ADVANCED TECHNIQUES FOR INFORMATION PROCESSING DISSERTA TION Scientific coordinator: Assoc. Prof. CRISTEA BOBOILĂ MA Graduate: DARIUS -CONSTANTIN… [611171]

UNIVERSITY OF CRAIOVA
FACULTY OF SCIENCIS
ADVANCED TECHNIQUES FOR INFORMATION PROCESSING

DISSERTA TION

Scientific coordinator:
Assoc. Prof. CRISTEA BOBOILĂ

MA Graduate:
DARIUS -CONSTANTIN ILIESCU

CRAIOVA, 2018

2 UNIVERSITY OF CRAI OVA
FACULTY OF SCIENCIS
ADVANCED TECHNIQUES FOR INFORMATION PROCESSING

E-COMMERCE SPECIFICAL
SOFTWARE INFRASTRUCTURE

Scientific coordinator:
Assoc. Prof. CRISTEA BOBOILĂ

MA Graduate:
DARIUS -CONSTANTIN ILIESCU

CRAIOVA, 2018

3 CUPRINS

Pagina

INTRODU CTION ………………………….. ………………………….. ………………………….. ………………. 3

CHAPTER I. E-COMMERCE SOFTWARE ARCHITECTURE ………………………….. ………. 3
1.1 Distributed applications ………………………….. ………………………….. …………………………. 6
1.2 E-commerce software ………………………….. ………………………….. ………………………….. .. 7
1.3 Software testing ………………………….. ………………………….. ………………………….. ……….. 7
1.4 Distributed applications testing ………………………….. ………………………….. ………………. 10
1.5 The architecture of e -commerce system ………………………….. ………………………….. …… 11

CHAPTER II. E-COMMERCE APPLICATIONS TEHNOLOGI ES ………………………….. ….. 13
2.1 OsCommerce System ………………………….. ………………………….. ………………………….. .. 13
2.2 PHP language ………………………….. ………………………….. ………………………….. ………….. 13
2.3 Management of E -commerce sites ………………………….. ………………………….. …………… 16
2.4 MySQL System ………………………….. ………………………….. ………………………….. ………… 21
2.5 Adobe Photoshop ………………………….. ………………………….. ………………………….. ……… 22
2.6 Macromed ia Dreamweaver ………………………….. ………………………….. …………………….. 25

CHAPTER III. WEBSHOP A B2C E -COMMERCE WEBSITE ………………………….. ……….. 27
3.1 General Overview ………………………….. ………………………….. ………………………….. …….. 27
3.2 Website Databese ………………………….. ………………………….. ………………………….. …….. 27
3.3 Structural Design ………………………….. ………………………….. ………………………….. ……… 29
3.4 Instalation ………………………….. ………………………….. ………………………….. ……………… 35

CONCLU SIONS ………………………….. ………………………….. ………………………….. ………………… 37

REFERENCES ………………………….. ………………………….. ………………………….. ………………… 39

4 INTRODUCTION

This paper aims to analyze the e -commerce infrastructure a nd E -Commerce sites
management. The emergence of internet commerce has created opportunities and huge
commercial prospects.
The concept of e -commerce covers the realization via the Internet of the three main
stages, namely the advertising and search stage, the contracting and payment stage and the
delivery stage. With the growth of the Internet, the boundaries of traditional marketing have
been overcome forever. The web is a rival environment where it can literally sell to millions
of customers. The constra ints of a local market disappear.
The Internet, through web pages built to provide a welcoming and easy -to-navigate
environment, offers a variety of connectivity and usage possibilities and reaches the
maximum of users due to its low communication cost. Bu siness e -commerce systems have the
following advantages: day by day, new users are registered in the industry. Estimates are
expected over the next five years, so different types of e -commerce will lead to a 40 -fold
increase in trade volume.
The web was in vented in 1989 at the European Center for Nuclear Research (CERN)
in Geneva (Switzerland). The initial proposal to create a collection of documents with links
between them was made by Tim Berners -Lee in March 1989. This suggestion arose from
communication problems encountered by teams of researchers who used the center, even
using e -mail.
The first prototype of this collection (first in plain text) appeared not long before
December 1991, when its first public demonstration took place. The study was continue d with
the first Mosaic Graphic Application in February 1993 by researcher Marc Andreessen of the
National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA) in the town of Urbana -Champaign
in the state of Illinois, USA. Then the web has evolved to what it is t oday, an integrative and
multimedial service with physical support for the internet.
Tim Berners -Lee and his team made the first versions of four key components
required for the web service, namely:
 HTTP intercom protocol
 Hypertext HTML description languag e
 web server
 browser
The term World Wide Web (abbreviated WWW, shortly referred to as Web or Web,
which in English means "network") is a hyperlinked document and hypertext related

5 information system that can be accessed through the World Wide Web. Document s that reside
in different locations on different computer -servers can be retrieved using a unique URI.
Hypertext is processed using a web browser called a browser that downloads web pages from
a web server and displays them on a terminal.
The WWW is only one of the many Internet services and applications available. Other
services include, for example, displaying more or less static text, image and sound formats
(so-called web pages), e -mail, data file transfer and FTP information, chat, video applications
and video on demand (VOD), VoIP Internet telephony and VoIP telephony services, Internet
radio and television stations, e -commerce, opinion surveys, news spread by RSS, all genres of
graphics and music on a computer by remote Internet, discussion groups on various themes,
interactive games systems etc. However, WWW is the most important and widespread
service.
At the bottom of the web site are 3 standards, namely:
 (HTTP) – HyperText Transfer Protocol, the OSI protocols stack whereby the web
server and clien t (user) browser communicate with each other.
 (HTML) – HyperText Markup Language, a standard for defining and presenting web
pages.
 (URI) – Uniform Resource Identifier, a universal web resource identification system
used to identify and locate web pages.
 The following standards come later:
 Cascading Style Sheets (CSS)
 JavaScript
 Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS)
The World Wide Web Consortium (also known as W3C), which today is headed by
Tim Berners -Lee, develops HTML and CSS standards. Other stand ards come from the
Internet Engineering Task Force, ECMA or Sun Microsystems.
The browser or browser calls the page using the URI and HTTP, interprets it
according to the page formatting (hypertext) and displays the user on a monitor. One of the
Web's pri nciples is the client -server model, the browser being the client application and the
HTTP server (the web server) being the server application. To be able to interpret and
reproduce information in the form of hypertext, the browser calls HyperText Mark -up
Language (HTML) standard, defined from the beginning of web development.
Between 2004 -2005, the web has seen a qualitative leap in terms of large -scale
applications around the globe, known as Web 2.0.

