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How FirstClass web templates work
All Internet Services web templates and server-parsed files incorporate the different components of IS script, which is an extension of Apache's Extended Server-Side Include scripting language (XSSI). IS script is comprised of these subgroups:
• X-FC tags (see Internet Services X-FC tags)
used to pull data from the FirstClass Network Store (FCNS) on the server and display FirstClass content to the web user
The purpose of these other IS script groups is to enhance the overall functionality of the templates.
• IS script commands (see IS script commands)
used to provide some flow control when data is being processed and displayed to the web
• IS script functions (see IS script functions)
used as string processing functions (can be part of any IS script expression)
• IS script variables (see IS script global constants)
used in any expression, static value, or function argument by prefixing the variable name with a $ sign.
Like client forms (created in FirstClass Designer), web templates retrieve data from the data store on the FirstClass server through field ID numbers. FirstClass Designer automatically assigns field ID numbers to fields you have created on your form. In the corresponding web template, embedded X-FC tags act as placeholders for fields on the template. These X-FC tags map directly to fields on a client form and pull the same data from the FirstClass server. Each field on the client form corresponds to the same field on the web template. Here is the Message
client form and its corresponding web form:
You can think of this process as similar to a mail merge in a word-processing application. The template is like the letter, and FirstClass tags are like the embedded field markers in the letter that pull specific information from a central database. The FirstClass server is like the central database. When you perform the mail merge, the field markers are replaced in the letter by actual data (for example, name, address, and salutation). Similarly, when you create a new message or a new document in FirstClass, the FirstClass X-FC tags are replaced by actual data from the server (for example, the From field, To field, or the Cc field). When the mail merge is completed, you have all the relevant information displayed on the letter. In How template tags work, we breakdown some common template tags.
A note on server-side include scripting language
Server-side includes are instructions to the server to include a specified file in the current document before sending the document to the user who requested it (similar to a library item that is provided by the server). Placing server-side #include syntax in a document inserts a reference to an external file; it does not insert the contents of the specified file in the current document. Keep in mind, server-parsed pages take more time to serve out to the web than other pages.
When you open a document, the server processes the #include instructions and creates a new document. In the new document, the #include instructions are replaced by the contents of the included file. The server then sends this new document to the browser. To edit the contents of a server-side include file, you must directly edit the file that you are including. Any changes
to the included file are automatically reflected in every document that contains it.
Adding FirstClass resources
Although there are some similarities in how the client forms and web forms display information, there are some differences in how they each acquire the necessary FirstClass resources and where these resources reside. FirstClass resources include images, pictures, icons, sound files, and languages that FirstClass supports. For information on FirstClass client resources, see FirstClass Designer. For information on how Internet Services uses resources, see Internet Services resources in the Internet Services Administrator's Guide in online help.
The graphic below illustrates how the FirstClass client outputs forms and resources and how Internet Services outputs templates and resources:
(Double-click to enlarge)
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