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Introduction

This chapter provides brief descriptions of the Oracle8 ConText Cartridge Workbench components, as well as general installation and configuration information.

The following topics are covered in this chapter:

• ConText Workbench Overview
• Installing the ConText Workbench
• Configuring the ConText Workbench

 

Note:  Detailed configuration information for the ConText Workbench components is located in the respective chapter for each component.

   

ConText Workbench Overview

The Oracle8 ConText Cartridge Workbench is included in the Oracle8 client, which is automatically provided with every Oracle8 (and Oracle8 Enterprise Edition) distribution. In a Windows NT environment, the Oracle8 client is part of the Oracle8 CD. In all other environments (i.e. UNIX-based environments), the Oracle8 client is provided as a separate CD.

The ConText Workbench consists of a set of tools and utilities that provide a client-side interface to ConText installed on a server host machine. The tools and utilities that comprise the ConText Workbench can be used to perform the following tasks from any client on which the ConText Workbench has been installed and configured:

• Administration
• Document Viewing
• Document Input/Output
• Sample Applications
• TextServer3 Migration

Administration

Administration can be carried out from the client-side via the ConText Workbench administration tools:

• Configuration Manager
• System Administration tool

The Configuration Manager is a platform-independent, HTML-based application that works with Oracle WebServer or Web Application Server. It offers administration facilities for the CTXSYS user, as well as querying facilities and a way of generating prototype applications. Once configured for a database, it can be used from multiple platforms to administer the database.

In contrast, the System Administration tool is a Windows-based application that connects to Oracle8 using Net8 and can be used by any users with the CTXADMIN or CTXAPP role to perform administration tasks and text setup for multiple databases.
 

See Also:  For more information, see Chapter 2, "Administration Tools"

   

Document Viewing

Viewing of documents can be carried out in a client/server environment or in a three-tier environment (via Oracle WebServer or Web Application Server). The ConText Workbench provides separate utilities for use in the two supported environments:

• Viewer Control
• Viewer Plugin

The Viewer Control is an OCX custom control that can be embedded either in Windows applications or in HTML pages where the browser supports Microsoft's ActiveX controls.

The Viewer Plugin is a Netscape client-side plugin that allows documents to be displayed in native format on the World Wide Web using browsers that support plugins.

In addition, the ConText Workbench provides the Viewer Cartridge, an Oracle WebServer/Web Application Server cartridge that provides the Viewer Plugin with documents for viewing. It assembles the highlighting information for a document, fetches the highlighting information and the document from the database, and delivers it to the browser for viewing either by the Viewer Plugin or by a specified helper application.
 

See Also:  For more information, see Chapter 3, "Document Viewing"

   

Document Input/Output

The Input/Output (I/O) Utility can be installed on any Windows NT or 95 client and is useful for moving data between an Oracle8 database and client-side applications. The utility also offers scripting access for launching Windows programs and text processing facilities.
 

See Also:  For more information, see Chapter 4, "Input/Output (I/O) Utility"

   

Sample Applications

The CTXQUERY sample application is an Oracle Forms application that is installed on the client-side, but can be used on any machine that has Oracle Forms runtime installed and is connected to an Oracle8 database (either directly or using Net8).

It uses demonstration tables and data which are created on the server-side using SQL scripts supplied with ConText. It illustrates a way of developing Oracle Forms 4.5 applications with ConText.
 

See Also:  For more information, see Chapter 5, "CTXQUERY Forms Sample Application"

   

TextServer3 Migration

The TextServer3 Dictionary Migration Tool is a PL/SQL package that contains procedures for migrating from TextServer3 to ConText. The scripts for creating the package are installed as part of the ConText Workbench and then run to create the package on the server-side. While the tool does not provide facilities for migrating TextServer3 applications, it does provides procedures for migrating the TextServer3 data dictionary (e.g. text tables, indexing preferences, thesauri, synonyms, and section groups).
 

See Also:  For more information, see Chapter 6, "TextServer3 Dictionary Migration Tool"

   

Installing the ConText Workbench

Figure 1-1

 

The ConText Workbench is installed using the Oracle Installer provided with the Oracle8 client. The ConText Workbench can be installed on any client machine running Windows NT or 95.

The Oracle Installer allows you to select the ConText Workbench, which automatically installs all of the ConText Workbench components, or to select individual components. Figure 1-1 illustrates the components that are installed, as well as their initial location, if you select the entire ConText Workbench.

The components you choose to install and the number of client machine(s) on which you install them are determined by how you want to use the components:

• Single Installation
• Multiple Installations

Single Installation

If you want to use the Configuration Manager and/or Viewer Cartridge, you only need to install them once, then configure them to work with Oracle WebServer or Web Application Server. Once they are configured, they can be accessed from any browser.

Similarly, if you want to use the TextServer3 Dictionary Migration Tool (a PL/SQL package), you only need to install it once, then create the PL/SQL package for the database.
 

See Also:  For more information, see "Configuring the ConText Workbench" in this chapter.

   

Multiple Installations

If you want to use the Viewer Control or Viewer Plugin (which relies on the Viewer Cartridge), they must be installed on each machine from which you want to provide document viewing.

Similarly, the System Administration tool, I/O Utility, and sample Oracle Forms application must be installed on each client from which you want to perform administration, move data, or use the sample form.

Configuring the ConText Workbench

Figure 1-2

 

Configuration is performed after the ConText Workbench components are installed. Once installed, some components, such as the I/O utility and Viewer Control require no setup. Other components, such as the System Administration tool, sample Oracle Form application, and Viewer Plugin require little or no setup, depending on whether the required setup tasks have already been performed.

In contrast, the Configuration Manager and Viewer Cartridge must be configured to work with Oracle WebServer or Web Application Server. Similarly, the PL/SQL package for the TextServer3 Dictionary Migration tool must be created in the Oracle8 database that contains the TextServer3 data dictionary to be migrated. Figure 1-2 illustrates the location of these components after configuration has been completed.
 

See Also:  For more information about each of these components, as well as detailed configuration instructions, see:  "Configuration Manager" in Chapter 2, "Administration Tools"  "Viewer Cartridge" in Chapter 3, "Document Viewing"  Chapter 6, "TextServer3 Dictionary Migration Tool"

   

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