What DecisionScript Can Do For You

DecisionScript is a powerful Web-authoring and Web-server application that turns your static Web site into an engaging, interactive tool. Using a simple series of questions and answers, DecisionScript can help your customers determine which of your products best meet their needs; or, quickly get help from an interactive help desk. Used in-house, DecisionScript allows employees to enter data directly into your corporate Intranet to publish real-time, graphical information for use throughout your company.

Without DecisionScript, communication between a visitor and your Web server is traditionally stateless. That is, your server does not keep any information about a visitor from one request to the next--it just serves up pages. With DecisionScript, visitors enter into a session with your server and each session can be retained by DecisionScript for reference during future sessions with that visitor. Information presented to a visitor during a session is dependent on all previous activity with that particular visitor. This allows you to build Wizard-style applications that guide users through a decision-making process.

Building scripts using DecisionScript is far quicker and much less expensive in terms of development time than CGI programming, Active Server Pages, and similar methods of server-side scripting. This speed and low cost makes it possible to build applications that change frequently. In addition, DecisionScript's efficiency allows you to build complex systems such as medical diagnostic tools--applications that simply cannot be built using traditional Web development tools.

To ensure speed in building scripts, DecisionScript uses an enhanced version of JavaScript® as its core programming language. This allows you to use the same language for both server-side and client-side development of active Web content. You can begin scripting without having to learn a new language; and, you can freely move components you have developed between the server and client environments without re-coding.

Developing your Web site's active content as server-side applications has a number of advantages over client-side scripting. The most important advantage is that your applications will work with all Web browsers because very little functionality is required of the browser. In addition, the active content is very fast. There is no delay as is required when downloading applets to the user's browser. Moreover, since DecisionScript is optimized to give performance that is up to 100 times the speed of client-side scripts, users get results instantly.