Useful Books and Software

Hall has distilled his years of Perl experience into a book for Perl programmers that is both fluid and fun to read. It's somewhat like reading the Perl FAQ; even when you think you know everything, there's so much you don't know.

Effective Perl Programming has a clear layout: the text is easy on the eyes and the monospaced font makes a clear distinction between backticks and single quotes. Hall uses his PEGS (PErl Graphical Structures) notation to show the difference between Perl's different types of data structures and how everything ties together.

Packed with great examples and code snippets, this book is an excellent source of tips and tricks to make your Perl programs faster and easier to read. You'll also find a strong section on using the Perl debugger to improve your Perl programming skills. In yet another section, Hall walks the reader through the creation of a complete XS module that can boost the performance of array shuffling eight-fold. All in all, this is a great book for programmers who want to move beyond plain, verbose Perl toward a more succinct and powerful coding style.

The book on Perl that experienced Perl programmers have been looking for, Effective Perl Programming explains idiomatic Perl, covering the latest release (Version 5). It includes information and useful examples about the structure, functions, and latest capabilities of the language, such as self-documenting object-oriented modules. Learn from Hall's answers to "real life" questions and problems he receives from newsgroups and his Perl seminars.

Publisher: Addison-Wesley Professional
Authors: Joseph N. Hall, Randal Schwartz
Release Date: 1998-01-09
ISBN/EAN: 0201419750 / 9780201419757

New Price: $22.88 / Used Price: $6.49

• Install, configure, and troubleshoot a testing environment with PHP/MySQL and Apache or IIS
• Learn the fundamentals of PHP and good database design
• Use Dreamweaver 8 server behaviors to create robust dynamic applications that validate user input for greater security and reliability
• Incorporate live XML feeds into your web pages with PHP and Dreamweaver 8s new XSL Transformation server behavior
• Download and apply a suite of custom-built PHP functions designed exclusively for this book

• Introduction
• Chapter 1: So, You Want to Build Dynamic Sites?
• Chapter 2: Dreamweaver and PHPA Productive Partnership
• Chapter 3: Getting the Work Environment Ready
• Chapter 4: Getting Ready for the Case Study
• Chapter 5: Integrating PHP into Your Site
• Chapter 6: Getting Feedback from an Online Form
• Chapter 7: Putting the Power of a Database
• Chapter 8: Building a Random Quotation Generator
• Chapter 9: Working with Multiple Tables
• Chapter 10: Using Sessions to Track
• Chapter 11: Displaying a Blog and Photo Gallery
• Chapter 12: Using XSLT to Display Live News Feeds and XML
• Appendix A: Using Languages Other Than English in MySQL
• Appendix B: Essential MySQL Maintenance
• Index

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First, the book outlines the basics of creating and running Perl scripts. (Though this is a Unix-centered approach, the examples will run on Windows NT as well.) Early in the text, the author introduces variables, both scalar and arrays, and basic programming statements (such as conditional statements and looping). He presents the rudiments of using regular expressions and basic Perl metacharacters and commands for searching and replacing text in manageable increments. The author also does a good job of showing how Perl can work together effectively with other Unix commands, such as files and pipes, and operating features, such as processes.

The book is less successful at exposing the intricacies of object-oriented Perl (a difficult topic). However, it is good at explaining some of the pitfalls of Perl programming, including debugging. Other interesting chapters explain topics such as where Perl programming fits into the Internet and why Perl will likely continue to play an important role on the Web. Chapters throughout this book are short and sweet and include simple exercises so that readers can try out Perl on their own. Although no single book can make you into a Perl guru, this tutorial can start you on your way to becoming a competent Perl developer.

