Programming the Web Server
Robert M. Dondero, Ph.D.
Princeton University
1
Objectives
You will learn:
How to "program the web server" using...
PHP
JSP
2
Previously
CGI Programming
Browser Web Server Application runs in distinct
Socket process from web server
HTTP
Pipe
CGI protocol
Application
Pipe
CGI protocol
Socket
HTTP
Browser Web Server database somefile
3
Now
Programming the Web Server
Application runs (typically) as
thread within web server process
Browser
Web Server
Socket
HTTP
Application
Socket
HTTP
Browser
database somefile
4
Part 1: PHP
5
PHP
Who: Rasmus Lerdorf
When: 1995
Why: Create Web apps
that generate pages
dynamically
The name:
Personal Home Page
And later...
PHP Hypertext Processor (recursive acronym)
6
PHP Good News and Bad News
Good news
Apache web server handles PHP
PHP is available on CS computers
Bad news...
7
PHP as a Pgmming Language
Yet another programming language!
And (IMHO) an inelegant one
No time (and inappropriate) to cover thoroughly
See my personal "Subset of PHP"
Link on web pages
Some familiar examples that might help...
8
PHP Examples
See hello.php
Program structure
The echo command
The build/run process
See square.php
Function definitions
Variables
Parameters
String concatenation
9
PHP Examples
See circle.php
Interpreted strings
The fscanf() function
As in C
The printf() and fprintf() functions
As in C
More powerful, less efficient, than echo
command
See euclid.php
Control flow
10
PHP Examples
See intmath.php, testintmath.php
Multi-file programs
Exec Continues File Included
Upon Failure? Only Once?
include y n
include_once y y
require n n
require_once n y
11
PHP Examples
See fraction.php, testfraction.php
Object oriented programming
"$this" object reference
"->" field selector operator
Exception handling
12
PHP Examples
See calls1.php
Call-by-value and call-by-reference
See calls2.php
Call-by-value and call-by-reference with objects
See testdivmod.php
"Returning" multiple values
Call-by-value and call-by-reference
See immutable.php
Immutability of strings
13
PHP Examples
See arrays.php
Arrays
Arrays are not objects!!!
"foreach" statement
See formatter.php
Constants
String manipulation; uninterpreted strings
File handling
Command-line arguments
Regular expressions 14
PHP Examples
See linesort.php
Arrays, sorting, file-handling
Note CPU time consumed
See concord.php
Regular expressions
Associative arrays
Note CPU time consumed
15
PHP for Database Programming
See selectrows.php
Uses the mysqli library (not the mysql library)
See updaterows.php
Transactions
See trans.php
Transactions for recovery
See selectrowsprepared.php
Prepared statements
16
PHP for Web Programming
The Pennypack sequence in PHP...
17
PennypackPhp1 Application
See PennypackPhp1 application
book.php
database.php
index.html
header.php, footer.php
searchform.php, searchresults.php
Generalizing...
18
PHP Superglobal Variables
Superglobal Contents
$_GET Data passed to the current script via
the HTTP GET method
$_POST Data passed to the script via the
HTTP POST method
$_COOKIE Data passed to the script via
cookies
$_SESSION Session data (see description later
in this lecture)
$_REQUEST The union of %_GET, %_POST, and
%_COOKIE
$_SERVER Headers, paths, script locations,
etc.; varies with web server
... ...
19
Toward PennypackPhp2
Problem:
Missing author name is not handled as I wish
Solution:
PHP header() function...
20
PennypackPhp2 Application
See PennypackPhp2 Application
book.php
database.php
index.html
header.php, footer.php
searchform.php, searchresults.php
Generalizing...
21
PHP header() Function
header() function
Sends header to browser
In this case
Sends "location" header to browser
Header specifies web page
Browser automatically visits specified web page
22
Toward PennypackPhp3
"Problem"
Want "previous search" field in searchform page
"Solution"
Sessions via the session implicit object
23
PennypackPhp3 Application
See PennypackPhp3 Application
book.php
database.php
index.html
header.php, footer.php
searchform.php, searchresults.php
Generalizing...
24
PHP $_SESSION Superglobal
Another superglobal variable...
$_SESSION
An associative array()
Provides access to saved "name=value" state pairs
25
PHP session_start()
session_start() function
Commands web server to:
Accept "PHPSESSID=key" cookie from browser,
or create "PHPSESSID=key" cookie
Extract key from cookie
Use key to populate $_SESSION with saved
"name=value" state pairs
Allow PHP code to use/modify $_SESSION
Pass "PHPSESSID=key" cookie to browser
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Part 2: JSP
27
JSP
Who: Sun
When: 1999
Why:
"Address the perception that the Java programming
environment didn't provide developers with enough
support for the Web" Wikipedia
Sun's answer to PHP (and Microsoft's ASP)
The name:
JavaServer Pages
28
Bad News
Bad news
Apache web server does not handle JSP
Not available on CS computers
Why study JSP?
