ABOUT

Technical Details about the Web Site

In developing web sites in the past, I've encountered several challenges:

How do you maintain a consistent look-and-feel from page to page?
How do you easily change existing pages and develop new pages?
How do you test and promote pages without reloading the entire site?
And how do you do it all for free and under your own control?

If you're a programmer, the answer is easy. You write your own software to do it and find free resources to help.

This web site was developed using my own XHTML script language translated by my own XHTML generator (written in Perl, the language of champions). Page data is stored in text files and can be compiled in page sections or with all pages together. The key feature is the use of input templates on which to base the page structure. Once you've developed the template, a consistent presentation can be ensured. And if you need to change the template stucture, the change can be easily populated to all pages simply be recompiling all pages.

I developed the initial templates using Microsoft's free Visual Studio Express software —

Visual Web Developer — Express Edition, free from Microsoft.

The navigation menus use CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) to achieve their effects. I found a set for free (and modified them for my own needs) —

STY13S — 13 Styles CSS Menus.

The pages use CSS to change the font size along with Java Scripts. They also use Java Scripts to interface with the Bible Reader and Bible Search software.

For MP3 playing, I needed help and retrieved a very nice free player here —

NiftyPlayer — A scriptable, lightweight Flash MP3 Player.

But, for most of the work, for the heavy lifting, for page compiles, for page validation and promotion, for Bible access and searches, it is all wonderful Perl —

Perl.org — The source for Perl.

And I bought it for free.

Mat 13:45-46 : 45 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls: 46 Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.