A Web target is a collection of files and components used to create a Web application. A Web application can represent part or all of a Web site. Web applications created using PowerBuilder Web targets deliver dynamic, interactive content by integrating database data, scripting for client- and server-side events, and access to components stored on middle-tier servers. Using the PowerBuilder development environment simplifies how you develop and maintain these types of Web applications.
PowerBuilder lets you develop both PowerScript and Web targets in a workspace. You can add as many targets to a workspace as you want, and open and edit objects in multiple targets. If your Web application uses DataWindow® and EAServer components, you can work with all of them in a single workspace. PowerBuilder provides an intuitive user interface, combined with wizards that step you through complex or repetitive tasks to help you develop pages faster and spend less time on Web site maintenance.
You can deploy Web applications to JSP page servers or Active Server Pages (ASP). JSP targets can be deployed to Apache Tomcat, Sybase EAServer, or other JSP 1.2 compatible servers. ASP or Web Site targets can be deployed to a static file system folder or to an FTP server directory.
The page servers can in turn access components on transaction servers such as EAServer or Microsoft COM+. If you use Tomcat as a JSP server, you can still access components running on EAServer in your Web applications. With JSP targets, you can use 4GL Web technology to manage page data and easily integrate middle-tier components into Web pages.
For more information on 4GL Web technology, see Chapter 9, “Developing 4GL JSP Pages.”
