Page producers to generate content on behalf of a Web page module. Page producers provide the following functionality:

• They generate HTML content.
• They can reference an external file using the HTMLFile property, or the internal string using the HTMLDoc property.
• When the producers are used with a Web page module, the template can be a file associated with a unit.
• Producers dynamically generate HTML that can be inserted into the template using transparent tags or active scripting. Transparent tags can be used in the same way as WebBroker applications. To learn more about using transparent tags, see Converting HTML-transparent tags. Active scripting support allows you to embed JScript or VBScript inside the HTML page.

The standard WebSnap method for using page producers is as follows. When you create a Web page module, you must choose a page producer type in the Web Page Module wizard. You have many choices, but most WebSnap developers prototype their pages by using an adapter page producer, TAdapterPageProducer. The adapter page producer lets you build a prototype Web page using a process analogous to the standard component model. You add a type of form, an adapter form, to the adapter page producer. As you need them, you can add adapter components (such as adapter grids) to the adapter form. Using adapter page producers, you can create Web pages in a way that is similar to the standard technique for building user interfaces. 

There are some circumstances where switching from an adapter page producer to a regular page producer is more appropriate. For example, part of the function of an adapter page producer is to dynamically generate script in a page template at runtime. You may decide that static script would help optimize your server. Also, users who are experienced with script may want to make changes to the script directly. In this case, a regular page producer must be used to avoid conflicts between dynamic and static script. To learn how to change to a regular page producer, see the Advanced HTML design topic. 

You can also use page producers the same way you would use them in Web Broker applications, by associating the producer with a Web dispatcher action item. The advantages of using the Web page module are

• the ability to preview the page's layout without running the application, and
• the ability to associate a page name with the module, so that the page dispatcher can call the page producer automatically.