use shortcode to display survey

sophia · January 11th, 2012, 01:45 AM

Hi Imar,
survey engine is really good but it is displayed only on front page. To show it in some other page we need to use the same code in that other page. But still only
one survey can be visible.
Is it possible to access the survey through short codes (I do not know it might be called something else) like [survey id=1] [survey id=2] etc...
where survey is to show that we are calling survey and Id tells which survey to load.

If yes then how this can be done.

Thanks...

Imar · January 11th, 2012, 02:27 PM

Hi there,

I didn't write that chapter, so I don't know how the survey works.

My guess would be to look at the code that loads the current survey for the homepage, and see if you can parameterize that to query one by its ID.

Cheers,

Imar

sophia · January 11th, 2012, 04:40 PM

Thanks, I will look and try to make things work but chances are very few.

But can you give general idea for this type of data binding that I asked in question. We actually use this type of code while defining web services like this [WebMethod]. So how we can let application know that what [xyz] means.

Or can you tell regarding any other application that you wrote e.g. assume I want to show a particular product from WroxShop like this
[Shop Id=1]

Now it must show a product with id=1 to the end user...

Imar · January 11th, 2012, 05:04 PM

It's a matter of executing a SQL query with the ID in the WHERE clause somehow. E.g:

SELECT Whatever FROM SomeTable WHERE Id = 123

How you do this depends on the data access technology you're using.

Quote:

But can you give general idea for this type of data binding that I asked in question. We actually use this type of code while defining web services like this [WebMethod]. So how we can let application know that what [xyz] means.

I am not sure what this means, or what you're asking. [WebMethod] is an attribute, somewhat like a label you attach to code. I don't see how this could be used to query surveys from a database. For more information about attributes:
http://www.dotnetattributes.com/
http://www.dotnetattributes.com/Faqs/

Imar

sophia · January 12th, 2012, 02:48 AM

Hi Imar,
Links you posted are really informative for me as I was not aware to such stuff before, thanks for this.

Ok I am trying my best to explain my problem.
We use tags whether it is server side or ordinary html. e.g. <img>
Here whenever <img> tag is found application knows that it is required to show an image which is located at the address which is specified by its src attribute.

Code:

<img src="url">

for this we have not written any custom code to let application know that it is image. However for our own custom tags it might be required. (I do not know)

Similarly I am trying to display information using such code. Here I am using square brackets (not mandatory, I can use angle brackets as well)
so [Shop id=1] will infer to to display shop product having id = 1.
As we can use img tag anywhere (even in html editor) same I wanna show shop product anywhere using shop tag.

it might be wrapped in either square brackets or angle bracket.
I hope I tried best to explain my problem.

Thanks

Imar · January 12th, 2012, 03:08 AM

Why would you want this? Why not simply use, say, the Query String to pass an ID to the code that selects a survey?

Imar

sophia · January 12th, 2012, 05:05 AM

Actually there might be few areas, where this may be required. Not going specific to surveys, let's assume that in blog application one wants to sell few ebooks on different blogs, and keeps different prices for these. Now user just wants that he should be able to display a book and a paypal button with a price by that sample tag that I talked about that is just specify

Code:

[paypal productname:abc price:$$]
or [paypal productname="abc" price="$$"]
analogy to img tag.

All the paypal core settings viz. account type, paypal id be stored in different table in blog application.

However he can embed code for this but he does not want to use that all script again and again in between while writing the blog.

This is something like this, it is not however actual scenario that I currently need but I am just trying to make understand what I need.

So kindly tell me how such thing can be managed?

Thanks...

Imar · January 12th, 2012, 11:31 AM

I still don't understand what you want, or why you'd want it.Maybe User Controls or Custom Server Controls are the solution....

Cheers,

Imar

sophia · January 12th, 2012, 12:06 PM

Code:

Maybe User Controls or Custom Server Controls are the solution...

This might be definitely a solution, but I would not like to use runat or Id attributes....

But how I make you understand (perhaps I am worst writer).
what would you suggest an admin to use

a.) use the full data access code to show a single record from database something like

Code:

<asp:Label runat="server" ID="Label1" Text='<%# Eval ("Description")%>'></Label>

which will show only description, based on Id which might come from
querystring.

or b.) just use some code like

Code:

[shop Id=1]

which may show the complete detail of product whose Id is 1.

Imar · January 12th, 2012, 01:52 PM

And how is an admin going to manage that content? By managing the ASPX files directly? Storing content in a database is going to way easier....

Cheers,

Imar