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;

This is what it should look like