ONLINE HELP
 WINDEVWEBDEV AND WINDEV MOBILE

Help / WEBDEV concepts / Part 8 - Hosting WEBDEV websites
  • Overview
  • WEBDEV administrator interface
  • Characteristics of current connections
  • Installed sites
  • Installed Webservices
  • WebSocket servers installed
  • General configuration
  • Advanced options
  • Setups
  • Logs
WINDEV
WindowsLinuxUniversal Windows 10 AppJavaReports and QueriesUser code (UMC)
WEBDEV
WindowsLinuxPHPWEBDEV - Browser code
WINDEV Mobile
AndroidAndroid Widget iPhone/iPadIOS WidgetApple WatchMac CatalystUniversal Windows 10 App
Others
Stored procedures
2. WEBDEV administrator in practice
Previous pageTable of contentsNext page
Overview
The WEBDEV administrator is a module used to manage dynamic WEBDEV sites (Session or AWP).
When developing a dynamic WEBDEV site (in Session or AWP mode), the administrator is mainly used to:
  • test the site via the test page.
  • define the test site connection settings: timeout, etc.
  • delete the current test connections.
  • change the Web server used for tests.
  • perform a diagnosis if a problem occurs when starting a WEBDEV site.
  • ...
In deployment, two types of WEBDEV administrators are available:
  • the WEBDEV Deployment administrator that allows the hosting provider to manage the dynamic WEBDEV sites installed on a Web server.
  • the remote WEBDEV administrator that allows the site manager to manage their dynamic WEBDEV sites remotely from any computer.
This chapter presents only the administrator for WEBDEV Development version.
For more details about deployment tools, see the corresponding help pages.
Starting the WEBDEV administrator
To start the WEBDEV Development administrator:
  • from WEBDEV Development version: on the "Tools" tab, in the "Web utilities" group, click "WDAdmin".
  • select "Programs .. WEBDEV 2024 .. WEBDEV administrator" from the "Start" menu.
The WEBDEV administrator is automatically started during the first test of the site.
The administrator can then be left running in the background.
By default, the WEBDEV administrator allows ten simultaneous connections to the same dynamic WEBDEV site (GO icon).
WEBDEV administrator interface
The WEBDEV administrator includes a window containing several tabs:
  • "Connections" tab.
  • "Sites" tab and "Webservices" tab.
  • "WebSockets" tab.
  • "Configuration" tab.
  • "Advanced" tab.
  • "Setups" tab.
  • "Logs" tab.

Characteristics of current connections

The "Connections" tab gives various information about the current connections. This information can be consulted at any time on the server.The following information is displayed in the "Connections" tab:
  • the number of current connections indicates the total number of connections to the dynamic WEBDEV sites managed by the administrator.
  • the table of current connections indicates for each connection:
    • the connection identifier,
    • the site affected by the connection,
    • the identity of the connected client. At runtime, the client is identified by IP address or Internet address,
    • the current connection time,
    • the idle time of the connection.
  • the Automatic refresh option is used to automatically refresh the table presenting the current connections.
The "Connections" tab also allows you to:
  • Test the sites installed on the computer:
    Select the site in the drop-down list box and click "Run the test". This mode is used test the options specific to the management of cookies on the development computer.
  • Stop a current connection:
    Select one of the connections and click "Disconnect".
  • Stop all current connections and close the administrator: click "Disconnect all".

Installed sites

The "Sites" tab returns the list of dynamic WEBDEV sites installed on the computer and managed by the WEBDEV administrator. For each site, the following information is displayed in a table:
  • the site name.
  • the full setup directory of the site on the computer.
  • name of the corresponding "project" file.
  • the site status (locked or not). You can check the box to directly block access to the site during the update.
  • the number of scheduled tasks used by the site.
The "Sites" tab can also be used to:
  • Delete the site selected in the table.
    It is used to remove the site from the administrator: the WEBDEV site will still be found on disk.
  • Refresh the list of sites found in the table.
    This refresh operation is used to check the presence of a site in the administrator after it has been installed.
  • Add a site into the table.
  • Configure each site found on the computer.
    The configuration used by default is the one defined in the "Configuration" tab.
    You can also create a specific configuration for the selected site ("Parameters" button).
    This configuration affects the number of authorized connections, the authorized idle time and whether the site must be locked during an update. For more details, see the "Configuration" tab.
    To validate the new configuration immediately, click "Apply".
    You can also manage scheduled tasks associated with the selected site ("Scheduled tasks" button). This configuration is available when the site is deployed.
  • Directly test the sites installed on the computer (development version only):
    Select the site and click "Test".

