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Revision Changes Path 1.7 +487 -434 httpd-docs-1.3/htdocs/manual/howto/cgi.html.en Index: cgi.html.en =================================================================== RCS file: /home/cvs/httpd-docs-1.3/htdocs/manual/howto/cgi.html.en,v retrieving revision 1.6 retrieving revision 1.7 diff -u -r1.6 -r1.7 --- cgi.html.en 2000/12/03 03:02:59 1.6 +++ cgi.html.en 2001/10/08 01:23:28 1.7 @@ -1,405 +1,454 @@ -<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 3.2 Final//EN"> -<html> -<head> -<title>Apache Tutorial: Dynamic Content with CGI</title> -<link rev="made" href="mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]"> -</head> -<!-- Background white, links blue (unvisited), navy (visited), red (active) --> -<body bgcolor="#FFFFFF" text="#000000" link="#0000FF" vlink="#000080" -alink="#FF0000"> -<!--#include virtual="header.html" --> -<h1 align="CENTER">Dynamic Content with CGI</h1> +<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" + "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"> -<a name="__index__"></a> <!-- INDEX BEGIN --> - +<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"> + <head> + <meta name="generator" content="HTML Tidy, see www.w3.org" /> + + <title>Apache Tutorial: Dynamic Content with CGI</title> + <link rev="made" href="mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]" /> + </head> + <!-- Background white, links blue (unvisited), navy (visited), red (active) --> + + <body bgcolor="#FFFFFF" text="#000000" link="#0000FF" + vlink="#000080" alink="#FF0000"> + <!--#include virtual="header.html" --> + + <h1 align="CENTER">Dynamic Content with CGI</h1> + <a id="__index__" name="__index__"></a> <!-- INDEX BEGIN --> + + + <ul> + <li><a href="#dynamiccontentwithcgi">Dynamic Content with + CGI</a></li> + + <li> + <a href="#configuringapachetopermitcgi">Configuring Apache + to permit CGI</a> + + <ul> + <li><a href="#scriptalias">ScriptAlias</a></li> + + <li> + <a href="#cgioutsideofscriptaliasdirectories">CGI + outside of ScriptAlias directories</a> + + <ul> + <li><a + href="#explicitlyusingoptionstopermitcgiexecution">Explicitly + using Options to permit CGI execution</a></li> + + <li><a href="#htaccessfiles">.htaccess files</a></li> + </ul> + </li> + </ul> + </li> + + <li> + <a href="#writingacgiprogram">Writing a CGI program</a> + + <ul> + <li><a href="#yourfirstcgiprogram">Your first CGI + program</a></li> + </ul> + </li> + + <li> + <a href="#butitsstillnotworking">But it's still not + working!</a> + + <ul> + <li><a href="#filepermissions">File permissions</a></li> + + <li><a href="#pathinformation">Path information</a></li> + + <li><a href="#syntaxerrors">Syntax errors</a></li> + + <li><a href="#errorlogs">Error logs</a></li> + </ul> + </li> + + <li> + <a href="#whatsgoingonbehindthescenes">What's going on + behind the scenes?</a> + + <ul> + <li><a href="#environmentvariables">Environment + variables</a></li> + + <li><a href="#stdinandstdout">STDIN and STDOUT</a></li> + </ul> + </li> + + <li><a href="#cgimoduleslibraries">CGI + modules/libraries</a></li> + + <li><a href="#formoreinformation">For more + information</a></li> + </ul> + <!-- INDEX END --> + <hr /> + + <h2><a id="dynamiccontentwithcgi" + name="dynamiccontentwithcgi">Dynamic Content with CGI</a></h2> + + <table border="1"> + <tr> + <td valign="top"><strong>Related Modules</strong><br /> + <br /> + <a href="../mod/mod_alias.html">mod_alias</a><br /> + <a href="../mod/mod_cgi.html">mod_cgi</a><br /> + </td> + + <td valign="top"><strong>Related Directives</strong><br /> + <br /> + <a + href="../mod/mod_mime.html#addhandler">AddHandler</a><br /> + <a href="../mod/core.html#options">Options</a><br /> + <a + href="../mod/mod_alias.html#scriptalias">ScriptAlias</a><br /> + </td> + </tr> + </table> + + <p>The CGI (Common Gateway Interface) defines a way for a web + server to interact with external content-generating programs, + which are often referred to as CGI programs or CGI scripts. It + is the simplest, and most common, way to put dynamic content on + your web site. This document will be an introduction to setting + up CGI on your Apache web server, and getting started writing + CGI programs.</p> + <hr /> + + <h2><a id="configuringapachetopermitcgi" + name="configuringapachetopermitcgi">Configuring Apache to + permit CGI</a></h2> + + <p>In order to get your CGI programs to work properly, you'll + need to have Apache configured to permit CGI execution. There + are several ways to do this.</p> + + <h3><a id="scriptalias" name="scriptalias">ScriptAlias</a></h3> + + <p>The <code>ScriptAlias</code> directive tells Apache that a + particular directory is set aside for CGI programs. Apache will + assume that every file in this directory is a CGI program, and + will attempt to execute it, when that particular resource is + requested by a client.</p> -<ul> -<li><a href="#dynamiccontentwithcgi">Dynamic Content with -CGI</a></li> - -<li><a href="#configuringapachetopermitcgi">Configuring Apache to -permit CGI</a> - -<ul> -<li><a href="#scriptalias">ScriptAlias</a></li> - -<li><a href="#cgioutsideofscriptaliasdirectories">CGI outside of -ScriptAlias directories</a> - -<ul> -<li><a href="#explicitlyusingoptionstopermitcgiexecution">Explicitly using -Options to permit CGI execution</a></li> - -<li><a href="#htaccessfiles">.htaccess files</a></li> -</ul> -</li> -</ul> -</li> - -<li><a href="#writingacgiprogram">Writing a CGI program</a> - -<ul> -<li><a href="#yourfirstcgiprogram">Your first CGI program</a></li> -</ul> -</li> - -<li><a href="#butitsstillnotworking">But it's still not -working!</a> - -<ul> -<li><a href="#filepermissions">File permissions</a></li> - -<li><a href="#pathinformation">Path information</a></li> - -<li><a href="#syntaxerrors">Syntax errors</a></li> - -<li><a href="#errorlogs">Error logs</a></li> -</ul> -</li> - -<li><a href="#whatsgoingonbehindthescenes">What's going on behind -the scenes?</a> - -<ul> -<li><a href="#environmentvariables">Environment variables</a></li> - -<li><a href="#stdinandstdout">STDIN and STDOUT</a></li> -</ul> -</li> - -<li><a href="#cgimoduleslibraries">CGI modules/libraries</a></li> - -<li><a href="#formoreinformation">For more information</a></li> -</ul> - -<!-- INDEX END --> -<hr> -<h2><a name="dynamiccontentwithcgi">Dynamic Content with -CGI</a></h2> - -<table border="1"> -<tr><td valign="top"> -<strong>Related Modules</strong><br><br> - -<a href="../mod/mod_alias.html">mod_alias</a><br> -<a href="../mod/mod_cgi.html">mod_cgi</a><br> - -</td><td valign="top"> -<strong>Related Directives</strong><br><br> - -<a href="../mod/mod_mime.html#addhandler">AddHandler</a><br> -<A HREF="../mod/core.html#options">Options</a><br> -<a href="../mod/mod_alias.html#scriptalias">ScriptAlias</a><br> - -</td></tr></table> - -<p>The CGI (Common Gateway Interface) defines a way for a web server -to interact with external content-generating programs, which are often -referred to as CGI programs or CGI scripts. It is the simplest, and -most common, way to put dynamic content on your web site. This -document will be an introduction to setting up CGI on your Apache web -server, and getting started writing CGI programs.</p> - -<hr> -<h2><a name="configuringapachetopermitcgi">Configuring Apache to -permit CGI</a></h2> - -<p>In order to get your CGI programs to work properly, you'll need to -have Apache configured to permit CGI execution. There are several ways -to do this.</p> - -<h3><a name="scriptalias">ScriptAlias</a></h3> - -<p>The <code>ScriptAlias</code> directive tells Apache that a -particular directory is set aside for CGI programs. Apache will assume -that every file in this directory is a CGI program, and will attempt to -execute it, when that particular resource is requested by a client.</p> - -<p>The <code>ScriptAlias</code> directive looks like:</p> - + <p>The <code>ScriptAlias</code> directive looks like:</p> <pre> ScriptAlias /cgi-bin/ /usr/local/apache/cgi-bin/ </pre> - -<p>The example shown is from your default <code>httpd.conf</code> -configuration file, if you installed Apache in the default location. -The <code>ScriptAlias</code> directive is much like the -<code>Alias</code> directive, which defines a URL prefix that is to -mapped to a particular directory. <code>Alias</code> and -<code>ScriptAlias</code> are usually used for directories that are -outside of the <code>DocumentRoot</code> directory. The difference -between <code>Alias</code> and <code>ScriptAlias</code> is that -<code>ScriptAlias</code> has the added meaning that everything under -that URL prefix will be considered a CGI program. So, the example above -tells Apache that any request for a resource beginning with -<code>/cgi-bin/</code> should be served from the directory -<code>/usr/local/apache/cgi-bin/</code>, and should be treated as a CGI -program.</p> - -<p>For example, if the URL -<code>http://dev.rcbowen.com/cgi-bin/test.pl</code> is requested, -Apache will attempt to execute the file -<code>/usr/local/apache/cgi-bin/test.pl</code> and return the output. -Of course, the file will have to exist, and be executable, and return -output in a particular way, or Apache will return an error message.</p> - -<h3><a name="cgioutsideofscriptaliasdirectories">CGI outside of -ScriptAlias directories</a></h3> - -<p>CGI programs are often restricted to <code>ScriptAlias</code>'ed -directories for security reasons. In this way, administrators can -tightly control who is allowed to use CGI programs. However, if the -proper security precautions are taken, there is no reason why -CGI programs cannot be run from arbitrary directories. For example, -you may wish to let users have web content in their home directories -with the <code>UserDir</code> directive. If they want to have their -own CGI programs, but don't have access to the main -<code>cgi-bin</code> directory, they will need to be able to run CGI -programs elsewhere.