Perl for Web Site Management

By John Callender and John Callender

Book Overview

Checking links, batch editing HTML files, tracking users, and writing CGI scripts--these are the often tedious daily tasks that can be done much more easily with Perl, the scripting language that runs on almost all computing platforms. If you're more interested in streamlining your web activities than in learning a new programming language, Perl for Web Site Management is for you: it's not so much about learning Perl as it is about using Perl to do common web chores more efficiently. The secret is that, although becoming a Perl expert may be hard, most Perl scripts are relatively simple. Using Perl and other open source tools, you'll learn how to: Incorporate a simple search engine Write a simple CGI gateway Convert multiple text files into HTML Monitor log files Track users as they navigate your site Even if you don't have any programming background, this book will get you quickly past Perl's seemingly forbidding barrier of chops and chomps, execs and elsifs. You'll be able to put an end to using clunky tools, editing files tediously by hand, or relying on programmers and system administrators to do "the hard stuff" for you. Sure, you might learn a little bit about programming as well, and perhaps something about the role of open source tools on the Web. But the purpose of Perl for Web Site Management isn't to educate you--it's to empower you. Whether you're a developer, a designer, or simply a dabbler on the Web, this book is the plain-English, hands-on introduction to Perl you've been waiting for.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1565926471
• ISBN13: 9781565926479
• Release Date: November 2001
• Publisher: O'Reilly Media
• Length: 528 Pages
• Weight: 1.73 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 7.1" x 9.1"

Customer Reviews

Good, but mis-describes the target audience

As a very experienced programmer, and familiar with Perl already, but not CGI programming, I found this book to be useful for its coverage of the necessary aspects in preparing and managing a website. Callender provides a good example, he writes well, and covers a lot of material in the 21 chapters. The text correctly guides you through much of the arcana of developing CGIs with Perl. I will keep the book nearby as I prepare...

Great Introduction to Perl for "Accidental" Programmers

First things first. This isn't the book that I thought it was going to be. I was expecting to read a book that taught experienced programmers some Perl tricks that made it easier to manage a web site - something like a companion piece to O'Reilly's Perl for System Administration by David Blank-Edelman. Turns out that's not what this book is at all.Instead, it's an introduction to Perl for someone who runs a web site and decides...

Excellent perl problem solving tool.

The author does an excellent job of walking you through just some of the things you can do with Perl to automate web management.Very well written, enjoyable and easy to comprehend.

Good for Web Designers New to Perl

Although the title gave the impression that it would cover very complex web-mastering techniques, the book actually is an excellent introduction to extending your website's usefulness by using Perl. Web designers that have conquered Javascript, and maybe explored some proprietary server-side techniques would benefit greatly from this clearly written task-based tutorial.I would recommend the reader pickup Learning Perl and/or...

Great resource for learning Perl!

If you are just beginning to learn Perl and want to know where to go after O'Reilly's Learning Perl, this is the book for you. There is nothing like seeing Perl do useful things, AND understanding how it works, to get excited about using a new programming language.Perl, being such a great first language, is useful right away. The author's clear and amusing style allows for easy reading and quick results. Wait until you complete...