Introduction
In this assignment, I will be discussing how a scripting language can improve the functionality of a website. I will compare the benefits of using a client side scripting to the benefits of a server side scripting. I will then be discussing how client side scripting can improve the user experience, this is one of the important aspects of a website that a web developer must keep in mind as a good UX can have an impact on gaining a wider audience. Lastly, I will be describing how a website can use client side scripting in order to implement data validation on a website.
Comparison
Client side scripting
The scripts that run on the end user's browser are known as the client side scripting. The processing of the script takes place on the user's computer system as opposed to a server. The script code is sent to the user's browser via the internet connection and then the client side scripting runs on the user's browser. Often, browsers give the user control over the client side scripting by allowing the user to choose whether they want it enabled or disabled, this is due to the scripting being one of the ways hacker try to take control over the user's system, therefore making it a high security risk.
Advantages of client side scripting
- One of the advantages of using client side scripting is the speed of the scripting. This is because the script executes on the client's computer system as opposed to a server which requires a continuous connection. This is beneficial for the user because it is a much better performing experience for the user as they do not have to wait for the server to react to their actions on the webpage which is the way the server side scripting operates, and have a negative impact on the performance of the webpage.
- The usability of the website can have an improvement when it uses a client side scripting. Client side scripts can help add more interactivity to a website which not just improves the user experience but also improves the user engagement with the website. However, using server side scripting is not as quick to load as server side scripting because it requires the browser to download the scripts before they are run.
Server side scripting
A server side scripting is totally opposite from client side scripting as it runs the scripts on a web server. This occurs when the user requests for a webpage, the script runs on the webpage as it is delivered to the user therefore allowing the webpage to be dynamic and more interactive. The server side scripting is often used to create webpages more interactive for the user which require to be directed to a database that interfaces the website's interactivity.Advantages of server side scripting
- One of the main advantages to a server side scripting is that it does not require the client system as much as a client side scripting, this means that that it reduces the amount of load the client's system goes through in order to run a script, instead the server handles all of the load for running a script, therefor having a better overall system performance on the user's side. This has a positive impact on the user experience as the server side scripting does not rely on the client's system at all and if the system was old, running a client side scripting with slow down the system even further.
- Functionality and support is another advantage for server side scripting. The user is not required to download additional plug ins in order for the script to be loaded and ran. The browser does not require having support for a certain type of player in order to run the scripting which makes it much beneficial for the user as they do not require downloading plug ins onto their system and slow their systems down. Compared to client side scripting, which is highly dependent on browser support and plugins, this is an issue that never occurs with server side scripting.
User Experience
With most webpages in the recent years have seen an improvement in their functionality and interactivity, this is achieved by using scripting languages within a webpage such as JavaScript. These are used to enhance the user interface which results in an improvement in the user experience, and the better the user experience, the more users the webpage will attract. One of the ways to improve the user experience is by device compatibility. This can be done by using JavaScript to determine what device the webpage is being accessed on and adjust it accordingly. For example, if a user tries to open YouTube on their phones, it will be a much different experience compared to the experience on a computer, this is due to the scripting optimizing the webpage for a mobile phone and making the features on YouTube much more accessible for users on a mobile device.
Validation
Data validation on a website is also achieved by client side scripting. JavaScript can be used to validate various kinds of data types which are input by the user in different text fields. Having data validation on a website improves upon the data integrity of all of the data collected and stored, this is because before any data is stored, it is validated via the client side scripting. This allows for tiny typos such as an accidental keyboard input into a number field will trigger the validation and will give the user an error. Client side scripting will allow for the validation to be much faster than a server side script this is because the validation will be carried out in the client's computer and once the data is validated, it will then upload the data to the databases.
Server side scripting is done via PHP which stands for Personal Homepage is a scripting language that allows for the website to create login areas with different usernames and password. The script validates the data entered by the user when logging in and then looks for the data in the database and if found, the user will get access to their account, if not the user will be denied access. This is how validation works with scripting languages on a website.
In conclusion, the different scripting languages have a different impact on how the webpage responds to the user's actions and each have their advantages and disadvantages. Choosing the type of scripting language is to be done by the web developer who will choose the one that meets their requirements. These can be used for enhancing the user experience and as well as data validation which should improve data integrity for that webpage.
Bibliography
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