</p> - -<h3><a name="explicitlyusingoptionstopermitcgiexecution">Explicitly using -Options to permit CGI execution</a></h3> - -<p>You could explicitly use the <code>Options</code> directive, inside -your main server configuration file, to specify that CGI execution was -permitted in a particular directory:</p> + <p>The example shown is from your default + <code>httpd.conf</code> configuration file, if you installed + Apache in the default location. The <code>ScriptAlias</code> + directive is much like the <code>Alias</code> directive, which + defines a URL prefix that is to mapped to a particular + directory. <code>Alias</code> and <code>ScriptAlias</code> are + usually used for directories that are outside of the + <code>DocumentRoot</code> directory. The difference between + <code>Alias</code> and <code>ScriptAlias</code> is that + <code>ScriptAlias</code> has the added meaning that everything + under that URL prefix will be considered a CGI program. So, the + example above tells Apache that any request for a resource + beginning with <code>/cgi-bin/</code> should be served from the + directory <code>/usr/local/apache/cgi-bin/</code>, and should + be treated as a CGI program.</p> + + <p>For example, if the URL + <code>http://dev.rcbowen.com/cgi-bin/test.pl</code> is + requested, Apache will attempt to execute the file + <code>/usr/local/apache/cgi-bin/test.pl</code> and return the + output. Of course, the file will have to exist, and be + executable, and return output in a particular way, or Apache + will return an error message.</p> + + <h3><a id="cgioutsideofscriptaliasdirectories" + name="cgioutsideofscriptaliasdirectories">CGI outside of + ScriptAlias directories</a></h3> + + <p>CGI programs are often restricted to + <code>ScriptAlias</code>'ed directories for security reasons. + In this way, administrators can tightly control who is allowed + to use CGI programs. However, if the proper security + precautions are taken, there is no reason why CGI programs + cannot be run from arbitrary directories. For example, you may + wish to let users have web content in their home directories + with the <code>UserDir</code> directive. If they want to have + their own CGI programs, but don't have access to the main + <code>cgi-bin</code> directory, they will need to be able to + run CGI programs elsewhere.</p> + + <h3><a id="explicitlyusingoptionstopermitcgiexecution" + name="explicitlyusingoptionstopermitcgiexecution">Explicitly + using Options to permit CGI execution</a></h3> + + <p>You could explicitly use the <code>Options</code> directive, + inside your main server configuration file, to specify that CGI + execution was permitted in a particular directory:</p> <pre> <Directory /usr/local/apache/htdocs/somedir> Options +ExecCGI </Directory> </pre> - -<p>The above directive tells Apache to permit the execution of CGI -files. You will also need to tell the server what files are CGI files. -The following <code>AddHandler</code> directive tells the server -to treat all files with the <code>cgi</code> or <code>pl</code> -extension as CGI programs:</p> + <p>The above directive tells Apache to permit the execution of + CGI files. You will also need to tell the server what files are + CGI files. The following <code>AddHandler</code> directive + tells the server to treat all files with the <code>cgi</code> + or <code>pl</code> extension as CGI programs:</p> <pre> AddHandler cgi-script cgi pl </pre> -<h3><a name="htaccessfiles">.htaccess files</a></h3> + <h3><a id="htaccessfiles" name="htaccessfiles">.htaccess + files</a></h3> -<p>A <code>.htaccess</code> file is a way to set configuration -directives on a per-directory basis. When Apache serves a resource, it -looks in the directory from which it is serving a file for a file -called <code>.htaccess</code>, and, if it finds it, it will apply -directives found therein. <code>.htaccess</code> files can be permitted -with the <code>AllowOverride</code> directive, which specifies what -types of directives can appear in these files, or if they are not -allowed at all. To permit the directive we will need for this purpose, -the following configuration will be needed in your main server -configuration:</p> - + <p>A <code>.htaccess</code> file is a way to set configuration + directives on a per-directory basis. When Apache serves a + resource, it looks in the directory from which it is serving a + file for a file called <code>.htaccess</code>, and, if it finds + it, it will apply directives found therein. + <code>.htaccess</code> files can be permitted with the + <code>AllowOverride</code> directive, which specifies what + types of directives can appear in these files, or if they are + not allowed at all. To permit the directive we will need for + this purpose, the following configuration will be needed in + your main server configuration:</p> <pre> AllowOverride Options </pre> - -<p>In the <code>.htaccess</code> file, you'll need the following -directive:</p> + <p>In the <code>.htaccess</code> file, you'll need the + following directive:</p> <pre> Options +ExecCGI </pre> - -<p>which tells Apache that execution of CGI programs is permitted in -this directory.</p> -<hr> -<h2><a name="writingacgiprogram">Writing a CGI program</a></h2> - -<p>There are two main differences between ``regular'' programming, and -CGI programming.</p> - -<p>First, all output from your CGI program must be preceded by a -MIME-type header. This is HTTP header that tells the client what sort -of content it is receiving. Most of the time, this will look like:</p> - + <p>which tells Apache that execution of CGI programs is + permitted in this directory.</p> + <hr /> + + <h2><a id="writingacgiprogram" + name="writingacgiprogram">Writing a CGI program</a></h2> + + <p>There are two main differences between ``regular'' + programming, and CGI programming.</p> + + <p>First, all output from your CGI program must be preceded by + a MIME-type header. This is HTTP header that tells the client + what sort of content it is receiving. Most of the time, this + will look like:</p> <pre> Content-type: text/html </pre> -<p>Secondly, your output needs to be in HTML, or some other format that -a browser will be able to display. Most of the time, this will be HTML, -but occasionally you might write a CGI program that outputs a gif -image, or other non-HTML content.</p> - -<p>Apart from those two things, writing a CGI program will look a lot -like any other program that you might write.</p> - -<h3><a name="yourfirstcgiprogram">Your first CGI program</a></h3> - -<p>The following is an example CGI program that prints one line to your -browser. Type in the following, save it to a file called -<code>first.pl</code>, and put it in your <code>cgi-bin</code> -directory.</p> - + <p>Secondly, your output needs to be in HTML, or some other + format that a browser will be able to display. Most of the + time, this will be HTML, but occasionally you might write a CGI + program that outputs a gif image, or other non-HTML + content.</p> + + <p>Apart from those two things, writing a CGI program will look + a lot like any other program that you might write.</p> + + <h3><a id="yourfirstcgiprogram" name="yourfirstcgiprogram">Your + first CGI program</a></h3> + + <p>The following is an example CGI program that prints one line + to your browser. Type in the following, save it to a file + called <code>first.pl</code>, and put it in your + <code>cgi-bin</code> directory.</p> <pre> #!/usr/bin/perl print "Content-type: text/html\r\n\r\n"; print "Hello, World."; </pre> - -<p>Even if you are not familiar with Perl, you should be able to see -what is happening here. The first line tells Apache (or whatever shell -you happen to be running under) that this program can be executed by -feeding the file to the interpreter found at the location -<code>/usr/bin/perl</code>. The second line prints the content-type -declaration we talked about, followed by two carriage-return newline -pairs. This puts a blank line after the header, to indicate the end of -the HTTP headers, and the beginning of the body. The third line prints -the string ``Hello, World.'' And that's the end of it.</p> -<p>If you open your favorite browser and tell it to get the address</p> + <p>Even if you are not familiar with Perl, you should be able + to see what is happening here. The first line tells Apache (or + whatever shell you happen to be running under) that this + program can be executed by feeding the file to the interpreter + found at the location <code>/usr/bin/perl</code>. The second + line prints the content-type declaration we talked about, + followed by two carriage-return newline pairs. This puts a + blank line after the header, to indicate the end of the HTTP + headers, and the beginning of the body. The third line prints + the string ``Hello, World.'' And that's the end of it.</p> + <p>If you open your favorite browser and tell it to get the + address</p> <pre> http://www.example.com/cgi-bin/first.pl </pre> - -<p>or wherever you put your file, you will see the one line -<code>Hello, World.</code> appear in your browser window. It's not very -exciting, but once you get that working, you'll have a good chance of -getting just about anything working.</p> - -<hr> -<h2><a name="butitsstillnotworking">But it's still not -working!</a></h2> - -<p>There are four basic things that you may see in your browser when -you try to access your CGI program from the web:</p> - -<dl> -<dt>The output of your CGI program</dt> -<dd>Great! That means everything worked fine.<br><br></dd> - -<dt>The source code of your CGI program or a "POST Method Not Allowed" -message</dt> -<dd>That means that you have not properly configured -Apache to process your CGI program. Reread the section on <a -href="#configuringapachetopermitcgi">configuring Apache</a> and try to -find what you missed.<br><br></dd> - -<dt>A message starting with "Forbidden"</dt> <dd>That means that there -is a permissions problem. Check the <a href="#errorlogs">Apache -error log</a> and the section below on <a -href="#filepermissions">file permissions</a>.