Web-tools for streamlining ballroom dance competition management

Abstract

This thesis presents the design and development of the initial offerings in a potential suite of computer aids for ballroom dance competitions. The suite of tools is known by the name CompinaBox; while the initial module which handles on-line registration for competitions is named SlidingDoors. The tools have been developed using the PHP programming language a scripting language that is easily embeddable within the HTML used to create web-pages. The PostGreSQL database system is used to handle all data storage requirements. The registration component was selected as the initial tool because it provides the data needed by practically all of the other possible tools. SlidingDoors has been coded from scratch twice, under two radically different coding methodologies. The first was in accordance with "common" web-programming views and a completely dynamic page generation model. The second was along the more traditional software engineering model and used more static page generation. As the story of the tool development unfolds, trade-offs between the two approaches are discussed.