6 CHAPTER I
E-COMMERCE SPECIFICAL SOFTWARE ARHITECTUR E

E-commerce is the multitude of software and business processes required for business
processes to operate only, or primarily, using digital data streams. E -commerce involves the
use of the Internet, digital communications and software applications in the sales / purchasing
process, being a component of the e -business process.
At the moment there are a lot of companies using e -commerce in various areas such as
direct marketing, sales, customer service, banking, secure information distribution, etc.
New Inf ormation and Communication Technology (ICT) based activities have a
particular impact on society. The advantages of using new technologies in business and
business activities have a great impact on business. For example, it is found that practicing
Interne t marketing is 25% cheaper than regular methods.
Applications for e -commerce pose the following risks: there is no second chance, there
is minimal control over the client environment, clients are not known and the changes are
very fast in the technologies used.

1.1 Distributed applications
Computer networks have a rapid expansion in a variety of areas such as the banking
system, public administration, temporary allocation of resources to hotels, booking airplane
tickets, booking train tickets, etc. Modern applications take account of the access of as many
users as possible, especially when extending the use of cards and increasing the number of
people using the Internet.
Distributed applications consist of several components running on different machines,
these applications integrating the actions of their components. Distributed application design
focuses only on the details of the individual parts, but also on integrating the distributed
components so that they cooperate very well with each other.
The mai n requirements for distributed applications are:
• powerful interfaces
• High reliability
• high security
• High speed of data processing and transmission.
Traditionally, distributed software applications are based on client / server architecture
or multi -layer architecture (n -tier).

7 The client / server architecture requires the existence of a database server (server) and
an application -specific software (client) that processes the data (application logic) and
presents the results (logic of the presentation ). In this system there is no notion of objects, the
client side works directly with the data tables and procedures stored in the database, Fig ure
1.1.

Figure 1.1 The client / server architecture

Within the multi -layer architecture, an application server interfaces between the client
application and the database server. The application server implements the application logic
and the client implements the system's logic. The major advantage of multi -layer architecture
versus client / server architecture is increasing flexibility.

1.2 E-commerce software
E-business systems are based on Web architecture, which gives them high reliability,
scalability and flexibility. Web Architecture, Figure 1.2, differs from multi -layer architecture
in two aspects:
 The cli ent application has a low complexity, it is a simple web browser;
 the level of e -business rules is component -based and not a single system that
implements the whole logic.
Client components are user graphical user interfaces and run in Web browsers like
Netscape Navigator or Internet Explorer. Server components running in an application server
provide logic to the business process.
E-business software includes components for securely performing payments using
credit cards, transaction security components, c omponents for making the presentation.

8

Figure 1.2 E-commerce systems architecture

The main features of a successful e -business application are:
 Usability – problems with the user interface lead to customer loss;
 Security – access control, authenticati on and integrity are very important for the
conduct of e -commerce processes;
 Scalability – it should be borne in mind that success will increase demand;
 Reliability – defects are unimaginable for a critical business system, testing
applications has a very important role;
 Maintainability – increased rates of change are fundamental to e -commerce;
 Availability – the fall is too expensive to be tolerated.
 Efficiency – not optimal use of hardware and software, reduces performance and
scalability of applications.
For designing e -commerce applications, both technology standards (XML, COM +,
CORBA, RMI) and business process standards (OFX for payments, OBI, ICE for information
exchange, SWAP) are used.
Ecommerce applications require specialists to manage the web ser ver, the database
server and the electronic payment server.

1.3 Software testing
Software testing is the process of looking for errors in the program, whether they have
logical or physical causes. The main objective of software testing is to find errors, in other
words, to identify the inconsistency between what is planned to carry out the application and
what it actually does. Testing does not imply identifying the cause of errors and correcting
them, these being activities that are difficult to troublesh oot.
Testing is seen as a major component of software quality. A testable software product
is considered to be intelligible (structured, concise and self -describing) and measurable
(accessible and quantifiable).

9 Software testing is required for quality ass urance, but it is an expensive and laborious
process that consumes from one third to half of the cost of a project.
In the software development process, there are a number of products to be tested:
 demand patterns;
 models of analysis and design;
 architectu ral models;
 individual components;
 Integrated system code.
In fact, test activity must be associated with each step in the development process.
This allows discovery of errors early in the software development process resulting in lower
cost of correction.
There are two testing strategies: functional testing and structural testing. Structural
testing requires an understanding of the internal structure of the program and focuses on the
test coverage of the paths and ramifications of the program. Functional t esting does not
require knowledge of the internal structure of the program, knowledge about the program, but
requires knowledge of how the program's external behavior should be based on its
specifications.
Within the software development cycle there are mo dule testing, integration testing,
system testing, acceptance testing. Correspondence between the phases of the software
development cycle and the test steps is shown in Figure
1.3.

Figur e 1.3 Levels of testing within the software development cycle

10 Objec t oriented software testing has, in addition to the overall objective of determining
the extent to which the software performs the tasks specified in the specifications, specific
objectives related to:
 testing member functions of each class;
 testing the de gree of encapsulation and its effects;
 testing effects induced by inheritance and derivation levels;
 testing the effects induced by the polymorphism of the member functions;
 testing interactions between classes.
Unlike software developed by other methods, in the case of object -oriented
programming, testing also addresses the extent to which classes are designed for re -use. That
is, it highlights the degree of generality and especially the correspondence between the
specifications of each function and what a ctually performs the function.

1.4 Distributed applications testing
Testing Web -based applications, in addition to testing classic applications, requires a
number of specific tests such as load testing, compatibility testing, functional testing, content
testing, Web server testing, security testing, application server testing and testing databases.
Load testing is used to verify that the Web site can manage a certain number of users
who access it concurrently within acceptable response time limits.
Compa tibility testing tracks the appearance and behavior of the Web site with a
variety of operating systems and Internet browsers. This test highlights issues with ActiveX
controls, Java applets, JavaScript or VBScript features, and forms from pages. There are
currently over 100 possible combinations between various Windows operating systems and
various versions of Netscape and Internet Explorer navigators.
Functional testing is performed to determine whether the site behaves according to its
specifications. Th e details of this type of test depend on the nature of the website. It generally
consists of verifying page links, testing forms, verifying transactions for e -commerce and
databases, testing Java applets.
For content testing, the correctness and layout of the animation and video texts,
images and animation files within the site are followed.
Testing the Web server looks at testing the interactions between the Web server and
the application server, verifying database integrity within the database server, ver ifying that
the ASP, PHP, or JSP scripts are running correctly on the server.

