CGI Programming 101 [Paperback]

Jacqueline D. Hamilton (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 2000

CGI Programming 101 takes you from the absolute basics of writing CGI programs, to advanced topics such as database interaction and using modules. The book includes:

* The Basics: where to write your scripts; how to upload them and set file permissions; how to run them

* How to decode form data and save it to a file or e-mail it to yourself

* How to create, read, write, and search data files

* How to use Server-Side Includes to add dynamic content to your web page, plus a complete list of Apache SSI directives (and examples of their use)

* How to use random numbers for rotating banner ads and random image pickers

* How to format strings, dates, and times, and how to create countdown clocks

* How to redirect visitors to another site

* How to write secure scripts

* How to use cookies

* How to extend your programs by using modules like CGI.pm and GD.pm

* How to create a MySQL database, and write scripts that interact with databases using the DBI module

Several Appendices are also included:

* A list of online resources, for more information about Perl and CGI, and where to look for CGI jobs

* A Unix tutorial, with examples and information on basic shell commands

* A Password tutorial that shows you how to password-protect your web site

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

CGI Programming 101: Programming Perl for the World Wide Web is a concise presentation of the key elements of Perl CGI, which makes it perfect for programmers who are under the gun. If you need to get up to speed on text strings, for example, you can read that chapter and be a pro within about 10 minutes.

Form processing is addressed early on, followed by searching and sorting techniques, illustrations of how to use server-side includes (SSI), and other critical issues. There's also a chapter on using MySQL--an open-source SQL database. In general, if you want to get the most out of this book, you'll be better off having some programming experience, be it in BASIC or C++.

The only element missing from this introductory course is an appendix containing Perl's reserved characters, operators, and functions; instead, this material is presented throughout the book. But CGI Programming 101 is still one of the most efficient ways to get up to speed with Perl CGI. --Stephen W. Plain

Topics covered: Perl variables, CGI environment variables, form processing, data file I/O, searching/sorting, server-side includes (SSI), random number generation, strings, date and time manipulation, HTTP cookies, e-mail processing, securing scripts, Perl modules, database programming, and custom Perl modules.

About the Author

Jackie Hamilton has been programming Perl since the "early" days of the web (since 1992). She's tackled CGI projects for many companies, including Texas Metronet, Tenagra, Cybersight, GTE, EDS, and Texas Instruments, to name a few. She's currently the webmaster for Steve Jackson Games.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Cgi101.Com; 1st edition (February 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0966942604
• ISBN-13: 978-0966942606
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.1 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (46 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,491,881 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

31 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beginning Perl Programmers Need This Book, December 7, 2000

By 

Dadio (Riverside, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: CGI Programming 101 (Paperback)

I come from a graphic design background and got into web design about 4 years ago. Most of my programming experience has been with Cold Fusion , JavaScript, and HTML. I wanted to learn Perl because I was tired of the limitations of my knowledge base and the frustrating idiosyncrasies of the Windows NT systems and applications that I was enslaved to. After dozens of other Perl books I stumbled onto Ms. Hamilton's.

This is the perfect book for a beginner. She painlessly takes the reader into the very powerful and liberating language of Perl and immediately shows you how to incorporate it into your web designs. She is a fantastic teacher. Her code works and the examples are real world.

If you are new to Perl and CGI, not a programmer, know HTML, and are totally confused as to where to start, start with this book and then go on to the O'Reilly book. "Learning Perl, 2nd Edition".

I also recommend signing up for an account with Hamilton's web hosting company CGI101.com for the following reason. Her hosting site is very CGI friendly and all the scripts work flawlessly on her system. That way you won't freak out if something is wrong with your code and spend all your time thinking "Is it my code, is it the book's screwed up examples, or is the ISP configured in a way that makes these scripts not work?"

If you're on her ISP everything works the way it's supposed to from the book. So the learning experience is much faster.

Take it from someone who has learned everything about computers the hard way and has had no "gurus" available to help. This book packs more in its 200 pages than 99% of all the other 1000+ page books on Perl that litter book store shelves.

I hope Ms. Hamilton publishes a sequel, and possibly books on other internet topics. She is a gifted writer and instructor.

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Concise Introduction to CGI Concepts, July 21, 2000

By 

Erica Douglass (Solana Beach, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: CGI Programming 101 (Paperback)

I found this book to be an extremely helpful reference. If I needed to do something quickly, I knew I could just look it up here. However, if you are looking for a comprehensive Perl tutorial, consider getting the "Learning Perl" O'Reilly book as well. I have found that these two books go well together - CGI 101 when I need a quick reference, and Learning Perl when I actually need to really understand the key elements of the script I'm writing.

CGI 101 also offers a great introduction to MySQL database programming. If you're new to MySQL and plan to use it, use CGI 101 as your reference but pick up a copy of "MYSQL" by Paul DuBois as well.

With these three books I have created an intranet that uses the Perl DBI to maintain an interactive, database-driven environment with approximately 225 users. It took me about a month. CGI 101 helped me out immensely along the way. 5 stars!

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book for the HTML coder who needs to learn CGI fast, April 1, 2000

By 

Stephen Britton "tech writer and web developer" (A quiet suburb outside NYC, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: CGI Programming 101 (Paperback)

When I first picked up this book, I was surprised to see that it was only 210 pages. But those pages are filled great information. I learned more from this book that I have from books three times the size. This book has expanded my skills from an HTML coder to a novice Perl programmer in less than a week. If you already understand HTML and a little JavaScript, this book will teach you the basics of Perl and help you create CGI forms and database front-ends very quickly. I hope Hamilton writes "CGI Programming 102."