SQL in perl on the Web
In order to create database backed website you need each of the following:
- a web server,
- a scripting language,
- a database.
The following is based on Windows / Apache /Perl / MySQL
- Install Perl.
- Use ppm to install the MySQL module. From the Command Prompt
C:\>c:\perl\bin\ppm
PPM>install DBD-Mysql
PPM>exit
C:\>exit
- Install Apache
- Start your Apache server: C:\Program Files\Apache Group\Apache\Apache.exe or C:\Program Files\Apache Group\Apache2\bin\Apache.exe
- Create a file called C:\Program Files\Apache Group\Apache\cgi-bin\cia.htm the text of the program is shown below
- The given program connects to a MySQL server running at Napier University
- Admire your work: Visit http://localhost/cgi-bin/cia.htm
#!C:/perl/bin/perl
use CGI qw(:standard);
use Mysql;
print header();
#Import the CGI parameters into the $Q structure
import_names();
#Connect to Andrew's MySQL server at Napier University
my $dbh = DBI->connect("dbi:mysql:database=gisq;host=pc236nt.napier.ac.uk;port=3306",
"scott", "tiger");
my $sth = $dbh->prepare("SELECT DISTINCT region FROM cia");
$sth->execute;
print "<h1>Here are some regions</h1>\n";
while (my ($region) = $sth->fetchrow_array()){
print "<a href='?region=$region'>$region<a><br/>\n";
}
if ($Q::region) {
print "<h1>Here are the countries of $Q::region</h1>";
my $sth = $dbh->prepare("SELECT name, population FROM cia where region=?");
$sth->execute($Q::region);
while (my ($name,$pop) = $sth->fetchrow_array()){
print "$name $pop<br/>\n";
}
}
$dbh->disconnect;