[CS-FSLUG] Javascript and WebCT

[Chris Brault]

Chico State University in Northern California,

Like alot of other colleges around here subscribes to an online 
student/faculty interface platform called WebCT (campus edition soon to 
be Vista). It allows students to sign up for classes, handle financial 
aid as well as take tests and contribute to mailling lists. This 
all-in-one campus solution is written in java. This isn't my problem.

The web page space on the WebCT server(s) does not handle PHP. The new 
Vista (yes, the same as Windows) version will, but not this version. 
Many of WebCT's own functions are handled in PHP so why not it's own 
server? Is it to minimize the load on the processors? I don't know.

That said, designing websites for this system is usually pretty simple: 
There are only two templates which you add content to. All the java code 
is transparent and automagically put into place by the CMS.

Designing a custom website for this type of system sucks. I have to use 
javascript for everything. Now, there are Linux servers on Campus, of 
course, but the faculty sites must be on WebCT. So now I'm hacking at 
projects using iframes and dynamically loaded functions. I don't like 
it. It's bad coding to use one code when another is more efficient at 
performing the task and in a cleaner manner as well.

My main problem is that javascript can't list directories, so loading 
content is a real headache. Unless I've missed some method. That's where 
you'all come in. If a method exists for javascript/HTML/CSS to read the 
contents of directories into a list or array or even a string, I'd be 
very happy ... otherwise I'm going to start making static pages in ... 
choke ... dreamweaver.

Hope someone can help.

Gabe