server side 101

update after class :

I've expanded on the form + cgi I was doing in class, which you can find on shannon .

I've decided that what I proposed on Tuesday was too ambitious. Instead I'd like to go over the basics more slowly, and have each of you create a PHP site with forms, cookies, dynamic content, and data storage in files on the server. Then we'll look at the same task using Flask. And then be ready for a security discussion, and for larger group projects.

An overview is at MDN: server-side website programming

Your goal should be to understand (a) what's actually being sent back and forth with HTTP and any other protocols, and (b) how to actually accomplish that within some of the many choices of web systems and languages.

Topics to understand :

• client-server communication :
  • MDN: forms
  • MDN: cookies
  • PUT vs GET : wikipedia HTTP
  • Another way for your web page to communicate with the server is AJAX ... which we'll save for later.
• cookies and "session management" :

CGI

Although the CGI approach is considered mostly obsolete for several reasons (modern frameworks are faster and do much of the work for you), it has the advantage that of letting you see explicitly how the client-server communication works.

• wikipedia: CGI

PHP

Work through some PHP basics :

• PHP manual

exercises

• Write a static HTML page with a form and a corresponding CGI script that displays that data.
  • Do the same in PHP with only one page, not two.
  • Do this with both GET and POST. What are the practical differences? The philosophical differences?
• Write a CGI script that displays and keeps track of how many times each visitor has loaded it with a cookie.
  • Do the same in PHP.

Can you do those two tasks in javascript using document.cookie ? Why is or isn't that possible or a good idea?

aside

We aren't on this topic yet but ...

• Why SQLite succeeded | HN discussion