11 Security testing of transactions is very important for e -commerce applications given
that confidential data is being circulated, where unauthorized or malicious persons may acces s
material material losses.
Testing the application server is done taking into account its functional and structural
features. Testing server components using classic testing methods, as well as testing methods
that take into account asynchronous transacti ons and communications between these
components.
Testing databases involves verifying the correct execution of queries and operations
for adding and updating data, as well as checking connections between the Web site and the
database.
Performance testing m easures the behavior of the website in various traffic conditions.
Problems with the three companies listed above have arisen due to incomplete or
incorrect testing of functionality, usability, performance, volume, stress and scalability.
There are current ly a lot of tools for automated testing of distributed web -based
applications. Such applications such as eValid, Rational SiteCheck, SilkPerformer,
LoadRunner have the following features:
 Provides support for functional testing;
 analyze the integrity of li nks between pages;
 analyze the load and capacity of the web server;
 Provides a number of guidelines for fine tuning of the site.
Testing e -commerce applications is done either by specialized testing teams in the
company's quality assurance department or by an outsourcing firm. The elements behind the
decision to contract a specialized firm for testing are: the lack of resources for long -term
performance of the tests, the desire to ensure an objective of quality assessment, and last but
not least the cost -benefit analysis based on the estimated cost of testing.

1.5 The architecture of e -commerce system
To build an e -commerce system, architecturally it is necessary to collaborate with
three components (electronic / computer subsystems) corresponding to the fo llowing roles:
– Client . A piece of equipment, a classic PC, directly connected (via an ISP) or
indirectly to the Internet. The buyer uses this equipment to navigate and shop.
– Trader . Computer system (hard & soft), usually located at the merchant's
headquart ers, which hosts and updates the online catalog of products available to be ordered
online on the Internet.

12 – The trading system . Information system (hard & soft) responsible for order
processing, payment initiation, records of records and other business iss ues involved in the
trading process.
Based on these three basic components, various e -commerce architectures have been
implemented. Some combine several components into one (sub) system, while others
implement each component separately.
For the definition of architecture, EC system designers make an overall design of the
system based on a selection of the main requirements / functions of an EC system. Details
such as, for example, the aggregation function that allows the assembly of items in a complete
order are left to the design of the detail. The decision to integrate this aggregation function at
client, merchant or transaction component will be made according to the specific requirements
of each implementation. What is important, however, is that in the case of an EC system, as in
any complex system, the architecture is clearly defined at all levels of detail.
There are several options for displaying products and sending orders online. The most
common is the simple HTML page and an electronic form of ord er. If you have a small
number of products, this is the way you need it. If the number of products you plan to sell is
higher and customers frequently buy a larger number of products, you need a more complex
script system.
Most web hosting providers, howev er, offer special packages for e -commerce
shopping cart systems. These applications have a database interface and use complex
programming tools. I can generate dynamic pages for product exposure, pricing and fees
(including shipping). It also provides comp lete customer tracking reports and countless
maintenance and update options. Some components allow even special promotions, cross
promotions, or personalization of content according to customer preferences. Many of these
applications can also be used in Bu siness to Business (B2B) business sites.
The shopping cart system you choose must be able to provide the mechanisms for
collecting the information needed to ship the product and process the transaction.
In order to ensure the long -term success of an e -comm erce project, its architecture
needs to be carefully designed taking into account all the business aspects that the system will
face, while leaving the gates adaptable in time as they appear new challenges and
technologies are evolving.
The developed appli cation supports the aforementioned – being a comprehensive
shoping chart system, implemented through several functional modules – that provide flexible
architecture and handling – easy data processing with the e -commerce process.

13 CHAPTER II
E-COMMERCE APP LICATIONS SPECIFICAL TEHNOLOGI ES

For the development of the online store, the following technologies have been used:
PHP, MySQL, Apache, Photoshop and Dreamweaver.
In the following, we will stop each one for a more detailed look. For the platform we
opted for the ecommerce solution: oscommerce. This is an online store framework that
provides a webmaster with a number of modules to help develop the web solution. These
include the billing module, the shopping cart, the receipt of receipts, the online paymen t, etc.
It is very configurable software. As layout can be configured with themes, and as
functionality it can be modified from the control panel it offers. This decision was made
because oscommece is a great project, to which hundreds of programmers contr ibute. So any
bugs or security breaches are quickly spotted and repaired.

2.1 OsCommerce System
OsCommerce is online store management software. It can be used on any server that
has PHP installed and a MySQL database installed. This software is available as free software
under the GNU General Public License (GPL).
OsCommerce was launched in March 2000 in Germany by the founder of the project
and its leader Harald Ponce de Leon as an exchange project. While osCommerce is still in
development, the release of Milestone 2.2 is considered stable, as evidenced by thousands of
stores around the world who wrote the following: "powered by osCommerce".
There is also a plan for Milestone 3.0 that is expected to be a major rewrite of software
to incorporate an object -oriented backend, a system template to allow for easy changes and
included administrative areas, users and defining password during installation.

2.2 PHP language
PHP is a programming language designed primarily for the Internet, bringing
dynamics to a web page. It is one of the most important open source and server -side web
programming languages. The PHP name comes from English and is a recursive acronym:
Php: Hypertext Preprocessor.
Famous examples of the use of this language are PhpBB (forum), PhpNuke (C MS),
even MediaWiki, and the software behind Wikipedia.
Using PHP can be seen as a free alternative to using commercial languages like
Microsoft's ASP, ColdFusion from Macromedia, or even JSP from Sun

14 Microsystems.

Fig 2.1 How PHP works ?

Short history
PHP was designed in 1994 as an extension of the Perl server -side language, and then
by a series of CGIs compiled by Rasmus Lerdorf to generate a curriculum vitae and track the
number of visitors to a site.
It then evolved into PHP / FI 2.0, but the open -source project began to grow after Zion
Suraski and Andi Gutmans of Technion released a new version of the PHP interpreter in the
summer of 1998, this version being called PHP 3.0. They also changed their name to the
recursive acronym now, until then PHP being known as Personal Home Page Tools.
Then Suraski and Gutmans rewrote the language base, thus producing Zend Engine in
1999. In May 2000 PHP 4.0 was released, based on Zend Engine 1.0. On July 13, 2004, PHP
5 was released with Zend Engine II, which also bro ught a more prominent object orientation
and support more features of this type of programming.

