Programming
Web Programming and Scripting
Generally, there are two parts to delivering web content to the user. Much of the work can be done on the web server itself. The content is formatted into HTML which is a special coded text that the users PC, tablet, or phone formats for view. The users web browser interprets what it receives and displays the content for the user. This is why design goes hand in hand with programming. They must work seamlessly together.
Server Side
We generally don't think about what the web server is doing but it can virtually do all of the work needed to deliver content to the user. When you visit many large web sites, the content you are viewing may only exist when you request it. It is generated by the web server.
We use PHP, a language that does this work. It can interact with databases, images, files, and media to deliver content. We also use MySQL databases on the web server to hold data. PHP fetches the data, formats it, and presents it to the user. PHP can also fetch data from other sources on the web and reformat it for the user.
PHP is the most widely used language and is available on more servers than any other language.
Client Side Services
This is just a term for what occurs on the users PC or other device. It starts with your PC knowing that data from the web is being received and hands if off to your web browser. Not all browsers are the same, not just in appearance, but how they handle and format the data that is received. This is why it is important from both a design and programming aspect to insure the content is viewed the same in all major browsers.
The HTML received works with CSS to provide layout, colors, and some special effects. JavaScript is used throughout the industry to provide many of the special effects and animation of content. Other effects are achieved through plug-ins like Adobe Flash™.
We use JavaScript and plug-ins of JavaScript along with the new standards in HTML5 and CSS3 to enhance the view. With some of the new enhancements in HTML5, some plug-ins may be a thing of the past.