Download/Homepage I don't know about you, but getting to know the
Internet from the standpoint of someone interested in actively participating in the
creation of content, I have been investigating for quite a while now the tools one needs
to master in order to really call him(her)self a webmaster. I love the Internet because it
represents a unique moment in history. Just when we were about to feel that there were no
new places to go to on this earth, no new lands to discover, no more wild beast to tame:
enters the Internet and this new concept: cyberspace. Just like in any newly discovered
land, one would be tempted to ask the question: what language is spoken here? Well, for
me, that is a question that stroke my imagination as being relevant.
Perl spoken here! Sure there are the obvious so called «human» languages that we use for
ordinary conversation depending of our cultures. But, on the Web, there is an other
language and an other culture that striked me as being built in the very fibers of the
Internet. This culture and this language are, as a matter of fact, so much part of the
cyber cellular structure of the Web that a lot (if not most) of todays surfers don't even
notice them at all... unless, they wake up one day and try to serve content and structure
to the Web. Obviously, or maybe not so obviously for some, I am talking about the UNIX
culture and the Perl language. If like me, you are using Windows for what it does best but
were intimidated by the intricacy of Perl and CGI. Fear no more: Perl Builder is your
solution to open up the power gate of Perl scripting. I have been testing Perl Builder now
for several weeks now and I find it invaluable: 1) for learning Perl and 2) for creating
CGI scripts for the Internet. There is just no better and faster mean available on the
Windows95/NT platform to create custom interactive CGI forms for your website and that,
WITHOUT writing a singe line of Perl code (if you don't want to), period. With Perl
Builder, you will get up and running in no time. Add to this a good Perl book ( I am using
Perl5 Interactive Course Certified Edition - 2nd Edition ) and learning Perl, writing and
debugging ALL your Perl scripts becomes pure pleasure.
No webserver required.
All CGI routines are emulated right on your Win95/NT desktop (For this, you will have to
download a copy of Perl for Windows - available from , Solutionsoft's Perl Builder
download areas). I just cant over emphasize this feature enough. Before, I had to test all
my CGI scripts on line from my server itself at the risk of bugging it down. Plus I had no
alternative other than to work from the command line of my telnet account to debug my
scripts. No more. Now, most (if not all) my CGI-Perl testings and debuggings are done
offline locally using Windows95.You can even test the result of E-mail messages generated
by your CGI/Perl script OFFLINE. Minor adjustments may sometimes be necessary though when
performing the final tests online. But as I get to be more and more familiar with the
intricacies of Perl and of my UNIX Apache Server, this time tends toward «zero time»
thanks to Perl Builder. And, oh yes, Perl Builder is also a must have for serious Perl
scripting once you know enough about Perl to venture deeper into the language. Unleash the
power of CGI and Perl on your server! If you are on Win95/NT, get Perl Builder, you will
bless me for telling you so!
Key features
The CGI Wizard allows anyone to create sophisticated CGI scripts without programming
Process any HTML form. Validate user input. Send email messages. Generate HTML output The
Integrated Editor/Debugger allows you to immediately test and debug your code in an
environment which is reminiscent of the top visual development tools from Microsoft and
Borland Standard debugging features: breakpoints, single step, watches, etc. Color syntax
highlighting. "Tool Tip" variable inspection (just move the mouse over a
variable name to see its value). Double click an error message to jump directly to the
problem source code line. Desktop Testing/CGI Simulation: Test your scripts right within
the development environment! Perl Builder simulates CGI behavior visually so you view the
output from your script (HTML, email messages, etc.) right on the desktop. Supports both
CGI and general purpose Perl development. Fully Windowed (GUI) environment. You never need
to work with the command line. By bringing editing, testing and debugging features
together into a single, intuitive environment, Perl Builder makes it much more easy to
develop sophisticated Perl scripts right on the Windows 95/NT desktop. Perl Builder
requires Windows 95 or NT.
Outstanding features:
While Perl Builder runs only under Windows 95/NT, the resulting scripts may be used on any
system which supports Perl (Unix, Windows NT, Mac, etc.). No webserver is required; CGI
behavior is simulated on any desktop.
Demo:
Available online at: http://www.solutionsoft.com/pbdemo.htm
Add on: To get the full benefit of this program, you will need a Windows 95/NT version of
Perl. You can download a free copy of Perl for Windows from Solutionsoft's PerlBuilder
download area.
4)Overall appreciation:
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