Pop-up window from database results

Hello,

My dilemma is:

I have a embedded sql query on my asp page which returns results from MS Access MDB based on user criteria. One of the fields that needs to be displayed in the results in an abstract of a book (which can be very long in some instances). Instead of displaying the results of the abstract on the same page i would like to know if its possible to return the word "Abstract" as a hyperlink for every record in the search results and when clicked the users fires up a pop-up window which displays the results of the abstract.

This is to avoid clutter on the original search results screen.

For instance:
<a href="abstract_popup_generator.asp?abstract=<% Response.Write(Abstract_Var) %>">Abstract</a>

where Abstract_Var would be = to the text in the database set after sql statement. I could then grab the abstract_var on the next page and display it appropriately. But is there any limits on the characters being transfered via a URL??

Or is there any other way of doing it?

the maximum url lenght in IE is 2,083. Why not pass a unique ID and then search the database on the pop up page again.

Davebat,

Cheers for your reply.

I suppose i could do it like you suggest, just though it might be possible without another connection to the mdb. I will give yours a try and see how it goes.

Cheers

you could use a hidden layer rather than a pop-up that appearswitha button click. This would mean the data is pulled once and once only. However you would have to lok carefully at Javascript and cross browser capability.

I would go DaveBat's route.

The time you would save by not requerying the database on demand would probably be lost anyway by sending all the abstracts to the client "just in case" they want to see them.

You could always cache the abstracts in AppVariables (using the unique Id as a key) so you only hit the DB once per abstract.