<br><br></dd> - -<dt>A message saying "Internal Server Error"</dt> <dd>If you check the -<a href="#errorlogs">Apache error log</a>, you will probably find -that it says "Premature end of script headers", possibly along with an -error message generated by your CGI program. In this case, you will -want to check each of the below sections to see what might be preventing -your CGI program from emitting the proper HTTP headers.</dd> -</dl> - - -<h3><a name="filepermissions">File permissions</a></h3> - -<p>Remember that the server does not run as you. That is, when the -server starts up, it is running with the permissions of an unprivileged -user - usually ``nobody'', or ``www'' - and so it will need extra -permissions to execute files that are owned by you. Usually, the way to -give a file sufficient permissions to be executed by ``nobody'' is to -give everyone execute permission on the file:</p> + <p>or wherever you put your file, you will see the one line + <code>Hello, World.</code> appear in your browser window. It's + not very exciting, but once you get that working, you'll have a + good chance of getting just about anything working.</p> + <hr /> + + <h2><a id="butitsstillnotworking" + name="butitsstillnotworking">But it's still not + working!</a></h2> + + <p>There are four basic things that you may see in your browser + when you try to access your CGI program from the web:</p> + + <dl> + <dt>The output of your CGI program</dt> + + <dd>Great! That means everything worked fine.<br /> + <br /> + </dd> + + <dt>The source code of your CGI program or a "POST Method Not + Allowed" message</dt> + + <dd>That means that you have not properly configured Apache + to process your CGI program. Reread the section on <a + href="#configuringapachetopermitcgi">configuring Apache</a> + and try to find what you missed.<br /> + <br /> + </dd> + + <dt>A message starting with "Forbidden"</dt> + + <dd>That means that there is a permissions problem. Check the + <a href="#errorlogs">Apache error log</a> and the section + below on <a href="#filepermissions">file + permissions</a>.<br /> + <br /> + </dd> + + <dt>A message saying "Internal Server Error"</dt> + + <dd>If you check the <a href="#errorlogs">Apache error + log</a>, you will probably find that it says "Premature end + of script headers", possibly along with an error message + generated by your CGI program. In this case, you will want to + check each of the below sections to see what might be + preventing your CGI program from emitting the proper HTTP + headers.</dd> + </dl> + + <h3><a id="filepermissions" name="filepermissions">File + permissions</a></h3> + + <p>Remember that the server does not run as you. That is, when + the server starts up, it is running with the permissions of an + unprivileged user - usually ``nobody'', or ``www'' - and so it + will need extra permissions to execute files that are owned by + you. Usually, the way to give a file sufficient permissions to + be executed by ``nobody'' is to give everyone execute + permission on the file:</p> <pre> chmod a+x first.pl </pre> -<p>Also, if your program reads from, or writes to, any other files, -those files will need to have the correct permissions to permit -this.</p> - -<p>The exception to this is when the server is configured to use <a -href="../suexec.html">suexec</a>. This program allows CGI programs to -be run under different user permissions, depending on which virtual -host or user home directory they are located in. Suexec has very -strict permission checking, and any failure in that checking will -result in your CGI programs failing with an "Internal Server Error". -In this case, you will need to check the suexec log file to see what -specific security check is failing.</p> - -<h3><a name="pathinformation">Path information</a></h3> - -<p>When you run a program from your command line, you have certain -information that is passed to the shell without you thinking about it. -For example, you have a path, which tells the shell where it can look -for files that you reference.</p> - -<p>When a program runs through the web server as a CGI program, it does -not have that path. Any programs that you invoke in your CGI program -(like 'sendmail', for example) will need to be specified by a full -path, so that the shell can find them when it attempts to execute your -CGI program.</p> - -<p>A common manifestation of this is the path to the script interpreter -(often <code>perl</code>) indicated in the first line of your CGI -program, which will look something like:</p> - + <p>Also, if your program reads from, or writes to, any other + files, those files will need to have the correct permissions to + permit this.</p> + + <p>The exception to this is when the server is configured to + use <a href="../suexec.html">suexec</a>. This program allows + CGI programs to be run under different user permissions, + depending on which virtual host or user home directory they are + located in. Suexec has very strict permission checking, and any + failure in that checking will result in your CGI programs + failing with an "Internal Server Error". In this case, you will + need to check the suexec log file to see what specific security + check is failing.</p> + + <h3><a id="pathinformation" name="pathinformation">Path + information</a></h3> + + <p>When you run a program from your command line, you have + certain information that is passed to the shell without you + thinking about it. For example, you have a path, which tells + the shell where it can look for files that you reference.</p> + + <p>When a program runs through the web server as a CGI program, + it does not have that path. Any programs that you invoke in + your CGI program (like 'sendmail', for example) will need to be + specified by a full path, so that the shell can find them when + it attempts to execute your CGI program.</p> + + <p>A common manifestation of this is the path to the script + interpreter (often <code>perl</code>) indicated in the first + line of your CGI program, which will look something like:</p> <pre> #!/usr/bin/perl </pre> - -<p>Make sure that this is in fact the path to the interpreter.</p> -<h3><a name="syntaxerrors">Syntax errors</a></h3> + <p>Make sure that this is in fact the path to the + interpreter.</p> -<p>Most of the time when a CGI program fails, it's because of a problem -with the program itself. This is particularly true once you get the -hang of this CGI stuff, and no longer make the above two mistakes. -Always attempt to run your program from the command line before you -test if via a browser. This will eliminate most of your problems.</p> - -<h3><a name="errorlogs">Error logs</a></h3> - -<p>The error logs are your friend. Anything that goes wrong generates -message in the error log. You should always look there first. If the -place where you are hosting your web site does not permit you access to -the error log, you should probably host your site somewhere else. Learn -to read the error logs, and you'll find that almost all of your -problems are quickly identified, and quickly solved.</p> - -<hr> -<h2><a name="whatsgoingonbehindthescenes">What's going on behind -the scenes?</a></h2> - -<p>As you become more advanced in CGI programming, it will become -useful to understand more about what's happening behind the scenes. -Specifically, how the browser and server communicate with one another. -Because although it's all very well to write a program that prints -``Hello, World.'', it's not particularly useful.</p> - -<h3><a name="environmentvariables">Environment variables</a></h3> - -<p>Environment variables are values that float around you as you use -your computer. They are useful things like your path (where the -computer searches for a the actual file implementing a command when you -type it), your username, your terminal type, and so on. For a full list -of your normal, every day environment variables, type <code>env</code> -at a command prompt.</p> - -<p>During the CGI transaction, the server and the browser also set -environment variables, so that they can communicate with one another. -These are things like the browser type (Netscape, IE, Lynx), the server -type (Apache, IIS, WebSite), the name of the CGI program that is being -run, and so on.</p> - -<p>These variables are available to the CGI programmer, and are half of -the story of the client-server communication. The complete list of -required variables is at <a href= -"http://hoohoo.ncsa.uiuc.edu/cgi/env.html">http://hoohoo.ncsa.uiuc.edu/cgi/env.html</a></p> - -<p>This simple Perl CGI program will display all of the environment -variables that are being passed around. Two similar programs are -included in the <code>cgi-bin</code> directory of the Apache -distribution. Note that some variables are required, while others are -optional, so you may see some variables listed that were not in the -official list. In addition, Apache provides many different ways for -you to <a href="../env.html">add your own environment variables</a> to -the basic ones provided by default.</p> + <h3><a id="syntaxerrors" name="syntaxerrors">Syntax + errors</a></h3> + <p>Most of the time when a CGI program fails, it's because of a + problem with the program itself. This is particularly true once + you get the hang of this CGI stuff, and no longer make the + above two mistakes. Always attempt to run your program from the + command line before you test if via a browser. This will + eliminate most of your problems.</p> + + <h3><a id="errorlogs" name="errorlogs">Error logs</a></h3> + + <p>The error logs are your friend. Anything that goes wrong + generates message in the error log. You should always look + there first. If the place where you are hosting your web site + does not permit you access to the error log, you should + probably host your site somewhere else. Learn to read the error + logs, and you'll find that almost all of your problems are + quickly identified, and quickly solved.