Web Programming, Web Scripting - Point & Click Software, Inc.

Although excellent graphic design is a good start toward a web site that will attract visitors, interactivity between the web site and the visitor often defines the difference between a ho-hum web site and one that will attract repeat visitors. And this is where we really shine!

Good programming skills are a must for the development of interactive web sites. Although some basic canned snippets of code can liven up a site, the ability to customize the programming to fit the client's needs is what sets the professional web developers apart from the myriad of amateurs out there who call themselves web developers. (Believe us when we say that there are a zillion people hanging out shingles for web development, but only a fraction of them are skilled at anthing more than pulling canned elements out of a bag of "web goodies.")

The founder of Point & Click Software has many years of software engineering experience. These skills give the company an additional edge over the competition in creating interactive sites.

Interactivity on a web site can take many different forms:

Searchable Databases The ability to link a web visitor to a complex database requires experience with database design (which allows data to be collected in an efficient manner) and database queries (which allow the desired data to be retrieved). It also requires proficiency with one or more programming languages which allow the database to operate over the Internet, such as Active Server Pages or Cold Fusion. Point & Click Software has the expertise to help you present your data to the public.

Shockwave Flash Animation You will notice that most of the "coolest" web sites out on the Internet use Flash animation. Not only does the Macromedia Flash application require graphic design skills, it also has its own programming language. This allows for much more control over the way the animation interacts with the user. Point & Click Software excels at both graphic design and programming, which allows the company to take full advantage of this rich multimedia format.

JavaScript and Java Although both languages are roughly the same (similar to the C++ programming language), Java source code must be compiled, whereas JavaScript code is simply interpreted by the browser. JavaScript code is often used for features such as: buttons that change color as your mouse pointer moves over them; listboxes for website navigation; or form field validation (making sure that a website visitor has filled in required fields on a form before the contents are e-mailed to you). However, the JavaScript language can also be used for many other applications, from calculations to slide shows. Point & Click Software has been utilizing JavaScript and Java since its inception on the web, but more than that, we have the ability to produce custom code built just for the client.

Fill-In Forms Interactivity on web sites would not be complete without mentioning feedback forms, which are used on most websites to collect marketing research information from web visitors, as well as to provide a method of communication. Although fill-in forms can be made to send their data through e-mail with Microsoft FrontPage extensions, using the Perl programming language instead gives much more control over the formatting of the form contents in the e-mail message that is returned to you, and more control over the information that is returned to the web visitor after the "Send" button is pressed. Also, as mentioned in the paragraph above, we have the JavaScript expertise to add form field validation, so that you won't receive partially completed forms. Point & Click Software has experience in writing Perl scripts for both the Windows and Unix platforms.