It sounds like IIS isn't configured correctly, but it's hard to say.

Have you set up either a virtual path or a web site, and pointed it to the folder with your code?

Hi
Sorry you’ve lost me.
There is no database in the localhost folder. The database for the Dreamweaver tutorial is located at:
C:\Program Files\Macromedia\Dreamweaver 8\Tutorial_assets\cafe_townsend\data\tutorial.mdb
That’s what the Dreamweaver tutorial gives as the data source for the connection string.
I guess the sql databases are somewhere within SQL Server!

I have set up the Dreamweaver tutorial to the letter. i have set up a tiny test site to connect to the pubs\Northwind databases but still no database connection!
cheers
Burnsie

A database exposed by SQL Server doesn't exist as a file system entity. The actual data is persisted in 2 or more files which should as a best practice be kept on different drives.

See page 1 of this thread for connection strings, including examples for how to connect to SQL Server.

That will send us round on a perpetual loop!

What exact connection string are you using trying to reach your database?

The connection string I am using to connect to the Access database that accompanies the dreamweaver tutorial reads:

"Provider=Microsoft.Jet.OLEDB.4.0;
DataSource=C:\ProgramFiles\Macromedia\Dreamweaver8 \Tutorial_assets\cafe_townsend\data\tutorial.mdb"

(although the tutorial gives the incorrect path to the database as:
C:\Program Files\Macromedia\Dreamweaver 8\Tutorial_assets\data\tutorial.mdb)

The connection string I am using to connect to the SQL Server sample databases reads:

"Data Source==serverName\SQLEXPRESS;
Initial Catalog=pubs;
Integrated_Security=SSPI"


Also I have tried any variations I could reasonably conceive.

There are 2 things wrong with your SQL connect string.

You can't use ==. I'm not sure if that's a typo, but if it's copy and paste, fix that.

Why are you trying to connect to a named instance? Is it really server\SQLEXPRESS? Are you sure? Have you tried only using the server name? What do you enter for a server when you're able to connect using SQL Server Management Studio?




Under server name, in this dialog, do you put \SQLEXPRESS at the end? Did you install it as a non default named instance?

I think this is why you can't connect. You're asking for something that probably isn't there?

Hi
Yes the double ‘=’ was a typo.
Let’s call my server BOB. The server name given by SQL Server Management Studio reads: BOB\SQLEXPRESS.
There is a drop-down the reads: Browse for more…, but there are no more listed.
I’m not entirely sure what a non default named instance is, this is just what SQL Server Management Studio presents to me (with Windows Authentication). I have downloaded it and this is what it gives me (by default I guess). There is a greyed out User name and an empty greyed out password.
As I say I have tried every conceivable variation on a theme I can think of (and them some) but to no avail.
Also as I can not connect to the Access database that actually comes with dreamweaver via the connection string that dreamweaver gives I am beginning to suspect that there is something else going on.

When testing the connection to either the SQL databases or the Access database I get the following error message:
1) There is no testing server running on the server machine
2) The testing server specified for this site does not map to the
ttp://Localhost/RootFolder/_mmServerScripts/MMHTTPDB.asp URL, Verify that the URL Prefix maps to the root of the site.
However, I’m not sure why this includes the mmServerScripts folder in the path. The MMHTTPDB.asp file does exist within the folder. Could this have anything to do with my inability to connect to either database?

It sounds like. When you use SQL Server Management Studio (from now on we'll call it SSMS for short) does it let you in? Does it take you to a tabbed set up where you can type in and run queries? That will verify that you really want BOB\SQLEXPRESS and not just BOB.

Should the path be LocalHost/RootFolder/The_Rest, or do you want RootFolder in there at all?

Have you set up a virtual folder in IIS? LocalHost gets mapped to your computer as the (web) server, and then from there, you would have a virtual folder called RootFolder. It doesn't need to be called that on disc, that's why it's virtual. It can point anywhere, but gets exposed as a web site.

Creating a virtual directory



Configuring a virtual directory


And here's a table of contents for articles about it.

"Provider=Microsoft.Jet.OLEDB.4.0;
DataSource=C:\ProgramFiles\Macromedia\Dreamweaver8 \Tutorial_assets\cafe_townsend\data\tutorial.mdb"

(although the tutorial gives the incorrect path to the database as:
C:\Program Files\Macromedia\Dreamweaver 8\Tutorial_assets\data\tutorial.mdb)

Unless you have done some MAJOR editing to your windows installation, the path you are using is going to be wrong. On a standard Windows install of DW, there would be spaces in "Program Files" and "Dreamweaver 8".