</p> + <hr /> + + <h2><a id="whatsgoingonbehindthescenes" + name="whatsgoingonbehindthescenes">What's going on behind the + scenes?</a></h2> + + <p>As you become more advanced in CGI programming, it will + become useful to understand more about what's happening behind + the scenes. Specifically, how the browser and server + communicate with one another. Because although it's all very + well to write a program that prints ``Hello, World.'', it's not + particularly useful.</p> + + <h3><a id="environmentvariables" + name="environmentvariables">Environment variables</a></h3> + + <p>Environment variables are values that float around you as + you use your computer. They are useful things like your path + (where the computer searches for a the actual file implementing + a command when you type it), your username, your terminal type, + and so on. For a full list of your normal, every day + environment variables, type <code>env</code> at a command + prompt.</p> + + <p>During the CGI transaction, the server and the browser also + set environment variables, so that they can communicate with + one another. These are things like the browser type (Netscape, + IE, Lynx), the server type (Apache, IIS, WebSite), the name of + the CGI program that is being run, and so on.</p> + + <p>These variables are available to the CGI programmer, and are + half of the story of the client-server communication. The + complete list of required variables is at <a + href="http://hoohoo.ncsa.uiuc.edu/cgi/env.html">http://hoohoo.ncsa.uiuc.edu/cgi/env.html</a></p> + + <p>This simple Perl CGI program will display all of the + environment variables that are being passed around. Two similar + programs are included in the <code>cgi-bin</code> directory of + the Apache distribution. Note that some variables are required, + while others are optional, so you may see some variables listed + that were not in the official list. In addition, Apache + provides many different ways for you to <a + href="../env.html">add your own environment variables</a> to + the basic ones provided by default.</p> <pre> #!/usr/bin/perl print "Content-type: text/html\n\n"; @@ -407,93 +456,97 @@ print "$key --> $ENV{$key}<br>"; } </pre> - -<h3><a name="stdinandstdout">STDIN and STDOUT</a></h3> -<p>Other communication between the server and the client happens over -standard input (<code>STDIN</code>) and standard output -(<code>STDOUT</code>). In normal everyday context, <code>STDIN</code> -means the keyboard, or a file that a program is given to act on, and -<code>STDOUT</code> usually means the console or screen.</p> - -<p>When you <code>POST</code> a web form to a CGI program, the data in -that form is bundled up into a special format and gets delivered to -your CGI program over <code>STDIN</code>. The program then can process -that data as though it was coming in from the keyboard, or from a -file</p> - -<p>The ``special format'' is very simple. A field name and its value -are joined together with an equals (=) sign, and pairs of values are -joined together with an ampersand (&). Inconvenient characters like -spaces, ampersands, and equals signs, are converted into their hex -equivalent so that they don't gum up the works. The whole data string -might look something like:</p> + <h3><a id="stdinandstdout" name="stdinandstdout">STDIN and + STDOUT</a></h3> + <p>Other communication between the server and the client + happens over standard input (<code>STDIN</code>) and standard + output (<code>STDOUT</code>). In normal everyday context, + <code>STDIN</code> means the keyboard, or a file that a program + is given to act on, and <code>STDOUT</code> usually means the + console or screen.</p> + + <p>When you <code>POST</code> a web form to a CGI program, the + data in that form is bundled up into a special format and gets + delivered to your CGI program over <code>STDIN</code>. The + program then can process that data as though it was coming in + from the keyboard, or from a file</p> + + <p>The ``special format'' is very simple. A field name and its + value are joined together with an equals (=) sign, and pairs of + values are joined together with an ampersand (&). + Inconvenient characters like spaces, ampersands, and equals + signs, are converted into their hex equivalent so that they + don't gum up the works. The whole data string might look + something like:</p> <pre> name=Rich%20Bowen&city=Lexington&state=KY&sidekick=Squirrel%20Monkey </pre> - -<p>You'll sometimes also see this type of string appended to the a URL. -When that is done, the server puts that string into the environment -variable called <code>QUERY_STRING</code>. That's called a -<code>GET</code> request. Your HTML form specifies whether a -<code>GET</code> or a <code>POST</code> is used to deliver the data, by -setting the <code>METHOD</code> attribute in the <code>FORM</code> -tag.</p> - -<p>Your program is then responsible for splitting that string up into -useful information. Fortunately, there are libraries and modules -available to help you process this data, as well as handle other of the -aspects of your CGI program.</p> - -<hr> -<h2><a name="cgimoduleslibraries">CGI modules/libraries</a></h2> - -<p>When you write CGI programs, you should consider using a code -library, or module, to do most of the grunt work for you. This leads to -fewer errors, and faster development.</p> - -<p>If you're writing CGI programs in Perl, modules are available on <a -href="http://www.cpan.org/">CPAN</a>. The most popular module for this -purpose is CGI.pm. You might also consider CGI::Lite, which implements -a minimal set of functionality, which is all you need in most -programs.</p> - -<p>If you're writing CGI programs in C, there are a variety of options. -One of these is the CGIC library, from <a href= -"http://www.boutell.com/cgic/">http://www.boutell.com/cgic/</a></p> - -<hr> -<h2><a name="formoreinformation">For more information</a></h2> - -<p>There are a large number of CGI resources on the web. You can -discuss CGI problems with other users on the Usenet group -comp.infosystems.www.authoring.cgi. And the -servers mailing list from -the HTML Writers Guild is a great source of answers to your questions. -You can find out more at <a href= -"http://www.hwg.org/lists/hwg-servers/">http://www.hwg.org/lists/hwg-servers/</a></p> - -<p>And, of course, you should probably read the CGI specification, -which has all the details on the operation of CGI programs. You can -find the original version at the <a href= -"http://hoohoo.ncsa.uiuc.edu/cgi/interface.html">NCSA</a> and there is -an updated draft at the <a -href="http://web.golux.com/coar/cgi/">Common Gateway Interface RFC -project</a>.</p> - -<p>When you post a question about a CGI problem that you're having, -whether to a mailing list, or to a newsgroup, make sure you provide -enough information about what happened, what you expected to happen, -and how what actually happened was different, what server you're -running, what language your CGI program was in, and, if possible, the -offending code. This will make finding your problem much simpler.</p> - -<p>Note that questions about CGI problems should <strong>never</strong> -be posted to the Apache bug database unless you are sure you have found -a problem in the Apache source code.</p> - -<!--#include virtual="footer.html" --> -</body> + <p>You'll sometimes also see this type of string appended to + the a URL. When that is done, the server puts that string into + the environment variable called <code>QUERY_STRING</code>. + That's called a <code>GET</code> request. Your HTML form + specifies whether a <code>GET</code> or a <code>POST</code> is + used to deliver the data, by setting the <code>METHOD</code> + attribute in the <code>FORM</code> tag.</p> + + <p>Your program is then responsible for splitting that string + up into useful information. Fortunately, there are libraries + and modules available to help you process this data, as well as + handle other of the aspects of your CGI program.</p> + <hr /> + + <h2><a id="cgimoduleslibraries" name="cgimoduleslibraries">CGI + modules/libraries</a></h2> + + <p>When you write CGI programs, you should consider using a + code library, or module, to do most of the grunt work for you. + This leads to fewer errors, and faster development.</p> + + <p>If you're writing CGI programs in Perl, modules are + available on <a href="http://www.cpan.org/">CPAN</a>. The most + popular module for this purpose is CGI.pm. You might also + consider CGI::Lite, which implements a minimal set of + functionality, which is all you need in most programs.</p> + + <p>If you're writing CGI programs in C, there are a variety of + options. One of these is the CGIC library, from <a + href="http://www.boutell.com/cgic/">http://www.boutell.com/cgic/</a></p> + <hr /> + + <h2><a id="formoreinformation" name="formoreinformation">For + more information</a></h2> + + <p>There are a large number of CGI resources on the web. You + can discuss CGI problems with other users on the Usenet group + comp.infosystems.www.authoring.cgi. And the -servers mailing + list from the HTML Writers Guild is a great source of answers + to your questions. You can find out more at <a + href="http://www.hwg.org/lists/hwg-servers/">http://www.hwg.org/lists/hwg-servers/</a></p> + + <p>And, of course, you should probably read the CGI + specification, which has all the details on the operation of + CGI programs. You can find the original version at the <a + href="http://hoohoo.ncsa.uiuc.edu/cgi/interface.html">NCSA</a> + and there is an updated draft at the <a + href="http://web.golux.com/coar/cgi/">Common Gateway Interface + RFC project</a>.</p> + + <p>When you post a question about a CGI problem that you're + having, whether to a mailing list, or to a newsgroup, make sure + you provide enough information about what happened, what you + expected to happen, and how what actually happened was + different, what server you're running, what language your CGI + program was in, and, if possible, the offending code. This will + make finding your problem much simpler.