hi, I am using LPC 2468 as a http server.I have checked http demo program and am able to post and get data from controller. I have to read the data from the microcontroller and display it on the browser as a text or pdf file. I have to read the attendance of employees,make table for present days and absent days and time of arrival etc and display it on browser. is ther any solution to make a text file and display it on browser or will i have to make a cgi file and read the data and accordingly make the table and display it on browser. But how can it be made as text or pdf file to save it on PC.
"I have to read the data from the microcontroller and display it on the browser as a text or pdf file"
Why does it "have to" be a file specifically?
It is more usual to just have the embedded device supply the raw data, and leave the fancy formatting & presentation to something more appropriate - like a PC.
you mean to say just read the raw data and do fancy formatting through PC.can u please say howto do fancy formatting on PC. But the thing is that ,suppose i have read the data from embedded device in a buffer using METHOD=GET. But that buffer data i have to display on my browser first.
There are many routes possible.
One design choice is to have a "big" server as man-in-the-middle. You surf to the "big" server, which fetches raw data from the mobile unit and produces graphics, pdf, excel sheets or whatever you want.
Another design choice is to use one of the many, very advanced, javascript modules available out there for performing lots of funny things directly in the web browser.
"you mean to say just read the raw data and do fancy formatting through PC"
I think that is exactly what I said!
"can u please say how to do fancy formatting on PC"
You obtain (or write) a suitable application (or set of applications) to do that! Or, as Per suggests, find some browser plug-in that will do it in the browser.
"buffer data i have to display on my browser first"
Do you? Why??
"You obtain (or write) a suitable application (or set of applications) to do that!"
This is basically a special case of having a man-in-the-middle server that retrieves raw data and creates formatted data.
Having one local application that displays formatted data, or having a central server that generates formatted data for multiple users is just a question of what feels best for the specific needs. With a local application, you need to use java or the application will be bound to specific hardware. With a central server, you might be able to access formatted data into any client - including smart phones - by distributing the formatted data using http.
But most embedded measurement systems don't have the capacity to supply good formatting directly. Especially since the formatted data takes more bandwidth, consumes more RAM, takes lot of CPU capacity to produce. And even more importantly - requires lots of OTA (Over The Air) updates in case the customer wants yet another way of formatting the data.
The central-server variant requires zero leaves the capture devices "dumb", without need for firmware updates to have more presentation options. And if emitting the results using http, then the client machines don't need any installations/updates to get access to future presentation improvements.
Another advantage with a central server is that it can regularly offload measurement data, while the client machine may be turned off regularly and in some situations (vacation) potentially off for very long times.
I am using LPC 2468 as a http server... I have to read the attendance of employees,make table for present days and absent days and time of arrival etc
Wow, that's an unusual application for a microcontroller! Anyway, I think much of this can be done in the browser using Javascript.
Not so usual if it is an entrance system with access card or similar for entering leaving. Just because many systems have been using a PC for the database, a embedded server would save lots of power.
Are you just being sarcastic there...?
In case not, it's not really that unusual; eg, here's one:
www.feedback-group.com/.../nohmad
Although the microcontroller part would normally just do the basic data collection - the analysis and presentation, as already noted, would normally be done by a PC or suchlike.
Here's an example: www.egress-sys.co.uk/elink-terminal-polling-software.php