Custom CGI Scripting with Perl [Paperback]

Kevin Hanegan (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0471395978 | ISBN-13: 978-0471395973 | Publication Date: January 23, 2001 | Edition: 1

The only one-stop resource for Web developers and programmers

This book is an indispensable resource for Web developers and programmers who program CGI applications in Perl. It is designed to function as both a comprehensive reference to the fundamentals and a hands-on tutorial with detailed examples on creating and customizing CGI applications for the Web. Readers learn how to set up a server for integrating CGI scripts, how to work with HTTP variables, and other important CGI basics. They get a complete review of all the Perl syntax needed to create CGI programs and learn how to upload and test scripts and how to use libraries effectively.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

The ultimate guide to creating and customizing CGI applications on the Web

More and more Web developers are turning to the CGI (Common Gateway Interface) protocol to add interactivity and dynamic content to their Web sites. It's the most common method for transferring information between a Web server and a user. And Perl is the ideal language for CGI because it's an easy environment for building and testing simple programs. This book focuses on the principles behind both CGI and Perl to provide you with the most comprehensive reference in the field. Inside, you'll find everything you'll need to know to understand, implement, and customize Web sites with CGI scripts.

The book begins with an overview of CGI fundamentals and shows you how to set up a server for integrating CGI scripts. Hanegan then offers detailed coverage of Perl, including all the syntax for CGI programs. He also shows you how to upload and test scripts, as well as how to use libraries much more effectively. And all of this information is tied together with real-world, step-by-step instructions so that you can create and customize your own applications.

Custom CGI Scripting with Perl is a must-have if you plan on applying CGI to your Web site. This book will help you:
* Set up, develop, and customize your Web site with the help of detailed example source code that's broken down line by line
* Work with HTTP variables to improve your site
* Utilize the print function, variables, subroutines, comparisons, error handling, HTML forms, and other functions
* Customize your applications to meet your business needs

About the Author

KEVIN HANEGAN is a senior Technology Consultant at Xevo Corporation, a provider of infrastructure solutions for ASPs. Hanegan, a recognized speaker at Internet seminars and conferences, is also a part-time instructor in the MIS department and State of Art department at Northeastern University. Hanegan previously owned Custom Web Designs, a Web design firm that deals with small to mid-sized businesses. He earned his BS in mathematics and his BS in computer science from Villanova University.

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 1 edition (January 23, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0471395978
• ISBN-13: 978-0471395973
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #725,759 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good book, but needs more advanced topics, July 29, 2001

By 

Yost (The Netherlands) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Custom CGI Scripting with Perl (Paperback)

PRO: I like this book a lot because it has an easy to follow writing style. It also has a defined scope, and shows how to integrate Perl and cgi to add dynamics to your site. It shows just enough Perl to get the job done. It has a lot of small examples and 3 complete applications. Examples are clear and go from the simple to the more advanced.

CON: I think the book is targeted at beginners. Experienced programmers only need half of the current text. Also the author needs to much space to tell me again and again how good Perl actually is for the development of small to mid-sized web sites. I know that already, I bought the book, didn't I?! There are only 3 complete applications in the book, an e-mail response form, a guestbook and the use of flat file databases. The first two are very (too?) simple. I had an e-mail response form Perl-script running on my web site without any book! I also missed some "advanced" topics, like setting and retrieving cookies (or can't this be done with Perl?), retaining state at the browser site (e.g. by using variables in the URL?) and making my whole site dynamically generated from some (database) files. The author somewhere mentions "defensive programming", but most examples focus on "getting the job done" instead of showing sound software engineering principles (e.g. using subroutines without explicit return values).

BOTTOM LINE: a very useful book if you are new to programming, a still a useful book if you know programming, but don't know Perl. I do think you need another book to learn how to make really interesting dynamic websites. I only don't know which book, yet.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Bad Code, February 8, 2001

By 

Scott (Albuquerque, NM) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Custom CGI Scripting with Perl (Paperback)

I don't know if the author of this book was using a different type of perl or what, but I have had to troubleshoot a lot of his code. I have read only three chapters so far, and I've had to get people to help me figure out what was wrong with the code the author has written on three different code examples. I do think this is a good book, though. From one point of view, this is a great learning process. You get to know the code pretty dang well when you have to study it sometimes as long as an hour before you figure out what was wrong with it.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ease of Understanding, October 30, 2001

By 

Joseph Ruffino (Elgin, IL USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Custom CGI Scripting with Perl (Paperback)

I'm a new novice to Perl Scripting, and I have found this book invaluable. I work at a library, and found this book on our new book shelf. It helped so much, that I decided to buy it. It gives grwat explanations without bogging you down.

The appendixes are fantastic, I especially like the Perl Quick Reference in the back. I use it when I'm not sure about usage.
I have programmed for many years in many languages, and I have found that this is a great reference tool. I like it much better than the other book, I bought. I found so much more in this Perl book than in others.

I highly recommnend this book fro anyone who is lerning Perl, or knows it better than me, which are most people.