</p> + + <p>Note that questions about CGI problems should + <strong>never</strong> be posted to the Apache bug database + unless you are sure you have found a problem in the Apache + source code.</p> + <!--#include virtual="footer.html" --> + </body> </html> 1.2 +3 -0 httpd-docs-1.3/htdocs/manual/howto/cgi.html.html Index: cgi.html.html =================================================================== RCS file: /home/cvs/httpd-docs-1.3/htdocs/manual/howto/cgi.html.html,v retrieving revision 1.1 retrieving revision 1.2 diff -u -r1.1 -r1.2 --- cgi.html.html 2001/02/10 21:59:15 1.1 +++ cgi.html.html 2001/10/08 01:23:28 1.2 @@ -1 +1,4 @@ +<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN" + "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd"> <!--#include virtual="cgi.html.en" --> + 1.2 +17 -6 httpd-docs-1.3/htdocs/manual/howto/footer.html Index: footer.html =================================================================== RCS file: /home/cvs/httpd-docs-1.3/htdocs/manual/howto/footer.html,v retrieving revision 1.1 retrieving revision 1.2 diff -u -r1.1 -r1.2 --- footer.html 2000/11/05 20:59:14 1.1 +++ footer.html 2001/10/08 01:23:28 1.2 @@ -1,8 +1,19 @@ -<HR> +<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" + "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"> -<H3 ALIGN="CENTER"> - Apache HTTP Server Version 1.3 -</H3> +<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"> + <head> + <meta name="generator" content="HTML Tidy, see www.w3.org" /> -<A HREF="./"><IMG SRC="../images/index.gif" ALT="Index"></A> -<A HREF="../"><IMG SRC="../images/home.gif" ALT="Home"></A> + <title></title> + </head> + + <body> + <hr /> + + <h3 align="CENTER">Apache HTTP Server Version 1.3</h3> + <a href="./"><img src="../images/index.gif" alt="Index" /></a> + <a href="../"><img src="../images/home.gif" alt="Home" /></a> + </body> +</html> + 1.2 +19 -6 httpd-docs-1.3/htdocs/manual/howto/header.html Index: header.html =================================================================== RCS file: /home/cvs/httpd-docs-1.3/htdocs/manual/howto/header.html,v retrieving revision 1.1 retrieving revision 1.2 diff -u -r1.1 -r1.2 --- header.html 2000/11/05 20:59:14 1.1 +++ header.html 2001/10/08 01:23:28 1.2 @@ -1,6 +1,19 @@ -<DIV ALIGN="CENTER"> - <IMG SRC="../images/sub.gif" ALT="[APACHE DOCUMENTATION]"> - <H3> - Apache HTTP Server Version 1.3 - </H3> -</DIV> +<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" + "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"> + +<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"> + <head> + <meta name="generator" content="HTML Tidy, see www.w3.org" /> + + <title></title> + </head> + + <body> + <div align="CENTER"> + <img src="../images/sub.gif" alt="[APACHE DOCUMENTATION]" /> + + <h3>Apache HTTP Server Version 1.3</h3> + </div> + </body> +</html> + 1.8 +423 -394 httpd-docs-1.3/htdocs/manual/howto/ssi.html.en Index: ssi.html.en =================================================================== RCS file: /home/cvs/httpd-docs-1.3/htdocs/manual/howto/ssi.html.en,v retrieving revision 1.7 retrieving revision 1.8 diff -u -r1.7 -r1.8 --- ssi.html.en 2001/01/24 18:13:37 1.7 +++ ssi.html.en 2001/10/08 01:23:28 1.8 @@ -1,492 +1,521 @@ -<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 3.2 Final//EN"> -<html> -<head> -<title>Apache Tutorial: Introduction to Server Side Includes</title> -<link rev="made" href="mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]"> -</head> -<!-- Background white, links blue (unvisited), navy (visited), red (active) --> -<body bgcolor="#FFFFFF" text="#000000" link="#0000FF" vlink="#000080" -alink="#FF0000"> -<!--#include virtual="header.html" --> -<h1 align="CENTER">Apache Tutorial: Introduction to Server Side -Includes</h1> - -<a name="__index__"></a> <!-- INDEX BEGIN --> - - -<ul> -<li><a href= -"#apachetutorial:introductiontoserversideincludes">Apache -Tutorial: Introduction to Server Side Includes</a></li> - -<li><a href="#whataressi">What are SSI?</a></li> - -<li><a href="#configuringyourservertopermitssi">Configuring your -server to permit SSI</a></li> - -<li><a href="#basicssidirectives">Basic SSI directives</a> - -<ul> - <li><a href="#today'sdate">Today's date</a></li> - - <li><a href="#modificationdateofthefile">Modification date of the -file</a></li> - - <li><a href="#includingtheresultsofacgiprogram">Including the -results of a CGI program</a></li> -</ul> -</li> - -<li><a href="#additionalexamples">Additional examples</a> - -<ul> -<li><a href="#whenwasthisdocumentmodified">When was this document -modified?</a></li> - -<li><a href="#includingastandardfooter">Including a standard -footer</a></li> - -<li><a href="#whatelsecaniconfig">What else can I config?</a></li> - -<li><a href="#executingcommands">Executing commands</a></li> -</ul> -</li> - -<li><a href="#advancedssitechniques">Advanced SSI techniques</a> - -<ul> -<li><a href="#settingvariables">Setting variables</a></li> - -<li><a href="#conditionalexpressions">Conditional expressions</a></li> -</ul> -</li> - -<li><a href="#conclusion">Conclusion</a></li> -</ul> - -<!-- INDEX END --> -<hr> -<h2><a name= -"apachetutorial:introductiontoserversideincludes">Apache -Tutorial: Introduction to Server Side Includes</a></h2> - -<table border="1"> -<tr> -<td valign="top"><strong>Related Modules</strong><br> -<br> - <a href="../mod/mod_include.html">mod_include</a><br> -<a href="../mod/mod_cgi.html">mod_cgi</a><br> -<a href="../mod/mod_expires.html">mod_expires</a><br> - </td> -<td valign="top"><strong>Related Directives</strong><br> -<br> - <a href="../mod/core.html#options">Options</a><br> -<a href="../mod/mod_include.html#xbithack">XBitHack</a><br> -<a href="../mod/mod_mime.html#addtype">AddType</a><br> -<a href="../mod/mod_mime.html#addhandler">AddHandler</a><br> -<a href= -"../mod/mod_setenvif.html#BrowserMatchNoCase">BrowserMatchNoCase</a><br> - - </td> -</tr> -</table> - -<p>This HOWTO first appeared in Apache Today -(http://www.apachetoday.com/) as a series of three articles. They -appear here by arrangement with ApacheToday and Internet.com.</p> - -<p>This article deals with Server Side Includes, usually called simply -SSI. In this article, I'll talk about configuring your server to permit -SSI, and introduce some basic SSI techniques for adding dynamic content -to your existing HTML pages.</p> - -<p>In the latter part of the article, we'll talk about some of the -somewhat more advanced things that can be done with SSI, such as -conditional statements in your SSI directives.</p> - -<hr> -<h2><a name="whataressi">What are SSI?</a></h2> - -<p>SSI (Server Side Includes) are directives that are placed in HTML -pages, and evaluated on the server while the pages are being served. -They let you add dynamically generated content to an existing HTML -page, without having to serve the entire page via a CGI program, or -other dynamic technology.</p> - -<p>The decision of when to use SSI, and when to have your page entirely -generated by some program, is usually a matter of how much of the page -is static, and how much needs to be recalculated every time the page is -served. SSI is a great way to add small pieces of information, such as -the current time. But if a majority of your page is being generated at -the time that it is served, you need to look for some other -solution.</p> - -<hr> -<h2><a name="configuringyourservertopermitssi">Configuring your -server to permit SSI</a></h2> - -<p>To permit SSI on your server, you must have the following directive -either in your <code>httpd.conf</code> file, or in a -<code>.htaccess</code> file:</p> +<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" + "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"> +<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"> + <head> + <meta name="generator" content="HTML Tidy, see www.w3.org" /> + + <title>Apache Tutorial: Introduction to Server Side + Includes</title> + <link rev="made" href="mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]" /> + </head> + <!-- Background white, links blue (unvisited), navy (visited), red (active) --> + + <body bgcolor="#FFFFFF" text="#000000" link="#0000FF" + vlink="#000080" alink="#FF0000"> + <!--#include virtual="header.html" --> + + <h1 align="CENTER">Apache Tutorial: Introduction to Server Side + Includes</h1> + <a id="__index__" name="__index__"></a> <!-- INDEX BEGIN --> + + + <ul> + <li><a + href="#apachetutorial:introductiontoserversideincludes">Apache + Tutorial: Introduction to Server Side Includes</a></li> + + <li><a href="#whataressi">What are SSI?</a></li> + + <li><a href="#configuringyourservertopermitssi">Configuring + your server to permit SSI</a></li> + + <li> + <a href="#basicssidirectives">Basic SSI directives</a> + + <ul> + <li><a href="#today'sdate">Today's date</a></li> + + <li><a href="#modificationdateofthefile">Modification + date of the file</a></li> + + <li><a href="#includingtheresultsofacgiprogram">Including + the results of a CGI program</a></li> + </ul> + </li> + + <li> + <a href="#additionalexamples">Additional examples</a> + + <ul> + <li><a href="#whenwasthisdocumentmodified">When was this + document modified?</a></li> + + <li><a href="#includingastandardfooter">Including a + standard footer</a></li> + + <li><a href="#whatelsecaniconfig">What else can I + config?</a></li> + + <li><a href="#executingcommands">Executing + commands</a></li> + </ul> + </li> + + <li> + <a href="#advancedssitechniques">Advanced SSI + techniques</a> + + <ul> + <li><a href="#settingvariables">Setting + variables</a></li> + + <li><a href="#conditionalexpressions">Conditional + expressions</a></li> + </ul> + </li> + + <li><a href="#conclusion">Conclusion</a></li> + </ul> + <!