PHP popularity
PHP is one of the most used server -side programming languages, according to a
Netcraft study in April 2002, appearing on nine of the 37 million domains surveyed. There is
also a graph of the increase in PHP usage on the official site. The popularity of this
programming language is due to the following features:
 Familiarity : Syntax of language is very easy by combining the syntax of some of the
most popular languages (Perl or C);

15  Simplicity : The syntax of language is quite free. There is no need for libraries or
compilation directives to be included, the PHP code included in a document being executed
between the special bookmarks;
 Efficiency : PHP uses resource allocation mechanisms, very necessary for a multiuser
environment, such as the Web;
 Security : PHP provides the programmer with a flexible and effective set of security
measures;
 Flexibility : As it emerged from the need to develop the Web, PHP has been
modularized to keep pace with the development of various technologies. Not linked to a
particular web server, PHP has been integrated with the many existing web servers: Apache,
IIS, Zeus, server, etc.;
 Free : is probably the most important featur e of PHP. The development of PHP under
the open -source license has prompted PHP to quickly adapt to the needs of the Web,
streamline and secure the code.

Techniques of use
PHP is simple to use, being a structured programming language, like its C, its Perl ,
starting with version 5 even Java, the syntax of language being a combination of the three.
Thanks to its modularity, it can also be used to develop standalone applications, for example
in combination with PHP -GTK, or can be used as Perl or Python on the command line.
Perhaps one of the most important features of the language is working with most
relational databases, from MySQL to Oracle, through MS Sql Server, PostgreSQL, or DB2.
PHP can run on most operating systems, from UNIX, Linux, Windows, or Mac O S X, and
can interact with most web servers.
The PHP code is interpreted by the WEB server and generates an HTML code that
will be seen by the user (the client -the browser -being transmitted only HTML code).

Technical support of PHP
PHP has an official han dbook maintained by the community around the project. In
addition, answers to many problems can be found through a simple internet search. There are
many resources available for a beginner PHP programmer.

PHP – Getting Started
Historically, in order to ev aluate the usefulness of a language, the Hello world
program is based on the Kernighan & Ritchie model. Here's how it looks in PHP.

16 <?php
# comment on a single line
// comment on a single line
/ *
comment on more lines you can comment on php code lines
echo 'this is a commented echo';
* /
echo 'Hello, world!'; ?>

Unlike the HTML pages that could be checked and on the local computer, PHP pages
can not be verified unless they are hosted on a web server that has PHP installed.
When we visit an HTML page, the hosting server sends the HTML page to the
browser for display. In the case of a PHP page, the server reads the PHP code, interprets it and
dynamically generates the HTML page that is sent to the browser for display. This is why
users use PHP to build dynam ic content pages.
PHP files have the php extension. You can write such files with Notepad or the most
appropriate one with a specialized editor, such as Crimson Editor, which will also indicate the
number of lines, which is useful for debugging scripts. Ma ke sure we do not have hidden
extensions (My Computer -> Tools -> Folder Options -> View -> Hide extensions for known
file types). To create php files, right click New -> Text Document, and then rename it to php.
When PHP browses a file, it actually "reads " the text until it encounters one of the
special tags that tells it to begin to interpret the text as a PHP code. The code is executed until
the closing tag is encountered. Then read the text again. This is why you can add PHP code
inside the HTML.

2.3 M anagement of E -commerce sites
Maintaining a website is no longer just a matter of updating HTML files.
Unfortunately, this is no longer the case today, today's e -commerce businesses are more
robust, more complex and more ambitious than before. As a result, more and more e –
commerce operators adopt a management system that synchronizes with their business
system.
In the plan of any e -commerce site we need to include a refinement and updating of
web pages to keep them fresh and new, but also for the infrastru cture to benefit from new and
evolving technology. In this regard, there must be assurance that the site designed will
provide the most important two features of a web based business – a convincing customer
experience and minimal administration costs.

17 Software aspect s
There are methods to create and deploy a set of uniform formats and styles so you can
instantly create a new web page by copying and modifying an existing page. For example, the
following tools can help keep encodings uniform, eliminating the problems caused by an
erroneous code. Surely the price of the products will depend on the site's needs.
The CyberTeams website, for example, (www.cyberteams.com) is a very scalable
system according to the web content management and development aspects, wh ich is
priceless in budgeting for any type of business. The WYSIWYG Editor and the layout of the
page optimize site creation and maintenance, allowing content participants and managers to
develop sophisticated web pages without HTML knowledge.
If the site requires frequent changes to the content and / or is a database -dependent
dynamic site, the relatively inexpensive content management system, Refresh Software
SiteRefresh (www.refreshsoftware.com), can meet the immediate needs.
Topfloortechnologies conten t maintenance software (www. Topfloorsoftware.com)
allows you to build a built -in dynamic content site that changes content in minutes without
programming.
Webceo (www.webceo.com) offers a unified workspace for nine programs that can
help a site operator a chieve real -world marketing results, smart web traffic, and keep the site
easily. Webceo offers all the help you need to identify incorrect links and other errors on your
site, edit web pages in WYSIWYG mode, upload HTML and other files on the server, and
monitor the site. If the whole package of nine programs is purchased, Webceo can also
provide visitor analysis, live traffic analysis, search engine needs. In this regard, you can
optimize the site for high rankings in search engines, URLs, and rating veri fication.

Infrastructure hardware maintenance
Time -market pressures have forced many web -based companies to create web
infrastructures (all that makes pages work) in a chaotic way. These sites sometimes
experience substantial downsides due to poor plannin g and / or maintenance – a flaw that is
immediately visible to customers and business partners. Keeping the site available is the main
purpose. A possible failure of the site may include: human error, hacker infiltration, malware
in routers and switches, i ncreased bandwidth traffic that breaks down servers, configuration
issues, power cuts, major interruptions transport, and numerous applications running the site.
Website infrastructure performance needs to be understood and analyzed to ensure
that it provi des the performance required by today's web clients. However, this is not feasible

18 by adding a site management component to a mix of existing systems, network, and
management solutions across the industry of sites.
Although most sites are now hosted extern ally, it is still essential that a site operator
understands the importance of real -time management and planning ability. Many sites are
sophisticated systems that include transaction processing and any problematic component
between the client and the site can affect performance and reliability. A formal management
and maintenance of the system for a web -based business is crucial. This scenario assumes
that a robust management system needs to be designed and implemented – application,
network, and connectiv ity systems – if the site is trusted and maintain edge technology. To do
this, all servers, including the web server, should be documented as much as possible. All
programs and source code should be published, and there should be a web policy document
with goals, practices, management, etc. updated frequently and in an easily accessible
location.
The complex site maintenance service through NetMechanic (www.netmechanic.com)
performs verification of all site links, HTML validation, upload time, and reliabili ty of the
test server.
TIDF Maintenance Repair Workshop (www.tidf) provides a site -focused maintenance
service (monitoring, diagnostics and testing, browser compatibility checks), preventive
maintenance and services (recurring updates, database maintenance and upgrades, site
efficiency improvements including infrastructure and general improvements and tricks) as
well as site and emergency services (emergency re -implementation, urgent assistance, hosting
issues, database setup, and code repairs ).
You can al so use an outsourcing service like Elance Online (www.elance.com).
Elance offers access to global expertise that is cost -effective and high -quality. There are
many ways in which Elance Online can be used to obtain the desired maintenance: use Elance
to see k the necessary expertise; posting needs on the Elance website to get suggestions; or
you can contact Elance Project Services for project purpose, supplier selection, and / or
project management assistance.
With a corresponding system management and mainte nance, a web -based business
can monitor and manage applications, data, systems and networks in an integrated, proactive
way using sophisticated software tools. In addition, the data collected and reported can be
used for other functions such as security, p lanning ability, etc. However, when it comes to
perfect availability there is not one answer, as there is no single point of error. While a
website should implement best practices to improve its chances, there are too many factors

19 that can bring down your site. The only sure way to minimize such incidents is a strict focus
on planning and preparation.

