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Database Driven Websites

This document provides an overview of database driven websites. It explains that dynamic websites can change content automatically based on user input or changes to an underlying database, unlike static websites where content remains the same. It describes how database driven sites work by connecting a database to a web page through programming, allowing any changes to the database to be instantly reflected on the page. Finally, it lists some common technologies used to build database driven sites like PHP, JSP, ASP, and ColdFusion.

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king mop
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43 views

Database Driven Websites

This document provides an overview of database driven websites. It explains that dynamic websites can change content automatically based on user input or changes to an underlying database, unlike static websites where content remains the same. It describes how database driven sites work by connecting a database to a web page through programming, allowing any changes to the database to be instantly reflected on the page. Finally, it lists some common technologies used to build database driven sites like PHP, JSP, ASP, and ColdFusion.

Uploaded by

king mop
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Database driven websites:

What are they and how they are built?

By: Stefan Mischook | www.killerphp.com

When I was beginning web design and web programming years back, I
remember all the confusing terms, technologies, and concepts that were floating
around that just made it that much more difficult to wrap my head around the
whole web thing.

With that in mind, I thought that it might be a good idea to write an article that will
help people get a clearer understanding of what’s out there.

… This article will attempt to demystify database driven web pages ... also called
‘dynamic web pages’ or websites.

Don’t worry, I am not going to go into any painful mega-geek details about how to
create dynamic web pages, instead I will give a brief overview to help you
understand:

1. When you would need to build dynamic web sites.


2. What tools that are available to build them.

What are dynamic web pages?

To understand dynamic web pages, you have to understand normal or in other


words, 'static' web pages.

Typical (non-dynamic) web pages do not change every time the browser loads
the page, nor do they change if a user clicks on a button. The only change that
you will see in a static web page, is to see it load and unload … like what
happens when you click on a hyperlink.

In a nutshell: static web pages (normal pages that you build,) always look the
same and the content never changes unless you load a new page, or you
change the page yourself and upload the new version of the page to the web
server.

Dynamic pages do the opposite; they can change every time they are loaded
(without you having to make those changes) and they can change their content
based on what users do, like clicking on some text or an image. (I am not talking
about loading a new page!)
DATABASE DRIVEN WEB PAGES

One of the most common types of dynamic web pages is the database driven
type. This means that you have a web page that grabs information from a
database (the web page is connected to the database by programming,) and
inserts that information into the web page each time it is loaded.

If the information stored in the database changes, the web page connected to the
database will also change accordingly (and automatically,) without human
intervention.

This is commonly seen on online banking sites where you can log in (by entering
your user name and password,) and check out your bank account balance. Your
bank account information is stored in a database and has been connected to the
web page with programming (ex: PHP, ASP) thus enabling you to see your
banking information.

Imagine if the web page holding your banking information had to be built
traditionally (that is by hand,) every time your bank balance changed! Even a
thousand monkeys working 24/7 drinking 5 cups of coffee a day, would not be
able to keep up!
...
Hopefully you are starting to see why you would want a database driven site: you
would want it if your information changes very often, just like in a banking site.

TECHNOLOGIES USED TO BUILD DATABASE DRIVEN WEBSITES


Database driven sites can be built using several competing technologies, each
with it’s own advantages. Some of those technologies/tools include:

1. PHP (www.killerphp.com)
2. JSP
3. ASP
4. PERL
5. Cold Fusion

To continue …
Database driven web site programming can also be called (or characterized as):
‘server side programming’.

The reason it is so called is because the ‘action’ or magic that allows the web
pages to connect to the database is actually taking place on the server.

This is what happens: each time a dynamic web page is about to be sent to the
browser, the server automatically builds the page and sends a standard HTML
page to the browser.

The server 'knows' how to build the page by following the instructions provided
by the programmer. This is different from say JavaScript (think drop down menus
or alert boxes,) that runs strictly in the web browser.

At this point many people are getting very confused, the confusion lies in the
difference between server side programming (database driven web pages)
versus client side programming (JavaScript).

CLIENT SIDE PROGRAMMMING - The other type of dynamic web


page.

Client side (that is to say: in the browser) or what is commonly called DHTML ...
dynamic HTML.
DHTML is basically taking HTML and JavaScript (sometimes VB script) to make
the web page change it’s own content (as far as the viewer is concerned) without
having to reload or load a new page.

Examples of DHTML would include drop down menus, ‘floating’ images that
hover over the rest of the page etc ... if you look around, you will find plenty on
the web.

Note: The name DHTML has been replaced by the term 'DOM SCRIPTING'. It's
pretty much the same stuff (programming in the browser to make things happen
dynamically,) but DHTML has a little bit of a bad wrap from the late 90's, so more
people now refer to it as 'DOM scripting.'
-
Hopefully now you have basic conceptual understanding of dynamic web sites,
DHTML and database driven web sites. I tried to present the information in a
non-geek way so as to not confuse.

The downside of this simple approach is that I am not being 100% precise ...
some geeks out there may point out one or two items that are not dead on. But
don’t worry, my points are not in any way wrong.

Suffice it to say that this was an introduction to the topic.

Stefan Mischook.
www.killersites.com - www.killerphp.com
www.idea22.com - www.webshapes.org

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