Stardraw attributes support URL linkage

Stardraw.com has added powerful new functionality to its suite of software design and documentation packages in the form of URL links within attributes.

Each symbol within Stardraw can contain an unlimited number of ‘attributes' which are data fields representing numbers, text or database links. Attributes are used to describe a real-world product and can indicate, for example, the manufacturer name, product model number, price etc. These attributes now support URL (Uniform Resource Locator) links which will be familiar to most people in their simplest form: as website addresses. From today all of the products in Stardraw applications have at least one link, to the manufacturer's homepage, but the story doesn't end there; URL links can be augmented by parameters which means you can access dynamic content according to the specific parameters in that link. Direct access to database-driven product pages are a good example of this technology.

Some product ranges within Stardraw, BSS for example, already have links to dynamic pages on the manufacturer's website that use a script to give users instant and specific access to all available online product data through a single mouse click. Similarly, many ranges are now linked to the InfoCOMM IQ database – an online repository of standardized technical data. The URL is an extremely powerful and versatile technology and provides a gateway to all of the potential of the web.

Only last month Stardraw announced Online Libraries that enable users to retrieve symbols directly from a web database as and when they are required. This new functionality means that symbol attributes can themselves derive data from any provider, any manufacturer, any data source. Furthermore it is planned that manufacturers should themselves be enabled to add value to their symbols by adding their own URL links directly.

According to Stardraw marketing director Rob Robinson, "The addition of URL linkage within attributes is a far more significant development than it might appear at first glance. In fact it is a scalable solution to the problem of delivering real-time product information globally. We are getting ready to open the door to a true web-service, one that all manufacturers who are represented within Stardraw applications can contribute to, and through which they can add value to their existing online services."

Further information can be found at www.stardraw.com.

Notes to Editor

Since 1995 Stardraw.com has been a leading provider of software solutions to the entertainment technology sector, offering a range of award-winning system design, documentation and control applications as well as providing OEM software solutions for corporate customers. With offices in London and New York, regional partners and an installed customer base of almost 30,000 users spanning 82 countries, Stardraw.com is focussed on serving the international marketplace, and delivers leading-edge solutions that exploit the very latest in software technologies.

For more information contact:		Press contact:
Rob Robinson, Stardraw.com Ltd. 78 York Street London, W1H 1DP England T: +44 (0)207 692 7117 F: +44 (0)207 692 7118 e: rob.robinson@stardraw.com		Kiera Leeming, KLPR Ltd. T: +33 (0)684 06 26 42 e: kiera@klpr.co.uk