Busy indicator in HTML

[Shreya Menon]

Hi all.
I do have a HTML/jsp page which does quite a few database calls. So it will take some time to go to the database, do some validation routine and return back.
At this time I want to put an image in my page, which shows that the value is being processed.
How can I integrate this or how will I implement this functionality ?
This image has to be loaded once I send data to the database and it has to stand over my HTML page till the new page with the results are loaded.
How can I do this ?
Please help
Thanks,
Maya

[David O'Meara]

Usually I've seen this done by using TWO HTML pages.
The following is a SErvlet/JSP solution, I don't believe there is a pure HTML/JavaScript solution.
User has a screen where they enter a bunch of data then hit a button to start the DB search.
Request is sent to back end (don't search yet), build a nice "Please Wait" page to send back that includes another HTML form, same as the first, but with all of the data as hidden fields.
Get this form to auto-submit (ie form submits as soon as the page loads) and return the db search from this.
Now the user gets to see the "Please Wait" sign during the time the second request takes to return.
Is this what you were looking for?
Dave.

[Randall Twede]

i withheld my reply because i had never done it before but that sounds right to me.

[Shreya Menon]

Hi David,
Thanks for the resppnse. This is exactly what I am looking for.
I haven;t done this before. So if you have a code, could you please send it to
[e-mail] ?
Thanks so much.
Maya

[David O'Meara]

Once again, this is a JSP/Servlet based solution, but that's the way I do it...

<!-- START PAGE -->
    <!-- This is the page where you enter the details -->
<form action="FakeServlet">
    <input type="text" name="username">
    <input type="submit">
</form>
<!-- END -->
//-- FakeServlet
    //this servlet can parse but not process the data
    ...start stuff
    getRequestDispatcher("pleaseWait.jsp").forward(request,response);
//-- END
<!-- pleaseWait.jsp -->
    <!-- This is the page where the form is ACTUALLY submitted -->
PLEASE WAIT <!-- this is the message shown while the page submits -->
<form name="auto" action="FakeServlet" action="ProcessServlet">
    <input type="hidden" name="username" value="<%=request.getParameter("username")%>">
</form>
<!-- this script submits the form AFTER it has been completely loaded -->
<script>
    document.auto.submit();
</script>
<!-- END -->
//-- Process Servlet
    //and finally do the stuff that takes a long time
    for(int i=0;i<10000000;i++)
    {
        //etc
    }
//-- END

Start form --> Temp Servlet --> Please Wait page --> Processing Servlet
rather than
Start form --> Processing Servlet
Dave.

[Shreya Menon]

Dave,
Thanks a lot David, actually my application is a JSP/servlet only. This is really really useful for me.
Thanks again,
Appreciated.
Maya