Item Description: Learn to work with various modules, as well as how to build your own

Review Synopsis: A useful book overall.

Authors:Doug Sparling and Frank Wiles

Contents

1. Introduction to Perl Modules
2. The Standard Modules
3. Dates and Times
4. Databases
5. Graphics
6. Perl/Tk: Creating Graphical User Interfaces
7. Email
8. Internet Protocols
9. CGI.pm
10. Fun CGI Applications
11. CGI and Databases
12. CGI: Commerce and Community
13. Site Administration
14. Site Utilities
15. Web Programming
16. Win32
17. XML
1. Pragmas
2. Creating Perl Modules
3. Perl Security
4. Perl Resources
5. Installing PostgreSQL
6. Installing Apache Web Server

          Index

This book starts off slow at first, describing how to obtain modules and install them, covering procedures for both Unix and Windows(ActiveState's ppm). Also covered, is a look at some of the standard distribution modules, such as Benchmark, Carp, and Class::Struct. The rest of the chapters of the book break down into various categories, and show the usage of some of the various modules that fit within those categories. One thing that does stand out is that heavy subjects, such as CGI and Tk, each have their own chapter.

The appendixes at the end of the book also provide some useful information, concerning pragmas, how to build modules using h2xs (was quite useful to me), and security. Both the security section and h2xs sections could have easily been in their own respective chapters, but overall they covered the essentials fairly well. The resource appendix lists several good sites, among them a site full of crazy programmers and the site of some one who keeps telling us that he wrote an article on it.

Overall, the authors did a good job. The book was easy to understand and read, and does make for a useful reference guide. I would recommend this book to any one who is starting to learn Perl.

Edited by footpad, 12 Jul 01 - 7:04 pm (PDT)