Management Links
Another important part of a management and maintenance system is to identify and
fix non -functioning links. A link that does not work appear s when a page or location has been
moved, deleted or renamed. Unfortunately, there are no automatic repair mechanisms to fix
the problem. Most often, the source page is simply unrepaired, or contains a link that does not
lead at all.
From any point of view , web -based businesses are heavily penalized for links that do
not work, as well as inbound links. Some obvious consequences of the inability to run some
links are:
 Loss of revenue when prospective customers try to follow a link to your site.
 Brand damage because a link that does not work on a site is just as bad, if not worse
than a wrong word in a brochure. Vigilant surveillance is required to ensure that a web page
that does not contain any defects when it is entered on the web remains defective. Busines s
with a non -functioning link website indicates that the business site could lead a consumer to
conclude that the error is in any case caused by poor standards or inadequate business
management.
 Productivity loss for site maintenance. Links that do not wor k are time -consuming
headaches, and large sites may find it too expensive to keep up -to-date with link fixes.
There are many applications and services available to help with this, including:
ChangeAgent (www.xlanguage.com) . This management tool uncovers co nnections
that do not work, investigates the cause, and repairs them in a single, integrated environment.
You can also remove files and reorganize a site, while maintaining the integrity link.
ChangeAgent works well with other applications that allow the r eplacement of invalid URLs
while avoiding reformatting or restructuring the HTML code.
CyberSpyder Link Test (http://www.cyberspyder.com) . This site management
program not only checks whether a website is a link that does not work but also provides
conten t analysis services. CyberSpyder is designed to work with sites of all sizes – from very
small e -commerce sites to large corporate sites with thousands of links. Costs – CyberSpyder
is distributed as shareware, as such, can be used for up to 60 days free o f charge for
evaluation purposes, after which there is a registration fee of several tens of dollars.
Link Checker Pro (www.linkcheckerpro.com) . A nice, inexpensive tool for checking
internal and external links. Link Checker Pro is easy to use and many cus tom settings are

20 available. It allows you to send reports of data to be saved in HTML format, which can be
easily viewed in any internet browser. Costs – Free for up to 30 days, then there is an
enrollment fee.
Link Sleuth (http://home.snafu.de) . This soft ware controls links that do not work.
Checking the Sleuth's link is done not only on "normal" links, but also on images, frames,
plug-ins, backgrounds, location, style sheets, Java scripts and applets. A list of continuously
updated URLs is displayed, whic h you can sort by different criteria.
LinkScan (www.elsop.com/linkscan/) . The LinkScan family of products provides a
number of industrial verification links and site management tools. For example, LinkScan
provides capability testing capabilities for the full range of web applications. Linkscan also
provides a free network called LinkScan / QuickCheck (www.elsop.com), which provides for
online link verification and HTML validation. This free service allows you to check up to 10
web pages per hour and up to 50 per day (although there is a limit of 200 links per
document). QuickCheck is designed as a quick way to check the quality and problem
identification on a web page.
With a lot of diligence and with the desire to use one of the above mentioned software
packages (or similar), when customers try to access the site via a link or want to navigate the
site, they should rarely see part of the codes error listed below:
 Error 401 – Access to this page is forbidden
 Error 402 – A payment is required
 Error 403 – Your request is forbidden
 Error 404 – File not found
 Error 408 – Waiting time for expired application
 Error 500 – Internal server error
 Error 502 – Error response received from the gateway
A website needs to be upgraded or its potential is low. In this chapte r, we talked about
various software solutions and various online solutions that help with the searches made for
the perfect site without any problems.
Most web operators will find that they have to rely on a mix of technologies to
provide the site with the right maintenance and proper management. Fortunately, the features
provided by the management site and maintenance tools often overlap. So if you carefully
look before you step, you could find the opportunity to save time and money by purchasing
tools tha t can manage most, if not all, of the tasks required for a properly managed site.

21 2.4 MySQL System
MySQL is a relational database management system, produced by the Swedish
MySQL AB company and distributed under the GNU General Public License. It is the most
popular open -source SGBD currently, being a key component of the LAMP stack (Linux,
Apache, MySQL, PHP).
Although it is used very often along with the PHP programming language, MySQL
can build applications in any major language. There are many MySQL A PI schemes that
allow you to write applications in many programming languages to access MySQL databases,
such as: C, C ++, C #, Borland Delphi, Java, Perl, PHP, Python, FreeBasic, etc. of these using
a typical API type.
An ODBC interface called MyODBC al lows other programming languages that use
this interface to interact with MySQL databases such as ASP or Visual Basic. In support of
these programming languages, some companies produce COM / COM + or .NET (for
Windows) components by means of which these languages can use this SGBD much easier
than through the ODBC system. These components may be free (such as MyVBQL) or
commercial.
The GNU GPL does not allow the incorporation of MySQL into commercial software;
those who wish to do so may purchase a comm ercial license from the producing company,
MySQL AB, for a fee.
MySQL is an integrated component of LAMP or WAMP platforms (Linux /
Windows -Apache -MySQL -PHP / Perl / Python). Its popularity as a web application is closely
related to that of PHP, which is o ften combined with MySQL and called the Dynamic Duo. In
many specialized books, it is noted that MySQL is much easier to learn and use than many of
the database management applications, for example the output command being a simple and
obvious exit or quit .
In order to manage MySQL databases, you can use the command line mode or by
downloading from the Internet a graphical interface: MySQL Administrator and MySQL
Query Browser. Another tool to manage these databases is the free PHP application,
phpMyAdmin. MySQL can be run on many of the existing software platforms: AIX,
FreeBSD, GNU / Linux, Mac OS X, NetBSD, Solaris, SunOS, Windows 9x / NT / 2000 / XP
/ Vista.

22

Figura 2.2 Working with the databas e

2.5 Adobe Photoshop
Adobe Photoshop is software used to edit digital images on a computer, a program
produced and distributed by the US Company Adobe Systems, and is aimed specifically at
professionals in the field.

