teamsite: passing parameters from javascript to perl

Teamsite (the evil abomination called software it is) allows the unfortunate souls using it to call perl scripts for javascript and pass parameters to the perl script.

the syntax looks something like this:

var params = new Object();
params.val = "some string";
var server = window.location.hostname;
IWDatacapture.callServer("http://"+server+"/iw-bin/somescript.ipl",params);

problem:
sometimes the params dont carry over correctly from javascript to the perl script, ie, all params have values in the javascript, but on the perl script side, they have no values - ""

the problem manifests if you do this:
when you assign the params in this way:
var params = new Object();
params.val = SomeFunctionWhichReturnsAString();
now chances are that params.val = "" in the perl script.

solution:
this problem stinks of pointers. params.val is set given a reference to something in the javascript heap, when perl takes over, that references points to nothing. Either way, this is how you get around it:
var params = new Object();
params.val = SomeFunctionWhichReturnsAString()+"";

now everything works. why? well... because teamsite is evil.

links i enjoy lately

bunch of links which i have been finding useful:

bunch of music
addictive game
hit counter for this blog
cool pictures/art?

lastly, google mp3 quick search link for firefox:
location:
http://www.google.com/search?q={-inurl:(htm|html|php) intitle:%22index of%22 %22last modified%22 %22parent directory%22 description size (wma|mp3) %22%s%22}
keyword:
m

Teamsite: IWDataDeploy FAILED TDbSchemaSynchronizer create failure

Interwoven Teamsite is the worst piece of software i have ever used, and googling its errors gives you 0 hits. I am going to do the world a favor and change that!

Problem: I needed to deploy DCT data to the table which teamsite uses for its own record keeping. The file which takes care of this deployment is called AREA_dd.cfg where area is the name of the DCT. After making sure that teamsite is using the correct db info, and that all fields i was deploying existed i was getting the error: IWDataDeploy FAILED, where the root cause might have been:
(from the log in OD_HOME/OpenDeployNG/log/iwddd_something.log)

DBD: SELECT * FROM USER_TABLES WHERE TABLE_NAME='IWTRACKER'
DBD: Table [iwtracker] exists.
DBD: DEFAULT__DEVICE__MAIN_STAGING not registered
DBD: Error occured in TDbSchemaSynchronizer
DBD: ERROR:TDbSchemaSynchronizer create failure.


(DEVICE is the name of my DCT)
Solution:
This solution is a hack, but it works. Open the database you are trying to commit to from teamsite, and run the following SQL query:
INSERT INTO IWTRACKER (NAME) VALUES('DEFAULT__DEVICE__MAIN_STAGING');
COMMIT;

where instead of 'DEFAULT__DEVICE__MAIN_STAGING' put the thing which the previous error claims is not registered. Save the DCT again and tail the log, the deployment should succeed. (if it fails, you are probably screwed because the support is terrible and the documentation is teh suck)

edit 11/6/2009: I no longer use teamshite, so please dont ask me any questions about this evil thing, i wont know the answers.

Find and replace with VI

this will replace all occurrences of match_pattern in the file

:g/match_pattern/s//replace_string/g
alternatively, you can use ' : ' instead of ' / ' to make path (/) slashes easier to manage (no escape (\) character needed)
:g:match_pattern:s::replace_string:g