Best way to incorporate a database

Hello, I am new to Sparkle and loving it! Very intuitive and easy to use. I have users come to purchase a digital product from our website and I figured out how to have them automatically download the file. What we need is to connect to a database where we have users fill out their information. Is there any good way to do this in Sparkle? Is it best to use MySQL or a Numbers sheet? Any insight is appreciated.

It is possible to add database features into sparkle website. However, Sparkle itself is not a data-driven website builder. What you need to do is get an external PHP script that does the job you want to do. This will be uploaded directly to your server where you will also set up the mySQL database to hold the data. The script publisher will tell you how to do this. Once installed, you incorporate elements of the script into your Sparkle web pages via the embed widget. Most scripts will come with embed code that you paste into your webpage where you want the content/sign-up form to appear. When your site is published, you will see the contact or form in your web page. Take a look at PHPjabbers.com to find a suitable script for your needs. There are, of course, many other sites where you can obtain scripts from - do a search on Google - you’ll find plenty.

@Settide, if you have them purchasing already doesn’t your chosen e-commerce platform allow to have them fill in their needed details?

If you are looking to integrate a CRM into Sparkle (with the Embed widget like @francbrowne mentions) I can recommend Dubsado (http://dubsado.com), but maybe you don’t need all that horsepower.

Just another possible take on it! :slight_smile:

Thank you for your response. Do you simply put the PHP script/file directly on the server? Or is there a specific location? Again, I’m very new to this.

Yes. The script will normally reside in its own folder. Your script provider will usually tell you if there has to be specific location. In most cases, the script will be provided as a zip file. You can simply unzip the file and it will create a folder with all the files needed to make it run. You then upload that folder and its content to the root of your domain hosting with an ftp app. When you visit the URL of that folder for the first time, you are usually taken through an installation routine that sets up the script for your particular server. Subsequent visits will usually take you to an administration interface from where you can manage all the features of your script.

When you get a script, if you’re not sure how to do things, please feel free to PM me so I can help.