Just how (if any) is Web Designer 9 interactive?

[Hollerithcard]

I have bought and used WebStyle 3 - then WebStyle 4, then Web Designer 6 - then Web Designer 7 Premium and now I have just purchased Web Designer 9 Premium.

I probably am expecting too much from any/all of these products. Don't get me wrong, I like them obviously (else I wouldn't have shelled out $$$ for each one of the upgrades)

I pretty much only use them for making pretty "front-ends" to .ASP Database applications that prompt for a screen of user input, then transfers to an .ASP page to do the editing of those input fields and then update MySQL databases accordingly.

So ... after the user sees the static (pretty) front-end screen made by Web Designer, the user sees a completely different looking interface that I build with good ole fashined .HTML and .ASP code.

So ... "what in tarnation is my durn question?", you ask?

I've used the facebook and forms (contact us) "widgets" built into the new Web Designer 9 Premium but basically I don't see any way in Web Designer 9 to prompt the user for radio buttons, pull-down menus, data/text fields, etc. and then an ability to "fetch them" and use them for processing.

Is this software pretty much exclusively used for static web pages?

How would I use the product to display a bunch of items in a "store" and let the user click a radio button associated with that item, specify how many they want and then laster on prompt for shipping address, and ... well ... you see what I mean.

Maybe I can write some of my own code and then paste it into an iframe on a web designer page?

I bought Web Designer 9 Premium for its "eCommerce" support but I do see a "widget" for PayPal but don't see a way to interface with Mastercard and VISA and how to specify shipping address, etc.

Thanks in advance for input

[richinri]

I can address some of this. A shopping cart should have options to have sizes and other options (like Paypal buttons) but it sounds like you are looking for full form functionality like a form designer program like this one - http://www.coffeecup.com/web-form-builder/ . Given your expertise at coding, it shouldn't be hard to somehow merge Xara webs with this. Make sure you check out the server requirements on the coffeecup form program so there will be no snafus.

[pauland]

Most Xara users will incorporate shopping carts and the like via an iFrame. You can build shopping functionality of sorts, but essentially, as you say, Xara products produce static web pages. There is no inbuilt provision for data-driven pages, so generally people use HTML placeholders to include bespoke HTML.

There has been quite a bit of discussion on the forums about this kind of issue, as an experienced Xara user, where have you been?!

Welcome!