PHP AutoRun » Help Page

Using this Tutorial

From page to page you will see a basic website develop from a plain old unstyled HTML page, as if by magic. There is short introduction on each tutorial page explaining what is going on on that page, And of course you’ll be able to see the effect of the changes happen before your eyes. On the tech side, each page offers a link to a progressively built and commented style sheet. The link is located on the upper-right portion of the page and is labeled File 1, File 2, File 3, etc. For your convenience the Summary page offers a list of links to these files as well as all other tutorial assets.

---

About PHP AutoRun

PHP AutoRun is a tutorial and presentational web application interface that allows you, as the user, three options of operation. One available option is to use the manual controls to proceed from one page to the next. The second option is to use the “Pages” navigation menu for accessing a specific page. The final option is to use the automatic option which will move you from page-to-page automatically. The latter option’s transition speed, measured in seconds, is based on the inputted “Page Duration” you entered.

Menu: On this page you will find more detailed information about how it works, some instructions about its usage, some performance tips so you can get the most out of it, and even a bit of error management information.

How it Works

AutoRun uses a server-side scripting language called PHP, short for PHP Hypertext Preprocessor. As the name implies, it preprocesses page scripting before it is sent to your browser. This means that you don’t need special software or browser plugins — like JavaScript or Flash — to enjoy the benefits of the application. This offers greater accessibility, and since it’s not done by the browser, it tends to enhance page performance. [Menu]

Usage Instructions

As noted, there are three options to using this application. First, you can simply navigate from page-to-page using the links located in the upper-right region on the application’s pages. Second, you may choose to pick a page from the numbered menu above the content area. Lastly, you may choose to navigate the pages automatically. To do this simply use the form in the upper-left region of the application’s pages. This is accomplished by entering a number in the “Page Duration” input — or using the “Recommended” number — then clicking the “Start AutoRun” button. The number entered is a time measurement in seconds; this is the amount of time that elapses before being whisked away to the next page in the sequence. Any number between 1 and 999 may be entered (999 seconds is 16.65 minutes). The application can be stopped and the number changed at any point throughout the process.

If the automatic option is chosen, it can be stopped at any time to proceed manually from the current page. To stop PHP AutoRun, all you have to do is click the “Stop AutoRun” button. If you want to replay PHP AutoRun from the beginning, click the “Replay” button in the upper-right region — visible at the end of the process).

On each page, if so configured, you may see a “File (number)” link. Clicking on this link will present you with a support file relevant to that page. To return from the support file, just click your browser’s “Back” button. When returning, the timer will reset from that page.

PHP AutoRun uses cookies to recall your preferences on return visits. Moreover, some features require the logging of referrers. If you do not support cookies or allow referrer logging, you will have to use one of the two manual options. [Menu]

Performance Tips

The performance of PHP AutoRun can be affected by a number of things. The speed of your computer, your browser’s rendering speed, the amount of content on the pages, your Internet connection speed, the number of operators currently using the server — bandwidth demands — the performance of the Internet itself at any given time, and the “Page Duration” chosen.

If you find that performance is lacking when using this system, try using a higher duration number, or try again at another time. Your best course of action depends or the cause of the performance lag. [Menu]

Error Management

It is possible to generate errors while using PHP AutoRun as there are user input violations implemented for security reasons. The errors are as follows:

ERROR! Set duration as 1-999 seconds.

The input was left empty — or you entered a zero — while trying to use the automatic option. A number between 1 and 999 must be entered. To reset the error, click the “Clear Error” button.

ERROR! Set duration using numbers 1-999.

Something besides a number between 1-999 was entered. This is an input security violation. To reset the error, click the “Clear Error” button.

There are also other possible errors that legitimate users will never see. If other errors are encountered please stop trying to crack the system, or Contact Mike Cherim to report the incident. Enjoy PHP AutoRun! [Menu]