There are two kinds of scripts: Client-Side and Server-Side. You can create HTML forms on your site, and then you can use them with scripts to dynamically respond to the user's responses. The language choices include Javascript (for cross-browser scripts) and VBScript (Internet Explorer). I cannot show you HOW to script here. If you would like to do some scripts, you will need a book and a lot of determination. There are also a passal of web sites providing sample scripts that you can adapt to your needs.

• Client-Side. This kind of script runs within an HTML page. The preferred language is Javascript, for cross-browser compatibility. An HTML intrinsic form can "send" information to a client-side script that takes action.
  • The disadvantage of this kind of script is that it is visible to the visitor. It is totally inappropriate for a member login script, since anybody who views your source can SEE the password you use.
  • Using Client-Side script, you can have button roll-overs and dynamic HTML effects.
• Server-Side Script.  The language you use depends on your Web Server. You have to check with your Hosting Site as to what is supported. The Windows NT standard is VBScript. But many servers will support Javascript and Java Servlets.
  • In the case of Member-Only scripts, this is the preferred method. You combine an intrinsic HTML form that sends, using the post method, to an ASP page. Using the post method, the information from the form does NOT appear in the address line. The ASP page can then receive that information and take action as appropriate. If you do a web search for Active Server Pages, you will find many sites offering sample scripts to do a variety of things. The NED server supports VBscript. In order to accommodate the Kenosha Login script, I plan at this point to support XML-RPC as soon as possible.
  • On the NED server, I run ASP pages that query the database. These pages are written in VBScript. As you can see by the buttons on this HTML page, though, I also use Javascript in my client-side HTML scripts.
  • Scripts to check against a database are Server-Side scripts. In my opinion the easiest language for server-side scripts is VBScript.
  • On the NED page, you can get a FORM script that will send information like Member Number and password to a Server-Side Script on the NED server. THAT script can check the NED database for validity and take action on what it finds.
• ODBC. ODBC is a server-support item. Through ODBC you can mask the location of your datafiles when you create queries to those files. NED supports ODBC. What this means is that you maintain a database and locate it inside of your web site. You can create a nickname for that database. When you write script, you access the database using the nickname. ODBC looks it up in its table. If it finds the database, it informs your script and lets you run a query against that database. To complete this method, you request an ODBC entry from your Web Host. Your Host registers your database with the ODBC.

Client-side scripts are created automatically for you by Frontpage, GoLive, Dreamweaver, and the like.

Some server-side scripts are also generated by these programs. Counters are the classic example.