Figura 2.8 Adobe Photoshop CS3

Basic concepts
Adobe Photoshop, as it is known today, is the spearhead of the digital image editing
software, photo, print, video, and web graphics market software. Photoshop is a program with
an intuitive interface that allows for a tremendous variety of changes that are currently
required for professionals and no t only: editing brightness and contrast, color, focusing,
applying effects to images or areas (selections), image retouching degraded, arbitrary number
of color channels, 8, 16 or 32 -bits color channel support, third -party effects, etc.

23 There are specific situations for a professional in the field when other packages lead to
faster results, but for general image processing, as it provides solid tools at the industry
standard, Photoshop is virtually indispensable. In addition to the Photoshop app (CS3),
Imag eReady also includes an impressive set of Web tools to optimize and preview images
(dynamic or static), image packet processing with droplets (mini -programs drag and drop) and
rollover imaging (images that change the appearance of mouse over) as well as an imated
GIFs.

History of Photoshop evolution
The first version of the program was distributed in February 1990 by Knoll, Thomas
and John. The story begins with their father, Glenn Knoll High School Professor, photography
enthusiast. The two boys have time to have some interest in this field, and both Glenn and the
two kids have become computer enthusiasts since 1978 when they bought a computer
produced by Apple Computer.
In 1987, Thomas bought one of Apple's new models, an Apple Macintosh Plus, to help
him write the PhD thesis "Digital Image Processing." Disappointed that he could not display
the gray tones in the images, Thomas began writing code to simulate on the display. In the
holiday they spent together, his brother John was fascinated by Thomas's work in this regard,
especially since these routines were strikingly similar to the already existing editing tools in
the Pixar program – John was working on Industrial Light and Magic. This common interest
materialized in the decision of the two to try to cre ate a graphical package for personal
computers.
The first version of the work of the two brothers was called "Display"; slowly, due to
the needs emerging along the way, even this first version included import -export of various
formats and even gamma correc tion.
In 1988, this package came to be named "ImagePro," and the two began to try to
create a business base for creating a business: Thomas's wife was already expecting a child,
and he was still working with his brother to develop this program continue pe rsonally. At the
beginning of 1988, Thomas decided to spend six months to finalize a beta of this program
before looking for a job, and then John would then try his fortune in Silicon Valley to sell it to
a firm large enough to ensure distribution and furt her development.
Generally, Silicon Valley companies were not very interested in this package: One
BarneyScan company showed some interest and distributed the program, already called
"Photoshop" in the short run, along with their scanners, at no additional cost to customers . A
total of 200 copies of the program were distributed in this way. SuperMac declined to

24 collaborate with the two because it did not seem like Photoshop would bring something new
to their own PixelPaint editing program. It was not until September 1988 that Knoll brothers
succeeded in achieving their goal: they raised interest in Adobe after a presentation of the
program and they liked it. They signed a Photoshop licensing agreement with Adobe, and
after another ten months of development, Photoshop 1.0 was released in February 1990.
Thomas is still involved in the Photoshop project – he has never been able to finish his
doctoral thesis. John continued his career at ILM, participating, among other things, in their
big projects, including pa rts of Mission Impossible, Star Trek and Star Wars. Glenn continues
to be a teacher.

The advantages of using Photoshop
The main elements by which Photshop differs from competing applications and set
new standards in the digital imaging industry are:
 selec tions;
 Layers;
 Masks;
 Channels;
 Retouch;
 Optimize images for the Web.

File formats

Photoshop can read the vast majority of raster and vector files. It also has a number of
its own formats:
 PSD (Abbreviation for Photoshop Document). This format contains a picture as a set
of layers, including text, mask, opacity information, blend modes, color channels,
alpha channels, clipping paths) , duotone settings and other Photoshop -specific
features. This is a popular and widespread format among professionals, so it 's also
compatible with some competing Photoshop applications.
 PSB (called Large Document Format) is a newer version of the PSD format, designed
specifically for larger files (2GB) or with information present on a surface defined by
sides larger than 30,00 0 pixels (supports up to 300,000 × 300,000 pixels).
 PDD is a less common format, initially associated with Adobe PhotoDeluxe, today
(after 2002) only compatible with Adobe Photoshop or Adobe Photoshop Elements.

25 2.6 Macromedia Dreamweaver
Macromedia Drea mweaver is a tool for web page creators. Dreamweaver was created
by Macromedia (now Adobe Systems) and has now reached version 8. The first versions of the
product only served as plain HTML editors like WYSIWYG, but in recent releases advanced
editing feat ures and support for other web technologies would be CSS, JavaScript, etc.
Dreamweaver has enjoyed a great success since the late 1990s and currently holds
about 80% of the HTML publisher market. The product can be run on various software
platforms: Mac, W indows, but also supports UNIX platforms with software emulators such as
Wine.
Like any other WYSIWYG editor, Dreamweaver can hide the HTML page
implementation details, making it easy for web users to easily create inexperienced users.
Some web page creat ors criticize these types of editors because they produce much
larger pages than needed, which leads to a poor performance of web browsers. This statement
is largely true because the produced web pages use the table -based design. In addition, the
product h as been criticized in the past for producing codes that often did not meet W3C
standards, but this has been greatly improved in recent versions. However, Macromedia has
increased support for CSS technology as well as other design options without the need t o use
a table design.
Dreamweaver allows the use of most browsers installed on the user's computer to
preview the created website. It also contains a few web site management tools, such as those
to find and modify a paragraph or line of code, across the en tire web site based on any user –
specified parameters. With state panes you can create JavaScript code without programming
knowledge.
With the release of the MX, Macromedia has embedded dynamic content generation
tools. It also provides support for database connections (such as MySQL and Microsoft
Access) to filter and display content using scripts such as PHP, ColdFusion, Active Server
Pages (ASP), and ASP.NET, without having need a prior programming experience.

26

Figur e 2.9 Adobe Dreamweaver CS3
A very pra gmatic aspect of Dreamweaver is its expandable architecture. The
extensions, as they are known, are small programs that any developer can write (usually in
HTML and JavaScript) and which anyone can download and install, which adds improved
performance and functionality to the program. There is a community of developers who
produce these extensions and publish them (both commercially and for free) for web
development issues ranging from simple rollover effects to complete online selling solutions.

