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Web Client and Server Programming Y2, 20cr

Overview

This unit introduces students to:

1. Client-side programming (inside a web browser) by embedding program scripts in HTML; using those scripts to dynamically modify HTML and CSS; asynchronous reading of information from the server (Ajax).
2. Server-side programming (across the web) by writing server-side scripts accessing server-side files and databases.
3. The reasons for these two forms of programming and the underlying theory.

Aims

1. To develop an understanding of web client and web server scripting technologies and the underlying theory.
2. To develop an ability to write and install simple web client scripts.

Learning Outcomes

1. Design and implement simple client and server scripts in industry-standard client-side and server-side languages.
2. Demonstrate the uses of programmable web browsers and web servers.

Syllabus

1. Web client-and-server architecture; the concepts of web scripting.
2. Installation of a minimal web server and SQL server; and other support tools.
3. A review of HTML, and an introduction to HTML forms.
4. The JavaScript programming language and how to embed scripts into an HTML page.
5. The Document Object Model (DOM) — the browser's internal view of a displayed web page.
6. Dynamic HTML (DHTML) — using JavaScript to modify the DOM of the HTML of a current web page.
7. An introduction to CSS for specification of the style of a displayed web page, and Dynamic CSS (DCSS).
8. The PHP language; invoking PHP by embedding scripts in HTML.
9. Difficulties and techniques of debugging server-side scripts.
10. Sending values to server-side scripts, both via URLs and from HTML forms.
11. File-handling in PHP scripts; in particular, issues of concurrent access.
12. Using SQL from PHP scripts.
13. Using Cookies from PHP and JavaScript; PHP Sessions.
14. Review of other PHP library capabilities.
15. An introduction to Ajax for obtaining information from a server to client-side.