Help!!!

[jarhindman]

my boss wants me to create an interactive order form for our sporting goods store. i.e. click on items to make a virtual uniform and such. what program would i use to start such an item?

[j-khoa]

Well, I myself would use java. it sounds like an applet would be pretty good for the job.

[Taki]

No one writes Java Aplets anymore. You would use a PHP script.

[aarkid]

I don't agree
java applets are still the best way-
no other way offers you the same versatility

I do a lot of stull like you mentioned- have a look here, www.aarkid.com

[Taki]

That's a fabulous aplet, no doubt about it. However, the user has to download a Java plug-in. PHP doesn't require any plug-ins and the scripts are very easy to write.

[aarkid]

I agree -
it really depends on how much you need the presentation to 'sell' the product or if it has already been pre-sold -
do you know of any examples where php is used to put together a user customised set of images such as uniform' even just in 2d?

[drhowarddrfine]

Java is not a program. It's a language. He's looking for a program.

[Zipline]

Taki, how would you create an applet such as the rotating apple with only PHP? You can’t. I agree that for some reason Java applets have lost their popularity, however, they can still get the job done. Another option would be using Flash or a PHP, MySQL, and Flash combination, which would be my personal choice. You can get the advanced graphical effects while still using your updateable database for options and figures.

[mobtex]

I think zipline summed it up nicely there. PHP, MySQL and Flash would do the trick without any applets.

Yes the user needs the flash plugin but it's better than them needing the JRE installed. Ask a noobie user to install a jre and another noobie user to install the flash plugin and see who's finished first and who's lost.

That apple applet took 30 seconds to render on my machine, made my hard drive whirrrr like a mad thing and froze firefox for a second or two once I'd closed the window. Yes it looked great but my experience wasn't hot.

[chazzy]

you guys are acting like Java servlets and JSP don't exist. they can do the same thing as PHP and provide more secure code.

[schizo]

I agree -
it really depends on how much you need the presentation to 'sell' the product or if it has already been pre-sold -
do you know of any examples where php is used to put together a user customised set of images such as uniform' even just in 2d?
http://www.cintasdesignit.com/start_frames.asp
This is classic ASP, but PHP could do much the same.

Although I helped build it, I'd personally recommend doing it in Flash.