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Perl training
CGI training
web site construction
webmaster
programmer
Perl
website
web server
server scripting
dynamic web pages
Accelerated Technical Training for Webmasters and Site Programmers
http://www.keller.com/perlweb
1
Emphasis on practical skills
Hands-on
This course is for Perl programmers
who wish to construct interactive web sites.
Perl -- You know how to write Perl scripts.
Unix or NT -- You can navigate the filesystem and edit text.
HTML -- You have written web pages.
Common Gateway Interface (CGI) is the technical term for
the the mechanism by means of which programs are invoked
on web servers in response to mouse clicks on hyperlinks
by users of browsers.
CGI programs perform such tasks as database updates,
product ordering, survey form completion, and so on.
They also generate new web pages -- termed dynamic web pages
because these pages are created on the fly by the CGI programs.
From the user's perspective, such pages are indistinguishable from
hand-written ("static") ones.
But for the owners and builders of web sites, CGI programs
open vast new possibilities.
This is a technical course for people with Perl programming
experience who wish to apply it to the construction of web sites.
The web as a platform upon which to build and deploy applications
has many advantages:
- It is machine-independent; your software will run identically on
PCs, Macintoshes, and workstations.
- It is timely; data and software updates are immediately available.
- It is easy to deploy; there is no software to distribute, since
your applications run on a server and the client software is standard.
- It is geographically dispersed; physical proximity is irrelevant
since the web is indeed World Wide.
- It is easy for users to learn because browsers are intuitive
and already familiar to many.
This course provides the techniques that enable you to gain
all these benefits.
&obj;
Lincoln Stein, How to Set Up and Maintain a Web Site,
Addison Wesley, 1997. $40.
A great deal of information is covered in a short amount of time.
The format is highly compressed, with a focus on hands-on exercises
-- the best way to acquire new skills, learning by doing -- that
are carefully designed to rehearse the specific techniques of
interest without extraneous effort.
Source code files are provided to save time typing.
Once you get your solution working, you know you have learned
-- and proven you've learned! -- each of the essential techniques
for programming web-based applications in Perl.
In its method, the course's emphasis is on the practical,
with the majority of the classroom time devoted to hands-on
activity. You set your own pace, with the instructor acting
mainly as a facilitator. Historical and theoretical material
is kept to a minimum. The main classroom activity is the
step-by-step construction of a web-based work order and
invoicing system for a hypothetical business.
Each student receives a copy of the sample programs
discussed in the course.
Review of Prerequisites
Course Objectives
Related Topics
Resources for Perl and CGI Programmers (lots!)
Terminology and Mechanisms of the Web
Components of the Web: Clients and Servers
The HTTP Protocol that Connects Them
Programming Features of the
Common Gateway Interface (CGI)
Environment Variables
Request Types
HTTP Headers
Authentication
Lab: a greeting page with a redirect to another
URL (Uniform Resource Locator) determined according to
the identity of the remote user
Redirecting Standard Error Output
Watching Log Files
Locally Simulating the Remote Client Side
Using Perl's Command-Line Switches
Lab: samples and practice for each method
Use the CGI.pm Object-Oriented Perl Module
Lock the Data Files to Prevent Multi-User Update Anomalies
Handle File Uploads
Lab: add a field to a form, validate the datum
entered there, append it to a file
Write Programs that Generated Web Pages
Maintain State Information
CGI.pm HTML Shortcuts
Lab: write a Perl script to dynamically
generate the form from the previous chapter
so that it is one Perl script instead
of a Perl script and an HTML form
Processing Data in Real Time
Lab: a progress indicator in a frame
File Locking
Sending Mail with Attachments
Accessing Databases
Lab: retrieve service records, e-mail reminder letters
Review
Summary
Archive File of Source Code
classroom
a PC or workstation for each student
a PC or workstation for the instructor
NT or Unix
a data projector for the instructor's computer screen
connection to the internet
a Perl interpreter and a webserver enabled for CGI
http://www.keller.com/perlweb/setup.html
The course can be taught in your classroom,
anywhere in the world.
Travel outside the San Francisco Bay Area requires
reimbursement of the instructor's travel expense.