-- INDEX END --> + <hr /> + + <h2><a id="apachetutorial:introductiontoserversideincludes" + name="apachetutorial:introductiontoserversideincludes">Apache + Tutorial: Introduction to Server Side Includes</a></h2> + + <table border="1"> + <tr> + <td valign="top"><strong>Related Modules</strong><br /> + <br /> + <a href="../mod/mod_include.html">mod_include</a><br /> + <a href="../mod/mod_cgi.html">mod_cgi</a><br /> + <a href="../mod/mod_expires.html">mod_expires</a><br /> + </td> + + <td valign="top"><strong>Related Directives</strong><br /> + <br /> + <a href="../mod/core.html#options">Options</a><br /> + <a + href="../mod/mod_include.html#xbithack">XBitHack</a><br /> + <a href="../mod/mod_mime.html#addtype">AddType</a><br /> + <a + href="../mod/mod_mime.html#addhandler">AddHandler</a><br /> + <a + href="../mod/mod_setenvif.html#BrowserMatchNoCase">BrowserMatchNoCase</a><br /> + </td> + </tr> + </table> + + <p>This HOWTO first appeared in Apache Today + (http://www.apachetoday.com/) as a series of three articles. + They appear here by arrangement with ApacheToday and + Internet.com.</p> + + <p>This article deals with Server Side Includes, usually called + simply SSI. In this article, I'll talk about configuring your + server to permit SSI, and introduce some basic SSI techniques + for adding dynamic content to your existing HTML pages.</p> + + <p>In the latter part of the article, we'll talk about some of + the somewhat more advanced things that can be done with SSI, + such as conditional statements in your SSI directives.</p> + <hr /> + + <h2><a id="whataressi" name="whataressi">What are SSI?</a></h2> + + <p>SSI (Server Side Includes) are directives that are placed in + HTML pages, and evaluated on the server while the pages are + being served. They let you add dynamically generated content to + an existing HTML page, without having to serve the entire page + via a CGI program, or other dynamic technology.</p> + + <p>The decision of when to use SSI, and when to have your page + entirely generated by some program, is usually a matter of how + much of the page is static, and how much needs to be + recalculated every time the page is served. SSI is a great way + to add small pieces of information, such as the current time. + But if a majority of your page is being generated at the time + that it is served, you need to look for some other + solution.</p> + <hr /> + + <h2><a id="configuringyourservertopermitssi" + name="configuringyourservertopermitssi">Configuring your server + to permit SSI</a></h2> + + <p>To permit SSI on your server, you must have the following + directive either in your <code>httpd.conf</code> file, or in a + <code>.htaccess</code> file:</p> <pre> Options +Includes </pre> -<p>This tells Apache that you want to permit files to be parsed for SSI -directives.</p> + <p>This tells Apache that you want to permit files to be parsed + for SSI directives.</p> -<p>Not just any file is parsed for SSI directives. You have to tell -Apache which files should be parsed. There are two ways to do this. You -can tell Apache to parse any file with a particular file extension, -such as <code>.shtml</code>, with the following directives:</p> - + <p>Not just any file is parsed for SSI directives. You have to + tell Apache which files should be parsed. There are two ways to + do this. You can tell Apache to parse any file with a + particular file extension, such as <code>.shtml</code>, with + the following directives:</p> <pre> AddType text/html .shtml AddHandler server-parsed .shtml </pre> - -<p>One disadvantage to this approach is that if you wanted to add SSI -directives to an existing page, you would have to change the name of -that page, and all links to that page, in order to give it a -<code>.shtml</code> extension, so that those directives would be -executed.</p> -<p>The other method is to use the <code>XBitHack</code> directive:</p> + <p>One disadvantage to this approach is that if you wanted to + add SSI directives to an existing page, you would have to + change the name of that page, and all links to that page, in + order to give it a <code>.shtml</code> extension, so that those + directives would be executed.</p> + <p>The other method is to use the <code>XBitHack</code> + directive:</p> <pre> XBitHack on </pre> -<p><code>XBitHack</code> tells Apache to parse files for SSI directives -if they have the execute bit set. So, to add SSI directives to an -existing page, rather than having to change the file name, you would -just need to make the file executable using <code>chmod</code>.</p> - + <p><code>XBitHack</code> tells Apache to parse files for SSI + directives if they have the execute bit set. So, to add SSI + directives to an existing page, rather than having to change + the file name, you would just need to make the file executable + using <code>chmod</code>.</p> <pre> chmod +x pagename.html </pre> - -<p>A brief comment about what not to do. You'll occasionally see people -recommending that you just tell Apache to parse all <code>.html</code> -files for SSI, so that you don't have to mess with <code>.shtml</code> -file names. These folks have perhaps not heard about -<code>XBitHack</code>. The thing to keep in mind is that, by doing -this, you're requiring that Apache read through every single file that -it sends out to clients, even if they don't contain any SSI directives. -This can slow things down quite a bit, and is not a good idea.</p> - -<p>Of course, on Windows, there is no such thing as an execute bit to -set, so that limits your options a little.</p> - -<p>In its default configuration, Apache does not send the last modified -date or content length HTTP headers on SSI pages, because these values are -difficult to calculate for dynamic content. This can prevent your -document from being cached, and result in slower perceived client -performance. There are two ways to solve this:</p> - -<ol> - -<li>Use the <code>XBitHack Full</code> configuration. This tells -Apache to determine the last modified date by looking only at the date -of the originally requested file, ignoring the modification date of -any included files. </li> - -<li>Use the directives provided by <a -href="../mod/mod_expires.html">mod_expires</a> to set an explicit -expiration time on your files, thereby letting browsers and proxies -know that it is acceptable to cache them. </li> -</ol> + <p>A brief comment about what not to do. You'll occasionally + see people recommending that you just tell Apache to parse all + <code>.html</code> files for SSI, so that you don't have to + mess with <code>.shtml</code> file names. These folks have + perhaps not heard about <code>XBitHack</code>. The thing to + keep in mind is that, by doing this, you're requiring that + Apache read through every single file that it sends out to + clients, even if they don't contain any SSI directives. This + can slow things down quite a bit, and is not a good idea.</p> + + <p>Of course, on Windows, there is no such thing as an execute + bit to set, so that limits your options a little.</p> + + <p>In its default configuration, Apache does not send the last + modified date or content length HTTP headers on SSI pages, + because these values are difficult to calculate for dynamic + content. This can prevent your document from being cached, and + result in slower perceived client performance. There are two + ways to solve this:</p> + + <ol> + <li>Use the <code>XBitHack Full</code> configuration. This + tells Apache to determine the last modified date by looking + only at the date of the originally requested file, ignoring + the modification date of any included files.</li> + + <li>Use the directives provided by <a + href="../mod/mod_expires.html">mod_expires</a> to set an + explicit expiration time on your files, thereby letting + browsers and proxies know that it is acceptable to cache + them.</li> + </ol> + <hr /> + <h2><a id="basicssidirectives" name="basicssidirectives">Basic + SSI directives</a></h2> -<hr> -<h2><a name="basicssidirectives">Basic SSI directives</a></h2> - -<p>SSI directives have the following syntax:</p> - + <p>SSI directives have the following syntax:</p> <pre> <!--#element attribute=value attribute=value ... --> </pre> - -<p>It is formatted like an HTML comment, so if you don't have SSI -correctly enabled, the browser will ignore it, but it will still be -visible in the HTML source. If you have SSI correctly configured, the -directive will be replaced with its results.</p> - -<p>The element can be one of a number of things, and we'll talk some -more about most of these in the next installment of this series. For -now, here are some examples of what you can do with SSI</p> -<h3><a name="today'sdate">Today's date</a></h3> + <p>It is formatted like an HTML comment, so if you don't have + SSI correctly enabled, the browser will ignore it, but it will + still be visible in the HTML source. If you have SSI correctly + configured, the directive will be replaced with its + results.</p> + + <p>The element can be one of a number of things, and we'll talk + some more about most of these in the next installment of this + series. For now, here are some examples of what you can do with + SSI</p> + <h3><a id="today'sdate" name="today'sdate">Today's + date</a></h3> <pre> <!--#echo var="DATE_LOCAL" --> </pre> -<p>The <code>echo</code> element just spits out the value of a -variable. There are a number of standard variables, which include the -whole set of environment variables that are available to CGI programs. -Also, you can define your own variables with the <code>set</code> -element.</p> - -<p>If you don't like the format in which the date gets printed, you can -use the <code>config</code> element, with a <code>timefmt</code> -attribute, to modify that formatting.</p> - + <p>The <code>echo</code> element just spits out the value of a + variable. There are a number of standard variables, which + include the whole set of environment variables that are + available to CGI programs. Also, you can define your own + variables with the <code>set</code> element.</p> + + <p>If you don't like the format in which the date gets printed, + you can use the <code>config</code> element, with a + <code>timefmt</code> attribute, to modify that formatting.</p> <pre> <!