Help please web app conversion to console and win form app

Question

Heya Everyone I have developed a very nifty web app for a client and they are now asking if it could be implemented into windows app allowing them to not have a constent connection to internet to use(eg laptops and pdas) and also a console app which will allow them to use windows scheduler to do the tasks on a day to day basis. Could anyone give me some advice as ive been tinkering for too long trying to crack this conversion. Regards Dean

Ryan Alford · Answer

if you architected the web app with an N-tier architecture then re-writing it would not be very hard. If you have all the code in the .aspx files then you have a long road ahead of you.

Dean Cook · Answer

Thank you!:) just needed to hear it from someone else that it cannot be done. so now i have the lovely task of rewritting it as a win and console app:)lovely. Basicly the project is a scraper The Clients are very happy with the finished web app but would like this scraper to be more automated so they can set it up to being a scheduled executable/ or as you said a web service. Sorry have a further question on your responce once the app's have been re written would i be better leting the clients set this exe up in windows scheduler? or (my personal pref) would seting up a windows service which has a timer thread that executes the console app when the time hits its designated time? and the project will be based on there network server so would i need to add some kind of login facility or would useing windows auth be sufficent? i believe a login wouldnt be needed as they will be working from a network there isnt much security risk involved(i think). Thank you for your help Regards Dean

Mahesh Chand · Answer

First of all there is no way you can convert existing Web application to a Windows Forms or Console application. You may reuse your classes (business data or helper layers) if they are not a part of your UI code. Otherwise you will have to rewite the whole application. Is database shared by multiple clients or machines? Is this a Client Server application? If yes and your client want to use it when Internet connection is not available you may want to have a local copy on client machines in SQL Server 2005 Express versions and sync data when they are connected to the Internet. For your background task you will have to build a Windows Service. There is a Windows Services section on this site if you do not know how to create windows services. If each client wants to do some task on local machines you will have to install that service on each client machine. I hope this gives you some pointers.

Help please, web app conversion to console and win form app