The clear, step-by-step instructions in Perl 5 Interactive Course, Certified Edition, teach you how to develop sophisticated Net applications and Web sites using the flexible power of Perl. From simple tasks like writing loops and opening files to advanced topics such as networking, generating graphics, and linking Perl and C, these hands-on lessons show you how it's done.Throw your Internet connection into the mix and you'll have free access to the eZone, the innovative Web-based learning center from Waite Group Press. You'll get expert help from the pros, interactive quizzes for immediate feedback, dedicated discussion groups for interaction with other students, certification, and even optional continuing education units (for a nominal fee). This isn't just a book; it's a Web-based learning center.

• Provides the opportunity to earn 3 Continuing Education Units from Marquette University
• Updated edition covers the latest version of Perl
• Web-based components include online mentors to answer specific questions, interactive testing for immediate feedback, discussion groups for student interaction and more
• CD-ROM includes Microsoft Internet Explorer, the latest Perl source code and all the binaries needed to run Perl on any platform

New Price: $35.00 / Used Price: $4.82

Windows Vista Sidebar is a panel located on the desktop of a PC where gadgets can be placed for easy access and reference. These gadgets are small, single-purpose applications, such as clocks, calendars, games, RSS notifiers, search tools, stock tickers, etc, that reside on the Windows desktop and on the Windows Sidebar. The book will be a tutorial to design and develop a gadget. It will provide ready-to-use samples using .NET, XML, CSS and AJAX. After reading the book, a web developer/designer will be confident enough to start developing gadgets for Windows Vista Sidebar. The beginner portion of the book shows an overview of the subject with the design pattern, the architecture and implementation details. The later sections will have solid examples for instant results. In short, the book will tell how to do everything with Sidebar Gadgets using solid, unique examples. Brief outline: " Brief background on Gadgets " Define architecture, design consideration and implementation to give a clear view to the developer " Step by step, create a useful Gadget sample "My Blogs" " Elaborate the architecture design constraint and implementation details for the sample " Detail the standard practices " Recheck the gadget created for standard practices " Improvise and Improve with compare and contrast " Add advanced samples with .NET, AJAX and XHTML.

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Originally created as a powerful text processing tool, Perl has since evolved into a multi-purpose, multi-platform language capable of implementing a variety of tasks such as system administration, CGI and network programming, XML processing, and more. Beginning Perl, Second Edition provides valuable insight into Perls role regarding all of these tasks and more.

Commencing with a comprehensive overview of language basics, you'll learn all about important concepts such as Perl's data types and control flow constructs. This material sets the stage for a discussion of more complex topics, such as writing custom functions, using regular expressions, and file input and output. Next, we move on to the advanced topics of object oriented programming, modules, CGI programming, and database administration with Perls powerful database interface module, DBI. The examples and code provided offer you all of the information you need to start writing your own powerful scripts to solve the problems listed above, and many more.

Whether you are a complete novice or an experienced programmer, Beginning Perl, Second Edition offers an ideal guide to learning Perl.

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jQuery in Action, like jQuery itself, is a concise tool designed to make you a more efficient and effective web developer. In a short 300 pages, this book introduces you to the jQuery programming model and guides you through the major features and techniques you'll need to be productive immediately. The book anchors each new concept in the tasks you'll tackle in day-to-day web development and offers unique lab pages where you immediately put your jQuery knowledge to work.

There are dozens of JavaScript libraries available now, with major companies like Google, Yahoo and AOL open-sourcing their in-house tools. This book shows you how jQuery stacks up against other libraries and helps you navigate interaction with other tools and frameworks.

jQuery in Action offers a rich investigation of the up-and-coming jQuery library for client-side JavaScript. This book covers all major features and capabilities in a manner focused on getting the reader up and running with jQuery from the very first sections. Web Developers reading this book will gain a deep understanding of how to use jQuery to simplify their pages and lives, as well as learn the philosophy behind writing jQuery-enhanced pages.

Publisher: Manning Publications
Authors: Bear Bibeault, Yehuda Katz
Release Date: 2008-02-07
ISBN/EAN: 1933988355 / 9781933988351

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