Functionality, Accessibility and Features

Functionality of web server scripting.

There are a lot of uses and functionalities of web server scripting such as; Login access, E-commerce, Shopping carts, forums, uploading files, Web management, managing user profiles, web analysis etc.

·        Login access: The web server stores all the data concerning a user's account on the internet thereby managing the user's profile. When a user puts in his login details, the website then sends a request from the web browser to the web server which then checks the database for this details and sends back a response allowing the user to log in. If the user entered the wrong details, an error message would be sent back to the user without giving him access to the page he wanted to log into.

·       Changing previous details: Many people often change their account details often for security reasons which is also handled by the webserver. A user who is trying to change his E-mail password would be requested to put in his previous password before the new one. If the previous password is correct, the user would be granted access to change the password but if the old password is wrong, the user would not be granted access to change the password.

·       Analyzing of websites: Web server scripting also helps in analyzing websites such that most websites visited can account for the number of viewers that visited the page. Even as a blogger, the number of page views you get on your blog daily can be shown to you with the help of web server scripting.


·       File upload and download: Scripts on the server also plays a role in the uploading and downloading of files. When a file is uploaded to a server, it is seen in a temporary location as a hypertext markup language (HTML) until the scripts on the server takes it to a permanent location on the server. Clients can download this file whenever they want to as all the need to do is to send the request to the server that then send this file to the clients for downloading. A good example is the YouTube channel where people can upload videos to the web server that can also be downloaded when needed.

Accessibility of web server scripting.

The two pieces legislation for handling web accessibility issues from the United Kingdom (UK) government was introduced as well the Special Educational needs and disabilities (SEDNA) as well as DDA (disabilities discrimination act) (Rowlands, 2014).
In collaboration with the United Kingdom (UK) government, the authorities of the web have come up with standards that must be adhered to and met to ensure good web accessibility. Below are some of them;

·        Resizable font size: Font size should be resizable to any size when a client is not comfortable with the default size.

·        Support for screen readers: An accessible website should also have option for screen readers where a software is used in reading or interpreting the content of the page. This would help people with visual ailments access the websites comfortably. A good example is the text to speech software. 

·        Alternative text: This should also be available so that when the default font is not available on the client’s browser, there would be another option for another font size to show. This could be done using html by declaring the font you want and a comma before the next alternative font example; verdana, arial.

·        Color blindness: Good and accessible website should have good color selection for their web pages for easy readability especially with people with color blindness.

·        Adjustable fonts: A website font should also be adjustable either by increasing or decreasing the font size as the case may be.

·        Resolution: The screen resolution should also be considered making sure that higher number of pixels is used for the content of the web page with high resolution images.


·        Alternative color scheme: There should also be options that allow the default color on the webpage to be changed if a user is not comfortable with the present color of the web page.

           Features of a web server.
    ·        Large data storage support: The main or primary aim of a web server is to store or house web pages so that they can be accessed by a client when requested for. This web servers therefore tend to have large storage capacity to enable it store or house as many web pages as possible for multiple websites.

    ·        Improved security: Unlike in client side scripting where the scripts are executed on the clients computer, web server scripts are usually executed on the web server which restricts the clients from viewing the source codes of the requested pages. Many web developers clone pages today with the help of client side scripts but the improved security in server side scripts does not allow the users see the scripts talk less of cloning the requested web page.

    ·        It is not browser selective: In our world today, different web browsers such as Mozilla Firefox, google chrome etc. are used in accessing web pages. Web server scripting technology does not necessarily select the kind of browser to use because the scripts are not stored on the browsers themselves but on the web servers. In other words, any browser can be used in web server scripting only if the scripts of the requested page is stored and executed on the web server.

    ·        Easy for the users: Web server scripting is relatively easy for the users as compared to client side scripting. The only work the user does here is to send a request for a webpage to the web server using his or her browser and the rest of the process is done on the web server without involving the clients that sends the request.

    ·        Bandwidth regulation: Modern web servers have the feature of controlling their traffic. The web servers can minimize the excess network traffic by setting its choice of bandwidth values to control the rate at which data is transmitted over the internet. This also helps to eliminate the down time in web sites that is usually caused by excess traffic. 

    Features of web server scripting.

    ·        They are executed on the web server.
    ·        Server side scripts cannot be accessed by the clients.
    ·        They make use of the server resources.
    ·        It is affected by the processing speed of the server.
    ·        It does not require plugins.
    ·        Extra security for the scripts on the server. 

    References:

    G., A., 2013. What is website scripting?. [Online]
    Available at: https://www.greengeeks.com/kb/3684/what-is-website-scripting/
    [Accessed 3 December 2015].

    Rowlands, C., 2014. Principles of web server scripting. [Online]
    Available at: https://prezi.com/otsyyzsgalzx/unit-27-principles-of-web-server-scripting/
    [Accessed 4 December 2015].

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