This is a general 'how do you do it if you do it' question about web
application design.

Although I use struts, I'm sure a Perl or Php example would suffice.
Even if you know of an OSS project that does this thing...

Here is the scenario.

Web Form:
-----------------------------------------
ORDER HEADER

Order No:   0010
Order Date: 15/08/2004
Customer:   ______ <LOOKUP CUSTOMER>
Customer Name: ?
-----------------------------------------

So the user has entered a new order date and requests the <LOOKUP
CUSTOMER> button to search the 1,000,000 customers in the database.
(Note, I picked a cool million deliberately to stop the 'just use a
combo' suggestions)

The customer is found and selected. The user is returned to this form in
exactly the same 'state' they left it. ie with the date entered as
15/08/2004, except their customer code is now filled in. As is the
Customer name.

-----------------------------------------
ORDER HEADER

Order No:   0010
Order Date: 15/08/2004
Customer:   ABC123 <LOOKUP CUSTOMER>
Customer Name: ABC Inc.
-----------------------------------------

Ways to do this:

- Some sort of 'stack' where the state is maintained in a 'level' of the
stack with all the form values from the web page. The user goes off and
searches on the next level of the 'stack' and once sorted, pulls (or is
it pops) the stack back to the previous 'level' and re-populates the
form.

- Something else.

- Can't be done.


I'm all ears, unless I hear otherwise, I'll probably write the 'stack'
technology.

TIA


Stuart Guthrie


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