Frontend using HTML, backend using Oracle / MS Access

[x3n1x]

Hello,

This is my first post here, so Hi everyone :). I was advised to come to this site by a friend regarding a query that I have, so here I am.

So we have the E-Commerce subject in this semester. One of the case studies given to us involves creating a website.

BUT

The faculty wants us to create the site using only HTML / XML / WML / DHTML and MS Access / Oracle / SQL

Does anyone here know how do you link to a database using ONLY the above. No asp, jsp, php. He is very specific that no server-side scripting language should be used.

EDIT:
The topic chosen by me is "Auto Dealer"
The website will be created for an automobile dealer, which will have the following:
1. Browsing of all available automobile, with their photos, specifications and prices ( updated weekly )
2. Infomation about Loan / EMI calculated depending on info given by the visitor.
3. Form for leaving call-back details.
/EDIT:

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks

[ShawnCplus]

It's impossible to get data from a database with only HTML/DHTML. If they expect you to then they should be fired. HTML is a completely static language. There are no facilities of a programming language aside from Server Side Includes.

[x3n1x]

Hello ShawnCplus,

Thanks for the reply..
Would javascript help the above ? Probably not, right ?

I agree with you on one thing. He's someone who thinks he knows everything.

Anyway, can you comment on the topic that I've chosen ? Say I start making it in php. Would it be good enough ?

[ShawnCplus]

You can't really interact with a database with JavaScript but PHP can do it quite easily. Read up a bit on PHP and you'll find that the task is quite simple.

[Fungus1487]

you can technically fake the interaction if thats what he means.

AJAX uses javascript to interact with a server side page. you dont actually see the page interacting with the javascript so it would technically be a html page. so to speak.

[~s.o.s~]

> you dont actually see the page interacting with the javascript so it would technically be a html
> page
Every page served to the client technically has a content type of 'text/html'. The dynamic nature is due to the merit of the form element being able to post its data to a remote resource specified by it's action property, which is capable of processing that data.

[Fungus1487]

sorry what i meant was to a user it would appear as www.domain.com/page.html instead of say .aspx

[~s.o.s~]

Again, with URL rewriting and redirection, those file extensions and URL's don't mean anything. I can very well have a page with url http://www.mysite.com/do.sos and serve a static page called index.html to the client.

[ShawnCplus]

Especially with Apache directives like AddType and AddHandler, you can assign custom extensions.

AddType application/x-httpd-php .sos
AddHandler x-httpd-php .sos

[Oxiegen]

If the database was to be openly accessible *shudder*, albeit with a username and password.
Then you can most likely access the database with javascript and odbc (jdbc?).
If that is the case then no server-side scripting would be needed.

[x3n1x]

Hello guys,

Thanks for all the comments. I really appreciate it :)

Well, he's permitted the use of server side languages too.

Now, I've changed the topic to "comic superheroes" and plan to use php/mysql.

Can you take a look at this thread here ?
http://www.daniweb.com/forums/thread101980.html

Its in the php section.

Thanks