>>A VFP COM object can handle this just fine. The ASP page can call the COM >object, then return the key and generate the HTML page with the result. The >user could use any browser.
>
>Thanks Craig and Josh, at least I know I am headed in the right direction......
>
>OK, if a VFP COM server is part of the answer, then I have some other questions.
>1. What are the considerations to determine if I use an .EXE or a .DLL?

An EXE will run in its own address space. If it crashes, only it crashes and not your application. It takes longer to run than a DLL because of the extra overhead of the EXE. You can have UI displayed from the EXE, unless it is running via DCOM because the UI would appear on the other computer.

A DLL runs in the same address space as the application (in your case, this would either be IIS or MTS). If the DLL crashes, so does your application. However, this is not true with MTS, which is protected from this sort of thing.
You cannot have any UI from a DLL.


>2. What does the user need on their machine to run this whole process? IE4 and what else? Does my VFP COM object run on the server or locally on the client/user's machine?

The user won't need a thing in your case because it will run on your internet server (IIS). In a standard VFP EXE application, the user again won't need anything to run a COM object excpet to have the DLL/EXE and the type library and then have them registered. The setup wizard does this for you.

If you are using DCOM, then the user will need DCOM installed. This is a bigger problem because DCOM needs to be configured for each DLL. However, if you use MTS, you can create a client install that handles all this for you.


>3. What is the best way (again, just in general) to pass data out of a table (in this case it's an access table ) to my COM object?

You can use ODBC to get a VFP cursor. Another option is to get an ADO recordset.


>4. If instead of just showing the user their Registration Number on the screen, I wanted to pass that number back to my VFP program and do 'stuff' with it (encrypt it and save it in my VFP table), what is the best way to do this? Again, at this point I am looking for real general 'hints'.

No problem since it is a VFP program. You can do anything a regular VFP appliction would do, given the constraints mentioned above.

>
>Thanks again -
> ~ellen

Craig Berntson
MCSD, Microsoft .Net MVP, Grape City Community Influencer