PERL - Practical Extraction and Reporting Language
*Used for standalone applicaitons and Web based CGI
The Current version of Perl is 5.6.0. Download it for Windows or UNIX/Linux
here
Avoid the "Active State" Perl.
What is the relationship between Perl and CGI?
Application script index
Web Based CGI script index
Other Perl Resources
What is the relationship between Perl and CGI?
Perl stands for Practical Extraction and Reporting Language. It is called such for its
built-in utilities for scanning files and processing their content. Perl is the language most commonly
used for CGI. CGI stands for Common Gateway Interface and is a method for creating web based
documents rather than a specific programming language. Other languages may be used to create
CGI like
TCL or
Tk. Perl is the easiest to learn, the most
popular and the most widely supported. Standalone Perl scripts end in the file extension .pl,
web-based CGI scripts end in the file extension .cgi. They are both written in Perl, but what
they do and where they are placed differ. HTML is wonderful, but it is stateless, meaning that
it cannot accept input or maintain input and does not have normal programming functions like looping.
HTML was designed for the purpose of openning and viewing files and little else.
Java and
JavaScript
have added much power to HTML, but neither have the ease and functionality of Perl/CGI. CGI makes
on-line shopping possible. Cookies and Shopping Carts are Perl/CGI scripts, they drive
web commerce and make information transfer from platform to platform simpler.
Application Scripts in Perl
Script for processing multiple documents into a single file
Using Perl for processing job logs
Web Based CGI scripts in Perl
telnet1.cgi* is a Web based telnet negotiator using Perl.
*All perl cgi scripts are named here as filename.cgi.txt so the source code can be viewed! Rename them as filename.cgi
to use them!
PERL Resources
These links are for other sites
How Perl Works (HowStuffWorks.com)
Ten minute tutorial
The CGI.pm Module, By Lincoln Stein
How Cookies Work
Client Side HTTP Cookies
Free Perl Scripts
CGI FAQ
Guide to CGI.pm Programming
Online Copy of the Perl-man
Web Perl Library
Index of Perl Terms and Topics
More Free Scripts
The CGI Collection
CGI Made Easy
CGI Tutorial
CGI Resources
CGI Overview
Chapter 1 of O'Reilly's Advanced Perl
Chapter 7 of O'Reilly's CGI Programming on the WWW
Chapter 8 of O'Reilly's CGI Programming with Perl
Chapter 4 of O'Reilly's Regular Expressions book
The World of Perl
