CS2623: Server-Side Programming
Weekly Materials - Week 1
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Objectives
  • Understand the course information presented in the syllabus
  • Utilize MoodleRooms as the LMS for Online Learning at OCCC including taking a quiz, submitting a URL, and uploading a file.
  • Configure a personal web server (Apache) for use with PHP and MySQL
Assignments and Due Dates


Assignments and Due Dates: View

Required Readings

CS2623: Server-Side Programming Syllabus
Assignments and Due Dates (Note: There will be a link each week to this page)
Assignment Submission Requirements

PHP Programming with MySQL //Second Edition by Don Gosselin, et al
Appendix B - Installing a Personal Web Server
Textbook Resources (for all weeks)

Required Class Handout
Installing and Configuring Apache, PHP, and MySQL
http://www.occc.edu/aphilipp/htm_ssp/CS2623_xAMP_SP2014.htm

Data Files for Textbook

Windows: ftp://ftp.course.com/course/Programming/9780538745840_Data.exe Mac: PHP_Projects (Data Files)
Chapters 7, 9, and 10 are available for download. Students are asked to create their own data files for the remaining chapters, and they are guided to do so throughout the text. The empty folders for each week's Chapters and Projects are included in the download.
Textbook's errata sheet

Recommended Tutorials
 Recommended Video: Lynda.com: Installing Apache, MySQL and PHP by David Gassner

Click on the link above, then scroll down to choose the set of videos relating to your operating system
(Note: Most students are able to install the personal web server using Appendix B and the handout listed under Required Readings. If additional assistance is needed, the following videos may prove helpful. Keep in mind that they can be viewed for free using one of the two class accounts available in the SCC.)

Getting Started(~4.5 min)

    • What is AMP stack?

6. Installing WampServer on Windows (~11 min)

    • Installing WampServer
    • Managing WampServer

4. Installing MAMP (~8 min)

    • Installing MAMP on Mac OS X
    • Configuring Apache and MySQL ports

5. Installing XAMPP (~9min|Windows or 10.5min|Mac)

    • Installing XAMPP for Windows
    • Managing XAMPP for security on Windows
    • Installing XAMPP for Mac OS X
    • Managing XAMPP Security on Mac OS X
Sample Code
None this week
Required Materials

XHTML vs HTML5
XHTML Review PPT - As mentioned elsewhere in the course, the text uses XHTML as opposed to HTML5. While this does seem to be a steo backwards, there is some benefit. There may be a time that you need to maintain code in XHTML written by someone else. Also, trying to update all of the text's code would be a monumental and potentially confusing task for students. The PowerPoint describes the differences that student will be expected to implement

Quick Reference Sheet (pp. 4-6 will probably be most helpful) http://www.cheat-sheets.org/saved-copy/HTML-XHTML_Tag_Sheet.pdf

Using FileZilla Web Page View Use this handouts as needed.

Required Software

Browsers
Firefox, Chrome, Internet Explorer (and Edge if you have Windows 10), and Safari are the primary browsers for this course. When checking web pages, it is recommended that web pages be checked in all of these browsers.

Browser Add-ons: Web Developer Toolbar:
FireFox and Chrome MUST have the Web Developer tool bar installed. When programs are graded, Validate HTML and Validate CSS are used to test the web page. It is highly recommended that this is done on all web pages in an assignment before submitting for grading. http://chrispederick.com/work/web-developer/

FTP Software
FileZilla (Client) is free software program that is available for Windows and Mac. It is the program that is used in CS2413: Web Site Development. Students are welcome to use FTP software of their choosing. However, only FileZilla and Dreamweaver's built-in FTP capabilities will be supported by this instructor.

HTML Editor of your choosing. Some free options are:

Chapter Questions and Test Reviews

Test 1 Review Sheet

Required Assignments

SSP00a: Course Policies (Quiz in the LMS)
SSP00b: Student Background Sheet (Download, complete, and upload in the LMS)
SSP00c: Upload Picture (Upload recent picture of yourself, no larger than 1mb, in the LMS)
SSP01: Zodiac Theme Specifications (Complete, upload to Apollo1, then submit URL in the LMS)

Bonus Points (5pts):
  • Create a Skype account and download the required software
  • Go to your professors apollo website (http://apollo.occc.edu/chyde/) and look for the skype login at the bottom.
  • Add your professor into your skype contact list
  • Email your professor to schedule a time during office hours with your professor to skype him and introduce yourself. Note, there are currently 19 students so there will need to be some flexibility with this. This call shouldn't last more than 2-5mins.
  • All of the above needs to be done by 01/24/2017 in order to receive the bonus points. Unless your professor informs you otherwise.

