Writing CGI Applications with Perl

A guide to writing CGI applications with Perl, showing how to accomplish everyday tasks necessary for online operations. Includes line-by-line code explanations, examples, and skill-stretching exercises. Also covers working with HTML, web forms, obtaining user input, cookies, tracking clicks, and access countries, using the mod_perl Apache module, connecting to a POP3 server for e-mail, Perl DBI and databases on the Web, tying a hash to a database, embedding Perl in HTML with HTML::Mason, remote file management via the Web, creating dynamic images, XML and its derivatives: RSS and RDF. Two longtime Perl programmers show how the CGI scripting language can accomplish the tasks needed for many online applications. Each chapter covers a specific Web-based application and explains the code line by line (or block by block). Includes an introductory overview for users new to CGI or Perl and numerous appendicies include handy references.