Installed Webservices

The "Webservices" tab gives information about the dynamic WEBDEV Webservices installed on the computer.
The "Webservices" tab lists the dynamic WEBDEV Webservices installed on the computer and managed by the WEBDEV administrator. For each Webservice, the following information is displayed in a table:
  • the name of the Webservice.
  • the complete Webservice installation directory on the workstation.
  • name of the corresponding "project" file.
  • the Webservice status (locked or not). The box can be checked to directly block access to the Webservice during the update.
  • number of scheduled tasks used by the Webservice.
The "Webservices" tab also allows you to:
  • Delete the selected Webservice from the table.
    The Webservice is deleted from the administrator: the WEBDEV Webservice will still be found on disk.
  • Refresh the display of the Webservices found in the table.
    This refresh operation is used to check the presence of a Webservice in the administrator after its setup.
  • Add a Webservice into the table.
  • Configure individually the Webservices on the computer.
    The configuration used by default is the one defined in the "Configuration" tab.
    You can also create a specific configuration for the selected Webservice ("Parameters" button).
    This configuration affects the number of authorized connections, the authorized idle time and whether the Webservice must be locked during an update. For more details, see the "Configuration" tab.
    To validate the new configuration immediately, click "Apply".
    You can also manage scheduled tasks associated with the selected Webservice (Scheduled tasks" button). This configuration is available when the Webservice is deployed.

WebSocket servers installed

The "WebSockets" tab lists the different WebSocket WEBDEV servers installed on the computer and managed by the WEBDEV administrator. For each WebSocket server, the following information is displayed in a table:
  • the server name,
  • the full setup directory of the WebSocket server on the computer,
  • the WebSocket server status (locked or not). The box can be checked to directly block access to the WebSocket server during the update.
The "WebSockets" tab also allows you to:
  • Delete the selected WebSocket server(s) from the table ("Delete" button).
    This only deletes the WebSocket server from the administrator (not the disk).
  • Refresh the display of webservices found in the table ("Refresh" button).
    This refresh operation is used to check the presence of a webservice in the administrator after its setup.
  • Add a WebSocket server in the table ("Add" button).

General configuration

The "Configuration" tab is used to define the default connection options for the WEBDEV sites found on the server and managed by the administrator.
The "Configuration" tab is used to:
  • Configure the connections.
  • Configure sessions and requests.
  • Manage remote debugging.
  • Manage users (Deployment version only).
The following options can be used to configure the connections:
  • Maximum number of connections for the server:
    Maximum number of simultaneous connections allowed for all the sites managed by the administrator (a connection = a Web user).
  • Maximum number of connections for a site:
    Maximum number of simultaneous connections allowed for each site managed by the administrator. This number can be modified for each site in the "Sites" tab.
  • Maximum number of connections of a user to a site:
    Maximum number of simultaneous connections allowed for a given Web user to each site managed by the administrator.
    If this parameter is set to zero, the user who tries to connect simultaneously to the same site will be automatically disconnected then reconnected.
    If this parameter is greater than zero, an error message will be automatically displayed after x simultaneous connections.
    This number can be modified for each site ("Sites" tab).
    The "Only one connection per automatically recycled IP" option limits to one the number of connections of a user. The same connection will be reused. To allow multiple connections from the same IP address (users through a router or proxy), select "Limits the number of connections to" and specify the number of connections allowed for the same IP address.
The following options are used to configure sessions and requests:
  • Disconnect idle users since:
    Maximum connection time allowed without any action performed by the user. When this time is exceeded, the Web user is automatically disconnected and an error message is displayed.
    This number can be modified for each site in the "Sites" tab.
  • Duration of AWP contexts:
    Validity period of AWP contexts. As soon as the specified duration is over and if no new request was performed, the context file is deleted. For more details on AWP contexts, see AWP: Management of contexts.
  • Duration of Webservices contexts:
    Validity period of webservice contexts. As soon as the specified duration is over and if no new request was performed, the context file is deleted. For more details on the management of webservice contexts, see Generating a webservice.
  • Maximum request duration:
    Maximum timeout allowed between the beginning of an action performed by the user (via a button or a link) and the display of a response. When this time is exceeded, an error page is displayed but the Web user is not disconnected.
  • Maximum task duration:
    Used to limit the runtime duration of a WEBDEV scheduled task or delayed task. The task will be automatically stopped when this duration is exceeded.
    For more details, see WEBDEV: Scheduled tasks and delayed tasks.
  • Allow pre-launched sessions.: This option is used to manage the pre-launched sessions on the WEBDEV Application Server. This option is used to optimize the connection time to the WEBDEV sites and Webservices found on the server. If this option is checked, you must:
    • modify the project to manage the pre-launched sessions properly. For more details, see Pre-launched sessions.
    • configure the site or the webservice in order to specify the number of necessary pre-launched sessions ("Sites" or "Webservices" tab, "Parameters" button).
Managing the remote debugging
The WEBDEV administrator can allow (or not) the remote debugging of dynamic WEBDEV sites. If the remote debugging is allowed, the following parameters must be specified:
  • Main port (27 271 by default).
  • Range of ports for sessions (between 27 282 and 27 289 by default).
The "Default" button is used to restore the default values.

