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**Hawk** · Dec 5th, 2001, 05:11 AM

Html, Cascade Style Sheet, and Javascript can be programmed right off of notepad. There is no need to purchase additional software for these language.

Does Php, ColdFusion and Perl/CGI need additional softwares. Is it like ASP, additional software such as Visual Interdev, must be bought?

What is the advantage of Php, ColdFusion and Perl/CGI?

I am learning Visual Studio.Net, Cascade Style Sheet and Javascript. I like to know other essential languages to complete web programming.

Thanks

**progressive** · Dec 5th, 2001, 09:29 AM

You can write a program in any programming language using notepad or other text editor (such as textpad )!!

Theres no need to buy extra packages, all they do is speed up the development time and make u lazy.

However languages that are compiled such as Java, C++ and VB, require a compiler to compile them. Compilers can usually be found free on the web.

Scripting languages such as PERL, PHP, VBSCRIPT, PYTHON, JavaScript, WMLScript and Markup languages such as CSS, HTML, XML, WML; don't need compiling and therefore literally all you need is notepad....oh and enough knowledge of the languages syntax

If i were you I'd stay clear of wysiwyg web development packages and gain a deeper understanding of what your doing by hand coding...you also get more control over what you are doing this way!

Anyone agree ??

Oh and you don't need visual interdev to make ASP pages. asp pages are merley inline html and vbscript!

**CiberTHuG** · Dec 5th, 2001, 10:09 AM

Yeah, Progressive is right. Of the stuff you mentioned, I do all HTML, CSS, JavaScript, VBScript ASPs, PerlScript ASP, Perl, PHP, and C++ in text editors.

You need a browser (free) to see the HTML and CSS and test the JavaScripts (or whatever you use for client side scripting. You need a web server (Apache is free) to run the ASP, PHP, or CGI scripts. You need the Perl engine (which is again free), and you need a C++ compiler (again, there are free ones).

There is a Win32 distribution of Perl at ActiveState (for free).

**JoshT** · Dec 5th, 2001, 10:56 AM

Can you run PHP as a scripting language without a web server?

And interpreted languages (Perl, Python, Ruby, etc) need interpreters installed just as compiled languages need compilers (what gets installed with your OS and what you have to download yourself is another thing).

**progressive** · Dec 5th, 2001, 11:08 AM

I've just tried it and it doesn't appear that you can.

Because PHP parses the file and it's output is formatted for displaying in a browser

**progressive** · Dec 5th, 2001, 11:14 AM

below is what i tested and the output i got !

##php file##
<?php
$hello = "hello";
print $hello;
?>

###commandline###
php test.php

###output###
X-Powered-By: PHP/4.0.5
Content-type: text/html

hello

**CiberTHuG** · Dec 5th, 2001, 12:00 PM

So it does work, it just creates the HTTP headers. I'm sure you could get the PHP engine code (I hope it's open) and hack that and bam, you have a new scripting language. Call it Perl Light.

**progressive** · Dec 5th, 2001, 12:07 PM

php is open source!
you could that ! If you really wanted to!

**JoshT** · Dec 5th, 2001, 12:27 PM

I was under the impression that PHP was moving towards a more general direction. Could you just tell it via script that you're not generating a web page?

**progressive** · Dec 5th, 2001, 12:30 PM

I dunno, I'm not realy up on PHP, as at the company i work for we mostly use Perl!

I'd be interested to know if you find out though!

**Hawk** · Dec 5th, 2001, 12:39 PM

Thanks for the replies.

In other words, Php and CGI are similar to HTML? I mean in the sense of programming it. You only need a text editor?

What is cold fusion? What other essential languages should I learn to complete web programming?

**JoshT** · Dec 5th, 2001, 12:52 PM

PHP you only need a text editor - CGI isn't a language, you can't directly program CGI - you need to write CGI-compatible code in a language, like Perl, which you can just use a text editor - but you could write CGI in C or VB or even batch files if you wanted.

For Web Programming, learn:
HTML/XHTML/XML/CSS
Javascript
Perl, PHP, and ASP
Learn the basics of both IIS and Apache
Learn the basics of HTTP and CGI

**Hawk** · Dec 5th, 2001, 01:40 PM

Thank for the insight

**Hawk** · Dec 5th, 2001, 02:55 PM

Progressive,

I downloaded the textpad.exe program. What does the macro do and how do you use it?

Thank

**progressive** · Dec 6th, 2001, 04:04 AM

I dunno never used it, If you go to there website you can also download some librarys for textpad, such as syntax hilighters and language extensions, you can even run java class's from within textpad!

**Hawk** · Dec 6th, 2001, 06:11 AM

The text editor you recommended is really great.

I was using Homesite 4.0 but it lacks some capabilities. Homesite will not let you highlight an entire block of code and press TAB. INDENT! If you do, the TAB key will wipe out the selected area. Also, it will not let you drag a file directly from window explorer straight into the editor.

Today, I also tried other editors too. Boxer is also a good one but does not let you highlight by clicking on the beginning of the line.

Codewright is also a good one, but I have an old edition.

How long is the trial period for TextPad.exe before I have to pay? I am going to ask my company to purchase license for this software.

Thanks Progressive

**progressive** · Dec 6th, 2001, 06:13 AM

it never runs out!

**JoshT** · Dec 6th, 2001, 11:53 AM

I was using Homesite 4.0 but it lacks some capabilities. Homesite will not let you highlight an entire block of code and press TAB. INDENT! If you do, the TAB key will wipe out the selected area.

I'm using HS4.5 and there's a little arrow in the margin to do that.

scoutt · Dec 6th, 2001, 11:59 AM

Originally posted by JoshT
Can you run PHP as a scripting language without a web server?

And interpreted languages (Perl, Python, Ruby, etc) need interpreters installed just as compiled languages need compilers (what gets installed with your OS and what you have to download yourself is another thing).

you need a webserver to see the output. if you run it without a webserver the dos screen flashes so fast that you can't see it.

**JoshT** · Dec 6th, 2001, 12:08 PM

Well then you could run it via command line and see it no problem (just like Perl, or any other command line program).

**progressive** · Dec 6th, 2001, 12:13 PM

You miss the point scoutt!

If your running php from the command line then you will be doing the things you would normally do with Perl on a Unix OS.
Such as Grepping through Logs and and stuff like that
(what Perl was originally designed for PERL...Practical Extraction and Reporting Language..I think).

If you want to see output then you print it to the command line.

When you say the dos window flashes thats because you are just double clicking the file from windows.

Try this

1) copy a php file into the php directory
2) go to the dos prompt and navigate to the php directory
3) type "php filename.php"

This will then display what ever the page displays in your browser

scoutt · Dec 6th, 2001, 12:27 PM

yup I did miss that one. that makes since. but what would be the purpose of that? unles syou use it like you said you use perl for. makes since butUI would rather see it in the browser.

and yes I double clicked on it. I thought that is what he meant.

**progressive** · Dec 6th, 2001, 12:32 PM

Using it in from the command line is of main use for Sys Admin's on Unix OS

**JoshT** · Dec 6th, 2001, 01:48 PM

On Windows, too. I use Perl for searching thru IIS logs for weird ip addresses and stuff.

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