 

Professor's Class Notes and Comments

Important Logistical Information: Each of the light blue "bars" above is a menu item. Click on each of them to view important required class materials. There are links at the top of this page to open/close all of the items. This format will be used on all course pages.

Each week, the course material will be located on the Week's Required Content web page located in the corresponding folders in the LMS. This should be the FIRST place you access each week. It is your guide to weekly activities. The Weekly Materials and Assignments and Due Dates pages have been designed to work on mobile devices. They have been tested on iPads, iPhones, Netbooks, and Droids. Hopefully, this will make it easier to access class materials.

Okay, now get comfy ... it is important that you read ALL of the following.....

Weekly activities:

  • Log into the course on a regular basis and check college email at least four(4) times a week. my.occc.edu email will be the main communication channel for this course.
  • Check for new announcements, email, and Discussion List postings on a regular basis
  • Review the Due Dates (accessible in the Course Information folder in MoodleRooms and also on each of the Weekly Materials web pages.)
  • Read the required text material including typing the sample code as appropriate
  • Watch the required videos at Lynda.com. Some weeks, students have found watching the videos before reading the text help. You decide what works best.
  • Use the materials in the Supplemental Materials folder as needed. This includes the PowerPoints that accompany the text.
  • Check the text errata sheet as needed
  • Answer the study questions. Hint: The chapter quizzes and some of the test questions will be from this list (These will be located in the Chapter Questions and Test Review folder)
  • Review the exercises at the end of the chapter as outlined in the Test Review Sheet ( Again, the Test Review will be located in the the Chapter Questions and Test Review folder)
    Note: This can be done on a weekly basis or when it is test time. It might be easier to do it as you proceed through the material.
  • Complete the required assignment/s. Most weekly assignments will be worth 40 points. Some weeks it will be easier to earn the 40 points and some weeks it will be more time consuming.
  • Take the chapter quiz (10 points)

It is understood that the above list looks pretty hefty, but some the items will not take that long. Also keep in mind that many of these activities are replacing the 2.5 hours students normally spend in class as well as the driving, parking, and waiting time involved with taking a class on campus (perhaps 30 minutes or more). For a campus class, there would still be time required to read the text and do the homework.

This week...

This week take time to read the syllabus, familiarize yourself with the LMS, complete the introductory assignments, install and configure a web sever, and create a draft for the ongoing class assignments.

Beginning the second week of class , students will be writing server-side code which requires a server for processing. (Week 1's assignment does not contain PHP code) Unlike XHTML/HTML5 and JavaScript the PHP files cannot just be opened locally in the browser. A server must interpret the code. Apollo1 is configured for this purpose. In addition the computers in the Student Computer Center (Library-3rd Floor) are configured so PHP pages can be viewed through localhost. To work at home, students can either upload their files to the Apollo1 server and then view them using their student account or configure a personal web server on their home computer. All students will be responsible for knowing how to install and configure a personal web server. The text and class handout (and the Lynda.com videos if needed) will explain the process. For assignments to be graded, they must be posted to the Apollo1 server and the URL submitted for grading. (Similar to using Apollo in Web Site Development.) If you are working on the computers in the Student Computer Center (SCC) be sure to save your files to a flash drive and delete them from the server.

All files with a .php extension must be processed by a server. The local computer you will be working on (home, work, college) will be both a client and a server. The server's IP address on your computer will be 127.0.0.1 also known as localhost. Websites containing web pages with PHP code must, by default, be located in the C:\wamp\www (Windows) or C:\applications\mamp\htdocs (Mac) folders. Note: More experienced users can modify these locations but for this class the defaults will be used.

To view the web pages "locally", first make sure the server has been started and is online. PHP pages can not be viewed unless the server is running. Then in the Address bar of the browser enter 127.0.0.1 or localhost. This will either display the default page or bring up a listing of the files in that directory.

Using the following references: install, configure, and test your personal webserver.

    • Read the required tutorial prepared for this class Installing and Configuring a Personal Webserver.
    • Read Appendix B in the text for further insight. (If you are familiar with Linux, you are welcome to use LAMP but it will not be supported in this course.)
    • If you are needing additional help, view the Lynda.com videos listed under Recommended Tutorials above.


Dreamweaver is an excellent editor but it can be a bit expensive. Komodo Edit or Notepad++ are other options. With that being said, this course is for PHP/MySQL and technical support on editors cannot be provided. Also install FTP software and the Web Developer Tool bar in Chrome and FireFox. See Software above

After this is complete, work on SSP01: Zodiac Theme and the other Assignments in the LMS. (See the Assignments tab above.)