Advanced options

The "Advanced" tab is used to configure the advanced features at server level:
  • Manage the Web server:
    • Choose one of the Web servers installed on the current computer to run the WEBDEV sites.
    • Check the configuration of the current computer.
    • Specify the name or IP address of the current computer.
  • Display a test page:
    • Display in the browser a page used to start all WEBDEV sites installed on the current computer.
    • Display in the browser a page used to start all WEBDEV web services installed on the current computer.
  • Perform a search for the expired pages.
  • Manage the print jobs.
  • Configure error messages displayed in the browser.
  • Perform various configurations:
    • Manage the emails in asynchronous mode.
    • Manage the server sockets.
    • Forbid the change of IP while navigating.
    • Don't allow access to AWP context identifiers from JavaScript.
    • Manage the fCopyFileWebFolder and fDeleteFileWebFolder functions.
    • Require a secure connection (https) for remote administration sites.
The following options are available for the WEB server:
  • Server used: The "Server" button is used to choose one of the Web servers installed on the current computer to run the WEBDEV sites. Caution: This server will be used for all the dynamic WEBDEV sites installed on this computer.
    If the server used is not found in this list, choose "Other". You will have to manually configure the Web server used. For more details about the configuration of specific servers, see the online help.
  • Diagnostic: "Diagnostic" checks the configuration of the current computer. This diagnosis checks:
    • whether the FTP/IP protocol is installed
    • whether a Web server (HTTP server) is started
    • whether the AWP protocol manager is configured properly
    • whether the necessary WEBDEV executables are found.
    The dynamic WEBDEV sites will not operate if one of these conditions is not fulfilled. For more details, see the online help.
  • Name or IP address of the current computer: The WEBDEV administrator allows you to specify a name or an IP address to identify a specific computer. You also have the ability to specify the port number. For example: localhost:8080. This computer will be used:
    • when clicking the "Diagnostic" button.
    • when clicking the "Test page" button.
    • when running the test of a site, page, report, ... from the WEBDEV editor ("GO" icon).
  • Test: The "Test page" opens a page in the browser to start each one of the dynamic WEBDEV sites and dynamic WEBDEV Webservices installed on this computer. For more details on testing a WEBDEV site, see 5. Site test in practice.
In the "Search for expired pages" section, you can search for expired pages. The "Allow searching for expired pages" option allows you to enable and configure the search for expired pages in WEBDEV sites handled by the WEBDEV Application Server.
In "Print jobs", you can choose the default printer (Intranet sties only). The "Print jobs" button is used to select the default printer that will be used when printing on a local printer or on a network printer of Web server.
In "Error messages", you can configure the error messages shown in the browser. The "Errors" button shows the different error messages that can be displayed in the user's browser. You have the ability to customize the error message and the HTML page where the error message is displayed.
The "Miscellaneous" section includes the following options:
  • Email management: If the "Disable mail spool" option is unchecked, your sites will be able to send emails without blocking the execution of the different processes (asynchronous mode).
    The asynchronous mode must be enabled when starting the email session (with EmailStartSMTPSession or EmailStartSession).
    If the asynchronous mode is enabled, all outgoing emails will be redirected to a "Spooler". Emails are queued up before being sent. Executing Email functions does no longer block the rest of the program. EmailStatus is used to determine the status of an email.
    Remark: If the WEBDEV administrator is closed, the email spooler is cleared: pending emails are not sent and are removed from the spooler.
    If "Disable mail spool" is checked while there are pending emails, these emails will not be lost: the administrator continues to send them, but the spooler will not accept any new emails.
    Caution: The asynchronous mode can only be used when starting a session on an SMTP server (EmailStartSMTPSession to send emails or EmailStartSession). This mode is ignored in the other cases.
  • Management of Sockets: If the "Allow server sockets" option is checked, your sites will be able to handle server sockets (via Socketxxx WLanguage functions).
  • If the Prevent from changing IP while browsing option is checked, the IP address associated with the session cannot change while browsing. This is used to protect against "session hijack" attacks (attack that consists in pretending to be a legitimate user connected to the server).
  • Don't allow access to AWP context identifiers from JavaScript: In an AWP site, the site context is stored on the server. The identifier of this context is sent and stored in the browser via a cookie.
    If "Don't allow access to AWP context identifiers from JavaScript" is checked, the type of cookies used will be "HTTPOnly", which cannot be read from JavaScript code. This mode protects against XSS attacks (Cross-Site scripting).
    By default, the access to the AWP context identifiers is not allowed from JavaScript.
  • Managing fCopyFileWebFolder and fDeleteFileWebFolder: The "Allow fCopyFileWebFolder and fDeleteFileWebFolder." option must be checked if these functions are used in the website.
    These functions are mainly used to include images found in the data directory in the directory of site images (images uploaded then made available to the users, for example).
    Caution: The copy is taken into account by the WEBDEV administrator on the server (WD290ADMIN.EXE). The Windows account running it must have sufficient rights to the target location of the copy.
  • The option "Require a secure connection (https) for the remote administration sites" allows you to use the remote administration sites provided with WEBDEV in secure mode. The affected management sites are:
    • the remote WEBDEV administrator,
    • the remote HFSQL administrator,
    • the remote SaaS administrator.

