Web Development
Welcome to the topic of the web that makes companies big bucks or saves companies big bucks. Web Development is the process in which software applications are built and run on the web. Software that is run on the web is called a Web Application. For example, Facebook is a very popular Web Application. Google Products has a number of different Web Applications anyone can signup for and use.
You might be asking yourself how to determine an ordinary site versus a web application. It can be complicated, but it comes down to this - if user interaction on a website goes beyond filling out the contact us form, then it is a web application. Every administration section, blog, Social Networking site, shopping cart, Content Management System (CMS) is a web application.
If you have an idea for your own web application or need it to serve a purpose, contact us and we can set you up.
Application Types
As mentioned before, there are many different types of web applications to suit your needs. It is your decision to determine what type of application you need. If you are not sure on the type but you know you need something, get in contact with us and we can go over exactly what you need together.
Here is a short list of very common web applications you might be interested in:
- Blog: This is the online version of a diary. The only thing is that it will be posted publically instead of privately. Check our Blog for reference.
- Ecommerce: The best way for selling merchandise online is to get an online shopping cart
- Content Management System (CMS): A CMS will allow you to edit your site at will without contacting us to update your site.
- Social Networking: These are the latest and greatest web applications on the web. These apps keep you in contact with your friends and family easily. Popular Social Networking sites include Facebook and MySpace.
- Custom Application: We can make a custom web applications based off of your special requirements. Lets talk about it.
Application Process
You might wonder why building applications can take so long and cost so much. Well, lets put it in a simple step-by-step process:
- Step One: Talking with you and finding out your application requirements and business rules.
- Step Two: If you require a web design to go with your web application (common) then the web design process will happen first.
- Step Three: Before even staring to code, it is VERY necessary to start the Data Infrastructure design. This can be a very intense process due to the fact that every scenario that might occur on your app needs to be planned and thought out.
- Step Four: Coding. The coding proecss can be the longest process depending on how big your application is.
- Step Five: After the application has completed coding and initial testing, it gets posted to a secure URL for client testing.
Data Architecture
For those who are wondering how data structure is formed, get ready for a treat. If you have no idea what a data structure may look like, take a look and see if that's what you thought it would look like.
A very simple Database Design (click to expand)
The above is a really simple database structure. Most others that are actually put in production are a lot bigger and much more complex. Note that there is no data here, only the structure. This barely scratches the surface of what goes on behind the scenes of Data Architechture.
Page Coding
Coding is all about getting your logical thought processes down into computer code so that it does exactly what you want. No more, no less.
Code can take some time to write even when you know exactly what you are doing. Computers cannot read your mind and do only what you tell it to do. This is why it is so important to plan ahead before you code.
Flowcharts come into handy when figuring out how to code a procedure properly. They provide a solid reference in how and what to code first so everything flows within your web application.
Take a look at some sample code (PHP) below.
//object oriented query
$row = $this->dbc->query($form_query);
$output = NULL;
$output .= '<form action="' . $form_action . '" method="' . $form_method . '">';
//generate form items based on fields
while ($field = $row->fetch_field()) {
//print show_array($field);
//form field error class
isset($_SESSION[str_replace(' ', '_', $field->name)]) ? $input_class = $_SESSION[str_replace(' ', '_', $field->name)]: $input_class = '';
//form field default value
isset($_POST[str_replace(' ', '_', $field->name)]) ? $field_value = $_POST[str_replace(' ', '_', $field->name)]: $field_value = '';
//form field password type
(preg_match('/\s*password\s*/', $field->name)) ? $field_type = 'password': $field_type = 'text';
//form input/textarea type
($field->length > 100) ? $input_type = '<label>' . ucwords($field->name) . '</label><text area class="' . $input_class . '" name="' . str_replace(' ', '_', $field->name) . '" cols="20" rows="5">' . $field_value . '</text area>':
$input_type = '<label>' . ucwords($field->name) . '</label><input class="' . $input_class . '" type="' . $field_type . '" name="' . str_replace(' ', '_', $field->name) . '" value="' . $field_value . '"/>';
$output .= $input_type;
//reset empty error class
$_SESSION[str_replace(' ', '_', $field->name)] = '';
}
//cancel submit button switch
($form_cancel) ? $cancel = '<input name="cancel" type="submit" value="Cancel">': $cancel = '';
//form sumit button
$output .= '<input type="submit" name="' . $form_name . '" value="' . ucwords($form_name) . '" /> ' . $cancel;
$output .= '</form>';
return $output;
}
Yes, we understand this believe it or not. We make all of our code clean and efficent so your web application will run as smoothly as possible.
Let us know if you are interested in anything we have to offer.
