FROM THE PUBLISHER

PERL In Easy Steps instructs the reader how to write Common Gateway Interface (CGI) scripts in the popular Practical Extraction & Reporting Language (PERL). These allow the exchange of data between a web browser and a web server both on Windows platforms and on Unix-based platforms, such as Linux. The book contains exciting chapters on the major features of the PERL language and there are complete example scripts that illustrate each aspect of PERL.

PERL In Easy Steps begins by explaining how to download and install the free Apache web server and the free PERL interpreter. This allows the reader to establish an environment in which to run CGI scripts on their own computer. This book makes no assumption that the reader will have previous knowledge of any programming or scripting language so it's ideal for the newcomer to PERL. Each chapter builds the reader's knowledge of CGI scripting. By the end of this book the reader will have gained a sound understanding of the PERL language and be able to write their own CGI scripts that can be run on any web server that is configured for PERL.