Lynda.com Tutorials:

As mentioned on the course homepage:

Throughout the course materials, there will be references to Lynda.com tutorials.  In the past access to these tutorials could be purchased through the bookstore at special academic pricing.  However, it has recently been learned that Lynda.com has become a LinkedIn company and no longer offers the academic option for individual classes. Obviously, this causes a dilemma for this course. The decision has been made to leave the references in the course materials.  While they would be extremely helpful, they are no longer required.

Students wanting to use the videos have two options:

Purchase Access from Lynda.com

    Create an account and purchase monthly access (About $25 a month for access to all videos, not only the ones for this course). There is a 10 day free trial but choose your start date to your best advantage. You might also consider delaying the purchase until some of the more "intense" topics are introduced.

View in the SCC

    There will be two student accounts available in the SCC (Lib-3rd Floor). Students  are welcome to watch the videos on campus (personal headset required). It is realized that this is an online course, but given Lynda.com’s current pricing structure, this is best currently available option.

Submitting Assignments:

Students will be assigned an account on the college's Apollo1 server. Logins and passwords will be emailed the first few days of class. It is assumed that students are familiar with FTPing. If assistance is needed, review the FTP (FileZilla) materials in the Supplemental Materials section in the table at the top of this page.
When submitting the URL in the LMS, the link to the assignment must open in a new window. The required page must also open without any additional clicking through folders. If this requirement is not met, the assignment cannot be graded. In the beginning of the course, if you need help with this, email me after you have submitted the assignment and I will verify if it has been submitted correctly. With this being said, 24 hours turn around time must be allowed for my response. If time permits during the late/resubmit period the assignment may be resubmitted for a maximum of 90% credit. If it is past the final deadline, it can no longer be submitted for credit. Assignments (not quizzes or tests) may be submitted multiple times, but only the last submission will be retained by the LMS and graded.

Important Note: Work that is being resubmitted during the late/resubmit period must be re-uploaded to the Apollo1 server. In addition, the assignment must again be submitted through the LMS. This is the systems way of marking it for regrading. Failure to do this results in the updated work not being graded and the original grade remaining as the final grade on the assignment. If help is needed with this process, contact your professor.

Be sure to read and include the specifications outlined in Assignment Submission Requirements web page.

Validation and Grading:

The XHTML (Strict) and CSS on web pages must validate to be graded. Even one CSS or XHTML error will prevent work from being graded. (See the XHTML PowerPoint regarding the differences between HTML5 and XHTML) When grading is done, the web page is viewed in FireFox and/or Chrome. Using the Web Developer toolbar, the Validate HTML and Validate CSS options are chosen for ALL pages in the site. Note that the validation can be only be done the server. Validating locally, by File Upload, or Direct Input is not acceptable. It must be done on Apollo1.

If any of the pages do not validate, the assignment is not graded. If time permits during the late/resubmit period the assignment may be resubmitted for a maximum of 90% credit. If it is past the final deadline, it can no longer be submitted for credit. Assignments (not quizzes or tests) may be submitted multiple times, but only the last submission will be graded.

Beginning in approximately 2015, the Validate local HTML and local CSS features do not work. There may have also been some changes in the Web Developer Tool Bar. Please check the tool bar to make sure it using the correct resources to validate web pages.  

To edit the Web Developer Tool Bar

    • In the toolbar, go to Tools --> Edit Tools and then click on Edit.  
    • In Firefox, select an items and then click on the Edit button at the bottom of the dialog box. In Chrome, click on Edit to the right of the desired item. (Note: CSS will be used starting with Chapter 3)
      Modify the URLs as needed using the following for reference:
      HTML:    http://validator.w3.org/check?verbose=1&uri=
      CSS:       http://jigsaw.w3.org/css-validator/validator?profile=css&warning=0&uri=
    • Consider moving these two items to the top of the list since they are the ones that will be used on a regular basis.
    • In FireFox, time-saving key strokes can be added if desired.  Click OK/Save.

HTML5 Firefox Validation
Firefox

Chrome HTML5 Validation
Chrome

Most assignments are due on Sunday night at 11:45pm. Grading is done once a week, usually at the beginning of the week. When weekly or test grading has been completed, an email will be sent to the class. At times during the grading process, an assignment/test may be released to the grade book before the grades are entered resulting in a temporary 0. If you happen to login and look at your grades during that period, please wait until the "Grading has been completed" email is received before beginning to panic.