--#config timefmt="%A %B %d, %Y" --> Today is <!--#echo var="DATE_LOCAL" --> </pre> - -<h3><a name="modificationdateofthefile">Modification date of the -file</a></h3> + <h3><a id="modificationdateofthefile" + name="modificationdateofthefile">Modification date of the + file</a></h3> <pre> This document last modified <!--#flastmod file="index.html" --> </pre> - -<p>This element is also subject to <code>timefmt</code> format -configurations.</p> -<h3><a name="includingtheresultsofacgiprogram">Including the -results of a CGI program</a></h3> + <p>This element is also subject to <code>timefmt</code> format + configurations.</p> -<p>This is one of the more common uses of SSI - to output the results -of a CGI program, such as everybody's favorite, a ``hit counter.''</p> - + <h3><a id="includingtheresultsofacgiprogram" + name="includingtheresultsofacgiprogram">Including the results + of a CGI program</a></h3> + + <p>This is one of the more common uses of SSI - to output the + results of a CGI program, such as everybody's favorite, a ``hit + counter.''</p> <pre> <!--#include virtual="/cgi-bin/counter.pl" --> </pre> - -<hr> -<h2><a name="additionalexamples">Additional examples</a></h2> - -<p>Following are some specific examples of things you can do in your -HTML documents with SSI.</p> + <hr /> -<hr> -<h2><a name="whenwasthisdocumentmodified">When was this document -modified?</a></h2> - -<p>Earlier, we mentioned that you could use SSI to inform the user when -the document was most recently modified. However, the actual method for -doing that was left somewhat in question. The following code, placed in -your HTML document, will put such a time stamp on your page. Of course, -you will have to have SSI correctly enabled, as discussed above.</p> + <h2><a id="additionalexamples" + name="additionalexamples">Additional examples</a></h2> + <p>Following are some specific examples of things you can do in + your HTML documents with SSI.</p> + <hr /> + + <h2><a id="whenwasthisdocumentmodified" + name="whenwasthisdocumentmodified">When was this document + modified?</a></h2> + + <p>Earlier, we mentioned that you could use SSI to inform the + user when the document was most recently modified. However, the + actual method for doing that was left somewhat in question. The + following code, placed in your HTML document, will put such a + time stamp on your page. Of course, you will have to have SSI + correctly enabled, as discussed above.</p> <pre> <!--#config timefmt="%A %B %d, %Y" --> This file last modified <!--#flastmod file="ssi.shtml" --> </pre> -<p>Of course, you will need to replace the <code>ssi.shtml</code> with -the actual name of the file that you're referring to. This can be -inconvenient if you're just looking for a generic piece of code that -you can paste into any file, so you probably want to use the -<code>LAST_MODIFIED</code> variable instead:</p> - + <p>Of course, you will need to replace the + <code>ssi.shtml</code> with the actual name of the file that + you're referring to. This can be inconvenient if you're just + looking for a generic piece of code that you can paste into any + file, so you probably want to use the + <code>LAST_MODIFIED</code> variable instead:</p> <pre> <!--#config timefmt="%D" --> This file last modified <!--#echo var="LAST_MODIFIED" --> </pre> - -<p>For more details on the <code>timefmt</code> format, go to your -favorite search site and look for <code>ctime</code>. The syntax is the -same.</p> - -<hr> -<h2><a name="includingastandardfooter">Including a standard -footer</a></h2> - -<p>If you are managing any site that is more than a few pages, you may -find that making changes to all those pages can be a real pain, -particularly if you are trying to maintain some kind of standard look -across all those pages.</p> - -<p>Using an include file for a header and/or a footer can reduce the -burden of these updates. You just have to make one footer file, and -then include it into each page with the <code>include</code> SSI -command. The <code>include</code> element can determine what file to -include with either the <code>file</code> attribute, or the -<code>virtual</code> attribute. The <code>file</code> attribute is a -file path, <em>relative to the current directory</em>. That means that -it cannot be an absolute file path (starting with /), nor can it -contain ../ as part of that path. The <code>virtual</code> attribute is -probably more useful, and should specify a URL relative to the document -being served. It can start with a /, but must be on the same server as -the file being served.</p> + <p>For more details on the <code>timefmt</code> format, go to + your favorite search site and look for <code>ctime</code>. The + syntax is the same.</p> + <hr /> + + <h2><a id="includingastandardfooter" + name="includingastandardfooter">Including a standard + footer</a></h2> + + <p>If you are managing any site that is more than a few pages, + you may find that making changes to all those pages can be a + real pain, particularly if you are trying to maintain some kind + of standard look across all those pages.</p> + + <p>Using an include file for a header and/or a footer can + reduce the burden of these updates. You just have to make one + footer file, and then include it into each page with the + <code>include</code> SSI command. The <code>include</code> + element can determine what file to include with either the + <code>file</code> attribute, or the <code>virtual</code> + attribute. The <code>file</code> attribute is a file path, + <em>relative to the current directory</em>. That means that it + cannot be an absolute file path (starting with /), nor can it + contain ../ as part of that path. The <code>virtual</code> + attribute is probably more useful, and should specify a URL + relative to the document being served. It can start with a /, + but must be on the same server as the file being served.</p> <pre> <!--#include virtual="/footer.html" --> </pre> -<p>I'll frequently combine the last two things, putting a -<code>LAST_MODIFIED</code> directive inside a footer file to be -included. SSI directives can be contained in the included file, and -includes can be nested - that is, the included file can include another -file, and so on.</p> + <p>I'll frequently combine the last two things, putting a + <code>LAST_MODIFIED</code> directive inside a footer file to be + included. SSI directives can be contained in the included file, + and includes can be nested - that is, the included file can + include another file, and so on.</p> + <hr /> -<hr> -<h2><a name="whatelsecaniconfig">What else can I config?</a></h2> + <h2><a id="whatelsecaniconfig" name="whatelsecaniconfig">What + else can I config?</a></h2> -<p>In addition to being able to <code>config</code> the time format, -you can also <code>config</code> two other things.</p> + <p>In addition to being able to <code>config</code> the time + format, you can also <code>config</code> two other things.</p> -<p>Usually, when something goes wrong with your SSI directive, you get -the message</p> - + <p>Usually, when something goes wrong with your SSI directive, + you get the message</p> <pre> [an error occurred while processing this directive] </pre> - -<p>If you want to change that message to something else, you can do so -with the <code>errmsg</code> attribute to the <code>config</code> -element:</p> + <p>If you want to change that message to something else, you + can do so with the <code>errmsg</code> attribute to the + <code>config</code> element:</p> <pre> <!--#config errmsg="[It appears that you don't know how to use SSI]" --> </pre> -<p>Hopefully, end users will never see this message, because you will -have resolved all the problems with your SSI directives before your -site goes live. (Right?)</p> - -<p>And you can <code>config</code> the format in which file sizes are -returned with the <code>sizefmt</code> attribute. You can specify -<code>bytes</code> for a full count in bytes, or <code>abbrev</code> -for an abbreviated number in Kb or Mb, as appropriate.</p> - -<hr> -<h2><a name="executingcommands">Executing commands</a></h2> - -<p>I expect that I'll have an article some time in the coming months -about using SSI with small CGI programs. For now, here's something else -that you can do with the <code>exec</code> element. You can actually -have SSI execute a command using the shell (<code>/bin/sh</code>, to be -precise - or the DOS shell, if you're on Win32). The following, for -example, will give you a directory listing.</p> - + <p>Hopefully, end users will never see this message, because + you will have resolved all the problems with your SSI + directives before your site goes live. (Right?)</p> + + <p>And you can <code>config</code> the format in which file + sizes are returned with the <code>sizefmt</code> attribute. You + can specify <code>bytes</code> for a full count in bytes, or + <code>abbrev</code> for an abbreviated number in Kb or Mb, as + appropriate.</p> + <hr /> + + <h2><a id="executingcommands" + name="executingcommands">Executing commands</a></h2> + + <p>I expect that I'll have an article some time in the coming + months about using SSI with small CGI programs. For now, here's + something else that you can do with the <code>exec</code> + element. You can actually have SSI execute a command using the + shell (<code>/bin/sh</code>, to be precise - or the DOS shell, + if you're on Win32). The following, for example, will give you + a directory listing.</p> <pre> <pre> <!--#exec cmd="ls" --> </pre> </pre> - -<p>or, on Windows</p> + <p>or, on Windows</p> <pre> <pre> <!--#exec cmd="dir" --> </pre> </pre> - -<p>You might notice some strange formatting with this directive on -Windows, because the output from <code>dir</code> contains the string -``<<code>dir</code>>'' in it, which confuses browsers.