This Website, as the title indicates, is a database for Solid State Lighting Products. This is an interactive, database-driven, dynamic Website. The user, among other things, can search the database for specific products and display the information in a table format. The programming languages used to create this Website are: PHP, SQL, JavaScript, XML, CSS, and HTML (HTML is only used for the static content like this page), along with designing and populating the MySQL database. The Solid State Lighting products in the database are accurate as of August 16, 2010.

This is just a sample Website not specific to any company. The data for this Website were randomly chosen from Lighting Facts Website. Blue Olive Online does not claim any ownership of the data. The data belong to the Department of Energy or their respective owners.

This Website is styled for the computer screen and the print media. If you want to print any page, just use the print option from your browser´s menu.

Like any application, this Website is always open for new and improved functionalities. If you are interested in a similar project, feel free to contact us.

Menu >> View Products (Style1)

This is one way to view the solid state lighting products. Its advantage is that all the product information are displayed. The disadvantage is that this would take a lot of screen real estate. Each record is displayed in its own table (there are 23 fields for each record). Few things to keep in mind:

a. There are three ways you can search for products:

1. You could Search for specific products from the menu on the left.
2. You could use the Basic Search function (Search by Organization Name, Brand, Fixture Type, or Model Number).
3. You could use the Advanced Search function.

b. You can sort the products (ascending or descending) by clicking on the table header.
c. You can Export the results to different file types (Excel, XML, CSV), or you could Email the results.
d. You have the option to choose the number of records to display per page (10, 20, 40, 60, 80, All).

Visit the View Products (Style1) Link in the menu above and give it a try.

Menu >> View Products (Style2)

This is another way to view the same products. The advantage of this style is that more products can be viewed on the same screen (less vertical scrolling and less page display). Its disadvantage, however, is that only 11 of the 23 fields are displayed. Displaying more than that, the user will end up scrolling horizontally. If you want to get all data fields, you need to export or email the data. Also, notice that there is only one simpler Search function. In this style, sorting for the products is not available (this is a functionality that could be added, though!).

Visit the View Products (Style2) Link in the menu above and give it a try.

Menu >> Webmaster Area

This is the Webmaster´s area. More details can be found when you visit the Webmaster Area link in the menu above. Feel free to test it.

Definition of Terms

1. CSS: Cascading Style Sheets, a language that gives web developers more control over how web pages are displayed. With CSS, web developers can create style sheets that define how different elements appear. These style sheets can then be applied to any web page.
2. CSV: A comma-separated values file is a simple text format for a database table. Each record in the table is one line of the text file. Each field value of a record is separated from the next by a character (usually a comma).
3. Fields: Also called columns. In the context of a relational database table, fields are the smallest units of information you can access. The field value refer specifically to the single item that exists at the intersection between one row and one column.
4. HTML: HyperText Markup Language, the authoring language used to create documents for the World Wide Web. HTML defines the structure and layout of a web document by using a variety of tags and attributes.
5. JavaScript: JavaScript is a scripting language commonly used to add interactive elements to web pages. Javascript can interact with the HTML source code, enabling web authors to spice up their Websites with dynamic content.
6. MySQL database: MySQL is an open source RDBMS that relies on SQL for processing the data in the database. MySQL is most commonly used for web applications and for embedded applications and has become a popular alternative to proprietary database systems because of its speed and reliability.
7. PHP: PHP or Hypertext Preprocessor, is an open source, server-side, HTML embedded scripting language used to create dynamic web pages. For this purpose, PHP code is embedded into the HTML source code and interpreted by a web server with a PHP processor module, which generates the web page document.
8. phpMyAdmin: phpMyAdmin is a free software tool written in PHP and is intended to handle the administration of MySQL over the Internet.
9. RDBMS: Relational Database Management System, refers to a relational database plus supporting software for managing users and processing SQL queries, performing backups/restores and associated tasks. It is a DBMS that is based on the relational model introduced by E. F. Codd.
10. Records: Also called rows or tuples. In the context of a relational database table, a record is a complete set of information. Records are composed of fields, each of which contains one item of information. In simple terms, a database table consists of rows and columns. Each row in a table represents a set of related data, and every row in the table has the same structure.
11. Screen Real Estate: Screen real estate is the amount of space available on a display for an application to provide output. Typically, the effective use of screen real estate is one of the most difficult design challenges because of the desire to have as much data and controls as possible visible on the screen to minimize the need for hidden commands and scrolling. At the same time, excessive information may be poorly organized or confusing.
12. Solid State Lighting: Solid State lighting or SSL refers to a type of lighting that uses semiconductor LED, OLED, or PLED as sources of illumination rather than electrical filaments, plasma (used in arc lamps such as fluorescent lamps), or gas.
    The term “solid state” refers to light emitted by solid-state electroluminescence, as opposed to incandescent bulbs (which use thermal radiation) or fluorescent tubes.
13. SQL: Structured Query Language, is a database computer language designed for managing data in relational database management systems. Its scope includes data insert, query, update and delete, schema creation and modification, and data access control.
14. XML: Extensible Markup Language, a specification developed by the W3C. XML is designed especially for web documents, which allows developers to create their own customized tags, enabling the definition, transmission, validation, and interpretation of data between applications and between organizations.