Web Programming and Internet Technologies: An E-Commerce Approach: .

by Porter Scobey, Pawan Lingras

Today's Web programmers are required to understand and use the tools and skills for both client and server-side programming. Web Programming and Internet An E-Commerce Approach provides an accessible, comprehensive introduction to creating fully functioning websites with e-commerce capabilities. Ideal for the one-term course, or as a self-learning guide for professionals, the authors weave a continuing case study of a real-world commercial enterprise throughout the text that gradually grows in sophistication. Introductory chapters ask readers to create a simple website that uses the basic features of XHTML. Readers will continue to modify and expand their early work, creating a centralized mechanism for changing the look and feel of the site via cascading style sheets, and incorporating JavaScript, PHP, MySQL, and much more. A CD-ROM is included with every new printed copy of the text and includes complete and pre-tested XHTML and CSS markup for all web pages discussed, as well as all associated JavaScript and PHP scripts, and the data for setting up the MySQL database. With its hands-on, active-learning approach, students using this new full-color text will see, and experience first-hand, the many levels and capabilities of programming for the world wide web. Key -Based on a real business model, this text provides a comprehensive introduction to all aspects of creating a complete website with e-commerce capabilities. -Uses a project-based approach that asks readers to develop a website whose functionality will parallel that of the real-world case study in the text. -Includes examples and screen shots of real websites throughout for readers to reference. -Presents and utilizes maintstream and relevant open-source and widely used XHTML, CSS, JavaScript, PHP, MySQL, XML, and more. -Every chapter concludes with a collection of activities to assure the reader has a full understanding of the chapter material. These activities quick questions to test the readers basic knowledge of the content; short exercises to improve basic understanding; 'exercises on the parallel project' that guide the reader through creating his/her own fully functional commercial website; a section titled 'What Else You May Want or Need to Know', containing additional information relevant to the chapter; and finally, a reference section with links to websites for further details and explanations of the topics covered in the chapter. -The accompanying CD-ROM contains complete and pre-tested XHTML and CSS markup for all web pages discussed in teh text, as well as all associated JavaScript and PHP scripts, and the data for setting up the MySQL database (eBook version doe not include the CD-ROM).

550 pages, Paperback

First published February 16, 2012

Reviews

[Kristy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ugh, this book... If this was your first foray into web programming, you would be utterly and completely lost from the instruction provided by this book. It explains the mere minimum of what you need to do to make an exact copy of the model site they use in the book. If you want to do anything else, or understand how any of the processes you are using work, then you are out of luck.

The book starts off promising, with a nice review of basic web design skills, such as XHTML and CSS. Honestly though, a lot of this material was simply too introductory - it would have been much more beneficial to cut out the beginner level "history of the web" and dedicate that space to the more complicated topics, like PHP and SQL. If you are expecting readers to be proficient enough at web design to use PHP and SQL, chances are they already know what the internet is, and don't need to read an entire chapter dedicated to its history.

As the material got more challenging toward the middle and end of the book, so too did the book lose its instructional clarity. Instead of teaching us the what, how, and why, the authors were merely able to teach us the "just do this and don't ask any questions." I understand that these are difficult programming languages and can't be completely summed up in one chapter of an instructional textbook. I just would really have liked to gain a better foundation on how these languages work, rather than just a list of instructions on how to replicate the exact set-up they've got in their (poorly designed and inefficient) example site.

I dunno, maybe a lot of my issues are stemming from the incompetent "teacher" I had for this class. Maybe if I had had any sort of supplementary lesson or lecture, it would have been easier to comprehend. But as a standalone guide to learning to create an e-commerce site... I would definitely not recommend it unless you already have an understanding of Javascript, PHP, and mySQL.