May be useful for projects
Conceptual bridge between CGI Web programming
and "PHP-style" Web programming
New language isn't necessary!
29
JSP Examples
Using the Apache Tomcat web server
Running locally on my computer
http://localhost:8080/PennypackJsp1/index.html
30
PennypackJsp1 Application
See PennypackJsp1 Application
DateTime.java, Book.java, Database.java
Cannot be in the anonymous package
index.html
searchform.jsp, searchresults.jsp
header.jsp, footer.jsp
Generalizing...
31
JSP Hidden Comment
Hidden comment
<%-- some text --%>
Not sent to Web server
Not sent to browser
As opposed to...
Output comment (not illustrated)
<!-- some text -->
Ordinary HTML comment
JSP Page Directive Tag
"Page Directive" Tag
<%@page language="java"
import="package.class, package.class" %>
Specifies language
Java
... or JavaScript???
Specifies classes to import
33
JSP Scriptlet Tag
"Scriptlet" Tag
<% JavaCodeFragment %>
Contains arbitrary Java code
Uses implicit objects...
34
JSP Implicit Objects
Implicit Objects
request: getParameter(), getParameterNames(),
getParameterValues()
out: print(), println()
35
JSP Expression Tag
"Expression" Tag
<%= JavaExpression %>
Shortcut for:
<% out.print(JavaExpression) %>
36
JSP Include Tag
"Include" Tag
<jsp:include page="{ relativeURL |
<%= JavaExpression %> }" flush="true" />
At run-time, output generated by relativeURL
replaces the tag
37
Toward PennypackJsp2
Problem:
Missing author name is not handled as I wish
Solution:
JSP forwarding...
38
PennypackJsp2 Application
See PennypackJsp2 Application
DateTime.java, Book.java, Database.java
index.html
searchform.jsp, searchresults.jsp
header.jsp, footer.jsp
Generalizing...
39
JSP Forward Tag
"Forward" Tag
<jsp:forward page={ relativeURL |
<%= expression %> }" />
Forwards a client request to an HTML file or JSP
file for processing
40
Toward PennypackJsp3
"Problem"
Want "previous search" field in searchform page
Must make the application stateful
Solution
Sessions via the session implicit object
41
PennypackJsp3 Application
See PennypackJsp3 Application
DateTime.java, Book.java, Database.java
index.html
searchform.jsp, searchresults.jsp
header.jsp, footer.jsp
Generalizing...
42
JSP: Another Implicit Object
Implicit objects (cont.):
session
putValue()
session.putValue() populates session implicit
object with "name=value" state pair
Web server stores "name=value" state pairs on
server side; associates state with key; passes
"JSESSIONID=key" to browser as cookie
getValue()
Web server accepts "JSESSIONID=key" cookie
from browser; extracts key from cookie;
populates session implicit object with
"name=value" state pairs
session.getValue() accesses "name=value" state
pair 43
JSP App Deployment
Using the Apache Tomcat web server:
tomcat
webapps
PennypackJspX
WEB-INF
classes
pennypack
Book.java
Book.class
Database.java
Database.class
DateTime.java
DateTime.class
lib
web.xml
footer.jsp
header.jsp
index.html
searchform.jsp
searchresults.jsp 44
PHP & JSP Parting Thoughts
JSP vs. PHP:
JSP pro: Less eccentric syntax
JSP = Java + some tags
JSP pro: More powerful
Java language, libraries, docs are available
PHP pro: Apache web server support
PHP pro: Simpler, "easier to learn"
Unless you already know Java!!!
45
PHP & JSP Parting Thoughts
PHP & JSP are CGI "turned inside out"
CGI
Program generates HTML
PHP & JSP
HTML contains program
46
PHP & JSP Parting Thoughts
Fixed template data only
=> Use HTML; JSP/PHP adds no value
Dynamically generated data only
=> Use CGI; JSP/PHP adds little value
Mixture (as is almost always the case)
=> PHP/JSP adds value
47
Summary
We have covered:
How to "program the web server" using...
PHP
JSP
48
Appendix 1: PSP
49
PSP Overview
PSP (Python Server Pages)
Java:JSP :: Python:PSP
50
PSP Overview
Good news
Apache web server handles PSP...
Via mod_python plug-in module
Bad news
mod_python not installed into CS Apache web
server
PSP not available on CS Apache web server
An example using Apache/mod_python running
on my local computer...
PennypackPsp1 Application
See PennypackPsp1 application
book.py, database.py
index.html
common.py
searchform.psp, searchresults.psp
52
PSP Parting Thoughts
PSP parting thoughts
A little awkward
Python indentation significant =>
Awkward merge into HTML
(IMHO) Not ready for prime time
Fragile
Poorly documented
53