27 CHAPTER III
WEBSHOP A B2C E -COMMERCE WEBSITE

3.1 General Overview
Website Description
The World Wide Web represents a new frontier towards a global industry, leading the
way for new businesses. Commerce now deals with a whole different concept: ele ctronic
commerce (e -commerce). This kind of commerce provides new means for a large variety of
products to reach different markets across the world.
This application was designed and implemented for a hypothetical firm called
WebShop , in order to supply a manageable website for online selling, thus reaching new
customers in a whole new target market. The website has an appealing interface and allows
clients from across the globe to view the company’s products and buy them using cash on
delivery or a credit card. The application has an administration module, permitting the owner
of the shop to easily add or delete items, manage orders, moderate product testimonials with
the possibility of banning certain visitors from posting (through an IP address).

Target Area
The application is intended to provide an online shop for a hypothetical firm
WebShop. It provides means for any type of market branch, therefore there is no restriction
regarding the products that are sold. The owner has the possibility of adding any thing he
wants, from small objects, like pens, to large ones, like a LCD TV. The app administrator can
insert or remove item categories. Each category may have other subcategories, thus the task of
grouping the items becomes easier and well -structured with this 2 -layered structure.

Web Technologies Used for Implementation
For this application we have used the Apache HTTP Server, MySQL for working with
the database and PHP as the server side script responsible with dynamic content provisioning.
MySQL is cu rrently the most used DMBS (Database Management System) online, being very
simple to use in terms of manipulating information onto a relational schema.

3.2 Website Database
Database Diagram
The database is called “magazin” and consists of ten tables. We can observe the
database diagram in the next figure:

28

Figure 3.1: Database Diagram

Tables Description
 Table users – this table contains information regarding a client that has registered with
the system. It stores a unique username, a password for the a ccount, an unique e -mail
address and also the address of the client. The client has the facility of paying for an
order with a credit card. This sort of information is also stored in this table.
 Table recuperari – this table contains two fields. One field represents the e -mail
address of a customer that had forgotten his/her password and the other a key
generated by the application in order to check that the solicitant of the new password
is indeed an actual client. This key will be sent to that e -mail ad dress. If the client
responds to the email with the key, the system will generate a password and send it to
the user.
 Table admin – we can observe in Figure 1 that there is only one field. The purpose of
this table is to indicate which of the users from th e table users has administration

29 rights .An administrator can add/delete new items or view/accept/reject orders made
by users.
 Table produse – stores information about the company products being sold. A product
has a unique identifier and corresponds to a certain category. A product is described as
having a name, a producer, a price an image and a description.
 Table produse_spec – this table contains product specifications for a product. Every
product can have none or many specs, which are stored in this ta ble.
 Table categorii – in order for the shop to be well -structured, we have to organize the
items into categories. Each category can have products or many subcategories with
products.
 Table comenzi – a user can place as many orders as he likes. An order is stored here,
with info like the user who made it, the date of the order, the total price and payment
option. The order has a status. When placed, a new order has the status “pending”.
After it has been reviewed by the administrator it can have the status “approved” or
“rejected” in which case we will store in this table the reason for the denial of the
order, to later present it to the user.
 Table comenzi_produse – this table stores information regarding products that
correspond to a certain order.
 Table comentarii – this table contains visitor testimonials for a specific product. The
administrator can moderate these testimonials in the sense that he can choose whether
they are going to be displayed for everyone to see, to delete them or even block the
sender from posting again.
 Table lista_neagra – this table contains the IP addresses that are forbidden from
posting testimonials all over the site. These restrictions can be deleted.

3.3 Structural Design
Website Module Interaction Diagram
The application has two main modules: the user interface module and the
administration module. These modules depend on the existence of the database “magazin”. In
Figure 2 we can observe the interaction between the modules, regarding the DB.

30

Figure 3.2: Module Interac tion Diagram

User Interface Module Prospect
This module consists of many PHP modules. There are a few modules that are stored
in a separate directory, INC. All off these are included in the rest of the interface. We will
explain the modules first:

sus.php
This module is responsible for supplying the header for the other modules in the user
interface. It displays the Oxygen logo and links to the contact and how to buy page.

jos.php
This module simply displays in all the modules the footer (the copyrigh t to be more
specific).

cosdecumparaturi.php
We have implemented here a class that symbolizes a shopping cart. This class will be
used to store information on the products that the customer wants to buy. It provides methods
for adding, deleting and manipu lating the quantity of a product. It will store data like the
products ids, their price and quantities.

31 util.php
This module is the most important module of the application. It contains definitions of
functions that fully interact with the DB. Functions fo r logging in, checking if a user is logged
and logging out are implemented here. There are also all the functions needed to manipulate
information from the database, including functions that are needed by the administration
module.

db.php
This file contai ns the database settings (server address, username and password) that
are need for database connection. This file is generated by the install script which will be
presented.
The modules that deal with the actual user interface are stored in the root direc tory.
Their functionality is based on the util.php, db.php and cosdecumparaturi.php modules. We
will explain them next:

index.php
This module displays shopping cart overview with two buttons that can redirect to the
shopping cart manipulation module and one that can empty the cart, the catalog that contains
the main categories, link to the login form or account options if the user is correctly logged
into the system, and a link to create a new account. These are present in the rest of the
modules, though there are some exceptions. There is also a slideshow for the last 5th products
added to the store.

login.php
If the user inputs in the login form a correct combination of username and password,
the login form is substituted with account options links (lo gout, order history, account details
and to change password). This operation logs the user into the system.

logout.php
After a user is done with his actions, he can log out of the system using the logout
link.

catalog.php
When a user clicks on a main cat egory, he will be redirected to this catalog module.
The category’s picture is shown. If the category contains products, they will be displayed

32 along with a link to the produs.php module and a add to cart button; if there are subcategories
they will be dis played along with the picture and number of products contained. A
subcategory becomes a category when it is clicked.

produs.php
When a product link is clicked, this module is responsible to output the product
information stored in the database and a but ton for adding the product into the shopping cart.

cosulmeu.php
A user can modify the content of the basket. He can remove or change the quantities
of a product. This page displays a schema for the operations needed to complete an order. The
client can go back to shopping or he can continue the order process.

comanda.php
This is the second in the order process after viewing the cart items. This module is
only accessible if the user has successfully logged in. If so, the shopping cart content is
showed a longside with a button that links to the cart manipulation module, the address of
delivery with a button that links to the account details manipulation module and a form for
choosing the payment option.

plaseazacomanda.php
Accessible only from the coman da.php module, this is responsible for adding a new
order into the database, in compliance with the shopping cart content.

contulmeu.php
A client can modify his details here, for example if he wants to change the delivery
address or to add a credit card. This is accessible only if the client has successfully logged in.

comenzi.php
A client can view the details of his order here. He can see the actual orders or the ones
he has completed in the past. If an order is denied, he can see the reason here and try to
remedy the problem. Further he can reconfirm the order using the module reconfirmare.php or
cancel it using anuleaza.php, both of these being available through links. This is accessible
only if the client has successfully logged in.