Setups

The "Setups" tab allows you to:
  • Configure the server for the site setups and updates.
  • Manage the log of setups.
Setup/Update
These options are available in deployment version. They allow the hosting provider to authorize and configure the site setups and updates remotely.
The "Lock server (for update)" option simplifies site updates, by preventing any new connections. When new users try to connect to one of the sites on the server, they receive a message indicating that the site is temporarily unavailable and asking them to try again later. Web users who are already connected can continue to use the current WEBDEV site.
With the "The root of the "http[s]://<server>/" server lists the installed applications" option, the administrator can authorize the use of the "http[s]://<server>/" syntax to list the sites on the server. In this case, the "http[s]://<server>/" syntax shows a page with a link to each site installed on the server.
Log file of setups
The log of setups is used to trace the installed elements of a site. This log is very useful before you contact Technical Support if errors occurred during the deployment.
To use the log of setups, simply specify the full path of the corresponding file ("WDInstall_log.txt" file by default).

Logs

The "Logs" tab is used to:
  • see the details of logs for a specific period.
  • configure the sending of error reports by email.
Caution: To use this feature, the logs must have been enabled for the site. The logs can be enabled:
  • in the "Logs" tab to create a general log,
  • in the "Sites" and "Webservices" tabs ("Parameters" button) to manage a specific log.
The error log is automatically created when the statistics log is enabled.
The WEBDEV administrator is used to manage a specific log file allowing you to follow the traffic statistics.
  • Generate a log file (.log):
    This option allows you to generate a log file (".LOG" extension) used to see the traffic statistics of WEBDEV sites via WDStatistics. For more details, see the help page on WDStatistics.
    The location of log file can be specified.
    This option can be modified for each site in the "Sites" tab.
  • Save in the global file and in the file of each application:
    This option is used to save the statistics in the log files of both the application and the server. Indeed, if the log file is defined both at server level and at application level ("Sites" tab), information may be "lost".
Previous pageTable of contentsNext page
Comments
Click [Add] to post a comment

Last update: 09/07/2023

Send a report | Local help