|
Configurations
Gravitybox has designed two different solutions for your business. Depending on
your application needs, one of our VS.NET scheduling components will integrate into
your application to provide a scheduling solution for your business. This allows
you to outsource the scheduling portion of your application and implement it at
much lower cost. You do not need to have your development department create a custom
component to handle your scheduling needs. This action saves time and money by using
an existing solution designed specifically for businesses like yours and paying
only a fraction of the full development costs. Another reason that this is a smart
business decision is the fact that you do not need to support the scheduling product.
We make bug fixes and add functionality. You simply download the latest version
and replace it in your development project as they become available. Our subscription
service is included with every registration. You may download the latest version
as they become available for six months.
The two solutions that we offer are radically different based on your needs and
application type. First we offer a WinForms control that allows you to build standard
Windows applications. The second is a WebControl that allows you to build an ASP.NET
application. Depending on your target application type, you can use one of these
development paradigms to solve your scheduling needs.
WinForms
If you wish to build a WinForms application, you would use our Schedule.NET component.
This solution is used when you know the client machines have the .NET runtime installed.
You most likely build your own setup program and distribute it to your users for
install. Your install would package the schedule control along with any other third-party
controls you use. Our WinForms component can interface with a database located anywhere
on the Internet through our Enterprise Server solution. This is a server side component
with direct access to your database. The Enterprise Server receives requests from
clients and returns the requested data to the client. You can have any number of
clients access the same server. This allows you to build a Windows client application
that can be distributed to any number of users and coordinate with one centralized
repository of information (a database). Each time one of the client applications
request scheduling data, it is provided with the latest data from the database.
This allows your users to see appointment and other information in almost real-time.
ASP.NET
Our web solution allows you to host any number of users without any of them having
to install a client application. This is most convenient if you change your application
often. The most significant benefit is seen with complex applications that are used
by hundreds or even thousands of users that are geographically dispersed. With complex
applications you may have professional installers on staff that travel to your user
sites to install your complex product. If there is a problem with the software,
your installers must travel to the client site again to correct the issue. The web
schedule allows you the possibility to host the functionality on your own servers
where you have control of the application and can update it much more frequently.
Even in the case where you must install the application at a customer site, you
only need to install it on one server machine instead of many client machines.
Configurations
With the provided components there are many configurations possible. First the components
are listed with a description of each. Then different configurations are shown that
can be used to implement solutions for your business.
|
|
|
Schedule.NET - This is a WinForms component that can be added to a windows
form to provide scheduling functionality. |
|
WebSchedule.NET - This is a web component that may be added to an ASP.NET
page to provide scheduling functionality. |
|
Controller - This is a component that is used to connect a database to one
of the schedules. It loads and saves datasets that the schedules recognize from/to
a database. This control must have local access to a database. |
|
WebController - This is the web version of the controller that allows you
to connect to a database placed on a public network (including the Internet). You
must be running the Gravitybox Enterprise Server for this component to access your
database. This component is not as fast as the Windows controller version but allows
database access across any network. |
|
All of the following configurations assume that the schedule is contained within
a larger application. The schedules are components, not applications, and must be
host by either a Windows Form or an ASP.NET page.
Local Configuration
This arrangement is simple and may be used for a single user application where the
database and client application are running on the same machine.
Split Configuration
If you have a separate database server for all instances of your application, this
configuration allows you to build a client application that accesses a database
on a locally accessible server.
Client / Server Configuration
If you wish to build a client application for distribution to users who do not have
local access to the database, the client/server arrangement allows your application
to do so. This design can be used if you wish to host the database for your users.
You setup the Gravitybox Enterprise Server and a database at your location. You
distribute your Windows application to users with some sort of connection information,
basically the server name. All instances of the client application connect to the
Enterprise Server, which in turn accesses the database.
Browser / Server Configuration 1
Finally we explore ASP.NET applications. A user runs your ASP.NET application by
navigating to a web (ASPX) page. The web page has an instance of the WebSchedule.NET
component on it. It in turn uses the local controller component to access the database.
Browser / Server Configuration 2
In the case where you have a separate web server and database server, this configuration
can be used. It differs from above in that instead of a standard controller accessing
a local database, it uses a web controller to connect to yet another server anywhere
on a network (including the Internet) that houses your database.
|
|