Re: A summary of key points on dynamically generated web pages

Hi, Charles

The template database approach works with limited templates and context.
However, for example, a web site lets each user set up a profile
describing how each web page should be configured for him.  If the web site
works with hundres and pages and thousands of users, the template
and database approach is not reasonable.

Actually, the appropriate design does not necessarily significantly
increase the complexity.  Give me an example and I probably have a way
for it not to be that complex.  (I hope <smile>.)

I don't understand your statement "that in general creating different
versions of a page sometimes overcome some implementation-specific
limitations".  How would a user decide what is relevant?  (This goes back to the
concept-barrier issues.)  

Scott


> Scott,
> 
> sorry, I was not attempting to suggest that there was no place for
> dynamically generated content - I use such sites all the time for thinks like
> live commentary on the cricket. Just that the use of template and database
> programming extends far beyond the situation where content needs to be
> generated dynamically, because of the efficiency that can be gained from the
> technique.
> 
> And I agree that there are optimisations that can be done to make sure
> templates are structurally linked, or that there is sanity checking that can
> be automatically performed across different templates. However each of these
> things also adds complexity to the system. (I am a self-taught programmer,
> and I have happily used dynamically generated and database-generated pages
> for different purposes in the past. But I am not currently looking for
> software ;-)
> 
> I am not trying to demolish the validity of your approach - there are times
> when it provides a superior service. owever I feel that in general creating
> different versions of a page is an optimisation that can sometimes overcome
> some implementation-specifc limitations, and that as a rule it is better to
> provide the same structure to all users and let them select which parts are
> relevant.
> 
> Cheers
> 
> Charles McCN

Received on Monday, 22 November 1999 22:54:10 UTC