSQL stands for Web Access to SQL and was developed to help speed up web development of dynamic database driven websites. Essentially, it attaches to your websites database and provides
- a database management interface that is sleek, easy to use, and elegant. (View Screenshot)
- a way to backup your entire website into an XML file that can be reimported into any database
- a template based website development system that can be published easily.
- many built-in functions to make building web pages, forms, and custom functionality a breeze.
So why use WaSQL? The best way to answer this question is with what those who have used it have to say about it.
- WaSQL makes professionals out of amatures. I could never do some of the stuff I can do without it. WaSQL has done the hard stuff in the background and all I have to is access it. I love the template design paradigm. Change it once and the whole site changes. Also the the dynamic nature of being database driven. (Randy Parmer, Web Developer, http://www.originalfastfoods.com)
- Install subversion if it is not already installed.
- Download WaSQL using subversion. The repository url is "http://www.wasql.com/svn_wasql". You do not need to authenticate to checkout WaSQL.
- Configure each domain directory to use WaSQL
- Create a symbolic link called "cgi-bin" that points to your WaSQL folder
- Create a symbolic link called "wfiles" that points to your WaSQL/wfiles folder
- Using the sample.htaccess file create an .htaccess file
- In your WaSQL directory, Rename or copy config.xml.sample to config.xml. This file allows you to configure what type of database to connect to. Make sure the database you are connecting to already exists or create it.
- Open a browser and go to http://yourdomain.com. This should display the default WaSQL index page.
- To manage WaSQL, open a browser to http://yourdomain.com/admin. The default user/pass is "admin/admin".
- Install PHP
- Install Apache HTTP Server for Windows
- Install subversion. For a windows GUI client I recommend TortoiseSVN
- Download WaSQL using subversion. The repository url is "http://www.wasql.com/svn_wasql". If you installed TortoiseSVN you can right-click in the folder you want and select SVN Checkout.
- Configure Apache for WaSQL.
- Copy win32_apache.conf file found in the WaSQL installation to your Apache conf/extra directory. ("C:\Program Files\Apache Software Foundation\Apache2.2\conf\extra")
- Edit the httpd.conf file found in the Apache conf folder by including the following line at the end.
Include /conf/extra/win32_apache.conf - Open your copy of win32_apache.conf file and change the paths to point to where you installed WaSQL
- Restart Apache. This can be done by choosing the restart option in the start menu.
- In your WaSQL directory, Rename or copy config.xml.sample to config.xml. This file allows you to configure what type of database to connect to.
- Open a browser and go to http://localhost. This should display the default WaSQL index page.
- To manage WaSQL, open a browser to http://localhost/admin. The default user/pass is "admin/admin".