33 schimbaparola.php
A client can change his account password if he wishes. This is accessible only if the
client has successfully logged in.

register.php
A new client can browse the catalog and add products to the shopping basket. If he
wants to place the order but he doesn’ t have an account he can click the link for creating one,
thus leading to this module. There is a form that has to be completed with personal
information, choosing a username and password and providing his email. Optionally he can
add a credit card to his account for online purchasing.

Administration Module Prospect
The PHP modules needed for the administration are stored in a separate directory
ADMIN. The administrator can reach this module simply by specifying the path to this
directory in the URL (ex.: magazin .ro/admin).
Many of the modules just perform an action to update the database and then return to modules
that also display information.

index.php
This module displays a login form. If the user has successfully logged in and his
username can be fou nd in the “admin” table, then he is redirected to the info.php module.

info.php
This module outputs the number of products, categories, subcategories, users and
orders. There is also a menu with links to the products, users and orders manipulation
modules .

produse.php
The admin can see a list of the main categories alongside with the subcategories, that
can be selected and deleted using the module delc.php. Here the administrator can specify a
new category name and a picture for it, and using addc.php he can add the new category.
Clicking on a category leads to the same module, but there are other options like adding a
subcategory (addc.php) or adding/modifying/deleting (produs.php/addp.php/delp.php).

34 produs.php
A product can be modified. This module dis plays the product information which can
be modified and updated using the PHP module actualizeaza.php. Specification can also be
inserted here.

utilizatori.php
This module displays the list of users, and the possibility of deleting them using the
module d elu.php.

comenzi.php
This module displays the orders grouped into “pending”, “confirmed” and “denied”.
Clicking on the edit button will let the administrator use the detaliicomanda.php module,
responsible for outputting the order details.

detaliicomanda .php
An order is shown here. The administrator s can approve/deny/delete an order using
confirma.php/refuza.php/sterge.php. When an order is denied the administrator can specify
the reason why it was denied. When the user click on the order details in his a ccount he can
see the reason and try to remediate the problem if he wishes, or to cancel the order.

comentarii.php
Comments, or testimonials, sent by visitors are awaiting moderation. The
administrator can see the comments and decide whether to approve th em, delete them or block
the sender from future postings. These actions are achieved using the next modules:
valideazacom.php, stergecom.php and baneaza.php.

lista.php
A list of blocked IPs is shown here. The administrator can remove the restrictions on
posting testimonials from here.

logout.php
This module logs out the administrator from the administration area, redirecting him to
the index.php module located in the root directory.

35 3.4 Installation
The application has an installation script that simpli fies this task for the administrator
(to avoid using phpMyAdmin application) .

Steps:
a) Copy the application files into the htdcos directory.
b) Access from the browser the install.php module.
Ex: http://loca lhost/webshop/install.php
c) Provide for the next form the MySQL hostname, username and password for database
authentication. Uncheck Demonstratie checkbox if you do not wish to add sample products to
the database. The password may be null. Usually, the host name is localhost and the username
is root.

Press the lock button to connect to database and add the tables. If the connection
information is not correct, appropriate messages will be displayed.

d) Provide a username, a password and an e -mail address for th e administrator account.

36

e) Press “Sterge script instalare” to delete the install.php module (this must be done in
order to avoid someone else to access it and destroy the database data).

37 CONCLUSIONS

In recent years, the presence of an inter net firm has become a matter of the day, for
some of which is a necessity. Relatively small (and steadily declining) costs even allowed
small businesses to have their own site. After the site was created, and the company presented
itself and described its offer of products and services, the need to make it public was
immediately revealed. Thus, marketing has been rapidly expanded and adapted to specific
Internet -related issues.
It should be noted that all of this was possible due to the expansion of the Int ernet and
the users (surfers) sector, without these sites being lost. At the same time, the number of
computers connected to the Internet through the classic (dial -up) system has increased
spectacularly. In these circumstances, the virtual world of the Int ernet has become a reality
that even tends to replace the classic methods of learning information, communicating, selling
/ buying, etc.
In this sense, the developed application is a modern and viable solution for the
implementation of a virtual store, whi ch aims at the on -line marketing of the products.
The database designed and used is a related one containing 10 tables, with a complex
structure and complex links. Particular attention has been paid to designing the database so
that information organizatio n is as logical as possible and access to data is optimized.
Altogether, over 90 scripting PHP scripts and several JavaScript scripts split into five
functional modules – which together, in an integrated way, work together for the smooth
running of the sit e.
Also, attention was paid to the graphical aspect of the application, the use of
interleaved CSS code within scripts, and the use of specific graphics processing applications
for the images used.
The application management module – by its size and comple xity – can be considered
as a stand -alone website, being implemented with no fewer than 40 PHP scripts and several
other JavaScript scripts.
User Authentication Module – Provides through specific mechanisms the security
required for the product marketing p rocess.
The Application Interface Module – provides multiple ways to access information and
data on the site, and provides a number of special facilities to the user. The user interface
module has been developed to improve the complexity of contact between merchant and
customers , capture feed -back feedback from users and last but not least to help build and
develop a loyal customer circle that appreciates the quality of marketed products.

38 Modularization of the application has led to a flexible site structur e, making it possible
for other components of the application – sections of the five main modules – to be added later
– to the application development process.
The continued trend of business and business processes towards the Internet leads to
an increa se in the development and use of e -commerce and e -business applications.
There is a decrease in the design and implementation time of e -business applications,
mainly due to the need for business opportunities to enter the market as quickly as possible.
Decreasing the duration of the development cycle has negative consequences on the
application process if no increased attention is paid to the quality assurance process.
The emergence of new technologies leads to e -business and e -business applications of
high quality and high reliability.
Before launching an e -commerce website, take the time to understand your website’s
infrastructure. This includes the operating system, the web server, the log analysis program,
and the database (an integral part of most e -commerce sites). And, of course, the hardware on
which these applications run.
Overall, deciding which operating system and web server to use is just a matter of
personal choice, but the log analysis software and database choices can make or break an e –
commerce business. Log analysis software points out what works to your advantage along
with any trouble spots. And the database provides a simple, flexible, reliable, and affordable
solution for supporting a large volume of data. This data can include not onl y merchandise,
but also such features as online membership roles with login, logout, and expiry date control.
If you already have an operational e -commerce site and find that you are spending too much
time managing its contents, a database can help.
In the end, most e -commerce operators will find that databases are what provide their
customers the accessibility they demand. When product catalogs, online services, automated
email responses, user feedback systems are managed via a database everyone is happier . Thus
plan your website from the get -go so that a database can be an integral part of your operations
– now and/or in the future.

39 REFERENCES

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