</p> - -<p>Note that this feature is exceedingly dangerous, as it will execute -whatever code happens to be embedded in the <code>exec</code> tag. If -you have any situation where users can edit content on your web pages, -such as with a ``guestbook'', for example, make sure that you have this -feature disabled. You can allow SSI, but not the <code>exec</code> -feature, with the <code>IncludesNOEXEC</code> argument to the -<code>Options</code> directive.</p> - -<hr> -<h2><a name="advancedssitechniques">Advanced SSI techniques</a></h2> - -<p>In addition to spitting out content, Apache SSI gives you the option -of setting variables, and using those variables in comparisons and -conditionals.</p> - -<h3><a name="caveat">Caveat</a></h3> - -<p>Most of the features discussed in this article are only available to -you if you are running Apache 1.2 or later. Of course, if you are not -running Apache 1.2 or later, you need to upgrade immediately, if not -sooner. Go on. Do it now. We'll wait.</p> - -<hr> -<h2><a name="settingvariables">Setting variables</a></h2> - -<p>Using the <code>set</code> directive, you can set variables for -later use. We'll need this later in the discussion, so we'll talk about -it here. The syntax of this is as follows:</p> + <p>You might notice some strange formatting with this directive + on Windows, because the output from <code>dir</code> contains + the string ``<<code>dir</code>>'' in it, which confuses + browsers.</p> + + <p>Note that this feature is exceedingly dangerous, as it will + execute whatever code happens to be embedded in the + <code>exec</code> tag. If you have any situation where users + can edit content on your web pages, such as with a + ``guestbook'', for example, make sure that you have this + feature disabled. You can allow SSI, but not the + <code>exec</code> feature, with the <code>IncludesNOEXEC</code> + argument to the <code>Options</code> directive.</p> + <hr /> + + <h2><a id="advancedssitechniques" + name="advancedssitechniques">Advanced SSI techniques</a></h2> + + <p>In addition to spitting out content, Apache SSI gives you + the option of setting variables, and using those variables in + comparisons and conditionals.</p> + + <h3><a id="caveat" name="caveat">Caveat</a></h3> + + <p>Most of the features discussed in this article are only + available to you if you are running Apache 1.2 or later. Of + course, if you are not running Apache 1.2 or later, you need to + upgrade immediately, if not sooner. Go on. Do it now. We'll + wait.</p> + <hr /> + + <h2><a id="settingvariables" name="settingvariables">Setting + variables</a></h2> + + <p>Using the <code>set</code> directive, you can set variables + for later use. We'll need this later in the discussion, so + we'll talk about it here. The syntax of this is as follows:</p> <pre> <!--#set var="name" value="Rich" --> </pre> -<p>In addition to merely setting values literally like that, you can -use any other variable, including, for example, environment variables, -or some of the variables we discussed in the last article (like -<code>LAST_MODIFIED</code>, for example) to give values to your -variables. You will specify that something is a variable, rather than a -literal string, by using the dollar sign ($) before the name of the -variable.</p> - + <p>In addition to merely setting values literally like that, + you can use any other variable, including, for example, + environment variables, or some of the variables we discussed in + the last article (like <code>LAST_MODIFIED</code>, for example) + to give values to your variables. You will specify that + something is a variable, rather than a literal string, by using + the dollar sign ($) before the name of the variable.</p> <pre> <!--#set var="modified" value="$LAST_MODIFIED" --> </pre> - -<p>To put a literal dollar sign into the value of your variable, you -need to escape the dollar sign with a backslash.</p> + <p>To put a literal dollar sign into the value of your + variable, you need to escape the dollar sign with a + backslash.</p> <pre> <!--#set var="cost" value="\$100" --> </pre> - -<p>Finally, if you want to put a variable in the midst of a longer -string, and there's a chance that the name of the variable will run up -against some other characters, and thus be confused with those -characters, you can place the name of the variable in braces, to remove -this confusion. (It's hard to come up with a really good example of -this, but hopefully you'll get the point.)</p> + <p>Finally, if you want to put a variable in the midst of a + longer string, and there's a chance that the name of the + variable will run up against some other characters, and thus be + confused with those characters, you can place the name of the + variable in braces, to remove this confusion. (It's hard to + come up with a really good example of this, but hopefully + you'll get the point.)</p> <pre> <!--#set var="date" value="${DATE_LOCAL}_${DATE_GMT}" --> </pre> + <hr /> -<hr> -<h2><a name="conditionalexpressions">Conditional expressions</a></h2> + <h2><a id="conditionalexpressions" + name="conditionalexpressions">Conditional expressions</a></h2> -<p>Now that we have variables, and are able to set and compare their -values, we can use them to express conditionals. This lets SSI be a -tiny programming language of sorts. <code>mod_include</code> provides -an <code>if</code>, <code>elif</code>, <code>else</code>, -<code>endif</code> structure for building conditional statements. This -allows you to effectively generate multiple logical pages out of one -actual page.</p> + <p>Now that we have variables, and are able to set and compare + their values, we can use them to express conditionals. This + lets SSI be a tiny programming language of sorts. + <code>mod_include</code> provides an <code>if</code>, + <code>elif</code>, <code>else</code>, <code>endif</code> + structure for building conditional statements. This allows you + to effectively generate multiple logical pages out of one + actual page.</p> -<p>The structure of this conditional construct is:</p> - + <p>The structure of this conditional construct is:</p> <pre> <!--#if expr="test_condition" --> <!--#elif expr="test_condition" --> <!--#else --> <!--#endif --> </pre> - -<p>A <em>test_condition</em> can be any sort of logical comparison - -either comparing values to one another, or testing the ``truth'' of a -particular value. (A given string is true if it is nonempty.) For a -full list of the comparison operators available to you, see the -<code>mod_include</code> documentation. Here are some examples of how -one might use this construct.</p> -<p>In your configuration file, you could put the following line:</p> + <p>A <em>test_condition</em> can be any sort of logical + comparison - either comparing values to one another, or testing + the ``truth'' of a particular value. (A given string is true if + it is nonempty.) For a full list of the comparison operators + available to you, see the <code>mod_include</code> + documentation. Here are some examples of how one might use this + construct.</p> + <p>In your configuration file, you could put the following + line:</p> <pre> BrowserMatchNoCase macintosh Mac BrowserMatchNoCase MSIE InternetExplorer </pre> - -<p>This will set environment variables ``Mac'' and ``InternetExplorer'' -to true, if the client is running Internet Explorer on a Macintosh.</p> -<p>Then, in your SSI-enabled document, you might do the following:</p> + <p>This will set environment variables ``Mac'' and + ``InternetExplorer'' to true, if the client is running Internet + Explorer on a Macintosh.</p> + <p>Then, in your SSI-enabled document, you might do the + following:</p> <pre> <!--#if expr="${Mac} && ${InternetExplorer}" --> Apologetic text goes here @@ -495,25 +524,25 @@ <!--#endif --> </pre> -<p>Not that I have anything against IE on Macs - I just struggled for a -few hours last week trying to get some JavaScript working on IE on a -Mac, when it was working everywhere else. The above was the interim -workaround.</p> - -<p>Any other variable (either ones that you define, or normal -environment variables) can be used in conditional statements. With -Apache's ability to set environment variables with the -<code>SetEnvIf</code> directives, and other related directives, this -functionality can let you do some pretty involved dynamic stuff without -ever resorting to CGI.</p> - -<hr> -<h2><a name="conclusion">Conclusion</a></h2> - -<p>SSI is certainly not a replacement for CGI, or other technologies -used for generating dynamic web pages. But it is a great way to add -small amounts of dynamic content to pages, without doing a lot of extra -work.</p> -</body> + <p>Not that I have anything against IE on Macs - I just + struggled for a few hours last week trying to get some + JavaScript working on IE on a Mac, when it was working + everywhere else. The above was the interim workaround.</p> + + <p>Any other variable (either ones that you define, or normal + environment variables) can be used in conditional statements. + With Apache's ability to set environment variables with the + <code>SetEnvIf</code> directives, and other related directives, + this functionality can let you do some pretty involved dynamic + stuff without ever resorting to CGI.</p> + <hr /> + + <h2><a id="conclusion" name="conclusion">Conclusion</a></h2> + + <p>SSI is certainly not a replacement for CGI, or other + technologies used for generating dynamic web pages. But it is a + great way to add small amounts of dynamic content to pages, + without doing a lot of extra work.</p> + </body> </html> 1.2 +3 -0 httpd-docs-1.3/htdocs/manual/howto/ssi.html.html Index: ssi.html.html =================================================================== RCS file: /home/cvs/httpd-docs-1.3/htdocs/manual/howto/ssi.html.html,v retrieving revision 1.1 retrieving revision 1.2 diff -u -r1.1 -r1.2 --- ssi.html.html 2001/02/16 02:55:26 1.1 +++ ssi.html.html 2001/10/08 01:23:28 1.2 @@ -1 +1,4 @@ +<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN" + "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd"> <!--#include virtual="ssi.html.en" --> +
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