
Introduction to Perl/CGI Training
Course Length: 3 days
Delivery Methods:
Available as private class only
Course Overview
This Perl course bridges the gap between using HTML to create static Web pages and using Perl CGI scripts to create dynamic Web pages. The course emphasizes using the Perl 5 CGI library routines to process HTML forms by providing extensive working examples and by students writing applications to illustrate the concepts presented. This course is not intended to be a substitute for a Perl programming course.
Course Benefits
- Understand how CGI applications work
- Learn to use Perl's CGI.pm module
- Learn to create dynamic forms with Perl
- Learn to use server-side includes
- Learn to manage database data with Perl
- Learn to maintain sessions and use cookies with Perl
- Under web security issues
Course Outline
- The Internet and the Web
- TCP/IP and Ports
- DNS vs. Hosts Files
- Servers and Clients
- Client/Server Protocols
- Browsers and Servers
- URLs
- WEB Browsers and Servers
- The Hypertext Transfer Protocol
- HTTP Requests and Responses
- HTTP Headers
- HTTP Requests
- Introduction to CGI
- HTML Tag Structure
- HTML Document Structure
- URLs and CGI
- CGI Programs
- Running and Debugging from the Command Line
- Running and Debugging from a Browser
- Handling an HTML Form with CGI
- Generating HTML
- CGI and Perl
- Perl
- Perl Programs
- Why Use CGI.pm (and Where is It?)
- Running and Debugging from the Command Line
- Generating HTML with CGI.pm
- Running and Debugging from a Browser
- Command Line Debugging
- Generating HTML
- Introduction to CGI.pm
- How to use CGI.pm's Online Documentation
- CGI.pm's Rules for General HTML Tags
- CGI.pm's Rules for HTML Form Tags
- Named vs. Positional Parameters in CGI.pm
- Generating Forms
- General Structure of HTML Forms
- Form Element Tags
- Pushbuttons
- Radiobuttons
- Checkboxes
- Popups and Listboxes
- Textfields, Passwords, and Textareas
- CGI Data Flow Architecture
- URL Encoding and Decoding
- Data Flow between Browsers and Servers
- GET vs. POST
- Which to Use?
- CGI Environment Variables
- Accessing CGI's Environment Variables
- Processing Form Data
- Static Forms
- Dynamic Forms
- Controlling Flow with User Input
- Accessing Form Data Using CGI.pm
- The param Method of CGI.pm
- Sticky Widgets
- Validating Input from the Browser
- Lists
- Scalar and List Contexts
- Hashes
- Hash Functions
- Client-side Statefulness
- Stateful vs. Stateless
- Why use Stateful CGI Applications?
- Program to Program Interaction
- Stateful Access with Hidden Fields
- Multiple Forms and Hidden Fields
- Stateful Access with Netscape Cookies
- Using Cookies with CGI.pm
- Cookie Management
- Database Access
- Server-side Statefulness
- Flat-file Databases
- Structuring Text Data
- File Permissions and Flat-file Databases
- Perl's DBM Interface
- Perl's DBI/DBD Interface
- Issues with Statefulness
- Additional Web Programming Features
- Extra Path Information
- Frames
- Server Side Includes (SSI)
- The exec command
- A Page Hit Counter Using SSI
- Animation Description
- Netscape's Server Push
- Client Pull
- The GD.pm Module
- CGI Security Issues
- Browser to Server Security Issues
- CGI Security Issues
- CGI Interaction with the Operating System
- Database/File System Overflow
- CGI and User Authentication
Class Materials
Each student will receive a comprehensive set of materials, including course notes and all the class examples.
Class Prerequisites
Experience in the following is required for this Perl class:
- Familiarity with HTML forms.
- Basic UNIX skills and the ability to use VI or a basic text editor
Request a Private Class
- Private Class for your Team
- Online or On-location
- Customizable
- Expert Instructors