Net.Data Administration and Programming Guide for OS/400

Using Net.Data Mechanisms

In addition to the methods described above, you can use Net.Data-provided mechanisms such as path statements and hidden variables, as well as methods that use HTML forms or SQL statements.

Path statements

Net.Data evaluates the settings of path configuration statements to determine the location of files and executable programs that are used by Net.Data macro files. These path statements identify one or more directories that Net.Data searches when attempting to locate macro files, executable files, flat files, or include files. By selectively including directories on these path statements, you can explicitly control the files that are accessible by users at browsers. Refer to Configuring Net.Data for additional detail about path statements.

Hidden variables

You can use hidden variables to conceal various characteristics of your Net.Data macro from users that view your HTML source with their Web browser. For example, you can hide the internal structure of your database. See Hidden Variables for more information.

You can also use the following methods to set up a protection scheme:

HTML forms

Create your own protection scheme using Net.Data. For example, you can request validation information from a user through an HTML form and validate it using data in a database or through an external program called from a Net.Data macro.

SQL statements

Protect your assets by the SQL statements you allow people to send to the database, for example, limiting SELECT statements to two tables.

For more information on protecting your assets, see the Internet security list of frequently asked questions (FAQ) at this Web site:

http://www.w3.org/Security/Faq