Chapter21.Introduction to Web Applications
Chapter 21. Introduction to Web ApplicationsIN THIS CHAPTER
What is a web application? That's the question I'll try to answer in this chapter. Anyone who has spent any amount of time with web applications might tell you that they consist of many pieces all working harmoniously together to facilitate interaction between an end user and a web server. You might have a website that consists of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. Additionally, you might have a web server with an installed server-side technology such as ASP, ASP.NET, ColdFusion, or PHP that responds to requests or interactions between the website and the web server. Furthermore, you might employ some sort of data-storage mechanism that takes the form of a database, XML file, or other data source. The simple fact is, web applications encompass many different technologies, languages, platforms, and needs. For this reason, there's no simple definition for the term web application. Some say that web applications are like Windows applications in that they allow you to store, query, and in general, interact with data in and from a database. Although that may seem like the traditional and basic definition of a web application, the truth is, web applications extend well beyond that. In this chapter, we'll demystify the term web application, discussing terms such as client-side development, static web page creation, server-side development, databases, and much more. By the end of the chapter, you should have a firm grasp on what web applications are, what purpose they serve, and more importantly, how they're implemented within the scope of Dreamweaver. Nearing the end of the chapter, we'll introduce the dynamic portions of the Dorknozzle intranet, including the Employee Store, the Company Directory, and the Admin pages. |
EAN: 2147483647
Pages: 237