Setting Up A Cgi Script On Your Web Site
|
|
Before you set up any scripts you will need some information about your server. You can get this by e-mailing your web hosting provider. It's good to have these on hand before you try to set up a script. You may not need all of the information for each script, but some of the larger scripts demand more information to work. The information you may need is:
Path To Perl This is normally the first line at the top of a ".cgi" or ".pl" (Perl) script. A sample of a Path To Perl is /usr/bin/perl. Most scripts already have the proper Path To Perl included. If the script doesn't work it may be this variable.
Relative Path Which is the relative path to your server, not the HTML path. A sample is: /home/yourlogin/public_html/
HTML Path To Your Server Which is the URL path to your server, for example: http://yourdomain.com
Sendmail Path Which is the relative path to your mail server. A sample is: /usr/sbin/sendmail
SMTP Server Address Which is the path to sendmail on your server. A sample is: smtp.yourdomamin.com (This is rarely used)
Once you have those variables you can set up just about any script available.
Open the scripts that you are instructed to in the "readme" file or "installation" file. These instructions should tell you which scripts need to be set up with these variables. Open these files in a HTML editor, or a text editor. The instructions should also give you the exact location where each variable should be changed or inputed.
Once you have all of the variables set, upload your scripts. They must be uploaded in ASCII, not Binary, if your FTP program makes you choose. Once uploaded your scripts need to have the permissions set in order to work. The instructions should have those permissions for you. Normally a ".cgi" or ".pl" script has it's permissions set to 755.
Your FTP program should allow you to do that somewhere in the program. I use WS_FTP95 LE. To set permissions I simply right click in the right hand window when I am in the server directory where the script is. I click on "FTP Commands" then on "Site". I then type in the field "chmod 755 name of script". If the script is called "abc.cgi" then I will type in "chmod 755 abc.cgi".
It is now time to test the script. The instructions should tell you how to access the script, i.e. "yourdomain.com/abc.cgi". If you get a "Internal Server Error" then you need to go back and check the variables in the scripts and set the permissions, and try uploading the script again.
Read more articles by this author, about this and other subjects, here.
About The Author
Bob Power has been an Internet entrepreneur for longer than he would like to remember. He is currently on a voyage of learning, thanks to his readers, who have asked him to answer questions about topics they want more information on. You can see some of the surprising, and at times exciting results, and variety of topics and paths this has taken him on, or to contact Bob Power please click here.
These articles may be reproduced exactly as shown above. No revisions or changes are permitted.
|
|
|
Created & Maintained by Empower! CMS Web Sites
Host2Sell Web Hosting | Emarketing Workshops | Site SEO Review | FREE NewsletterHow Disabled Users Access The Internet
In 1995 a new era of accessibility for disabled people began. The Disability Discrimination Act was passe...(related: Web Development)
Server Side Includes (ssi) With Asp
Server Side Includes (SSI) with ASP
People often have identical sections of code spread throughout many ASP pages, typically code at the top of the page (usually refer...(related: Web Development)Maintaining Your Business Website
QUESTION: Should I build and maintain my business Web site myself or pay someone else to do the work for me? -- Wesley L.ANSWER:When you say, pay someone else to do the work for you, Wesley, I am g...(related: Web Development)
Link Trades That Waste Your Time
Never has competition been so difficult in the Internet world. Google and Yahoo keep indexing more and more pages, into the millions upon millions, and yet more and more people are creating super quickie links pages that are supposed to get other webmasters to want to trade links with them.I still trade links with other webmasters, but I've gotten more particular as the link trade offers get worse and wors...(related: Web Development)
Have You Got Your Ear To The Ground Or Your Head In The Sand?
What happened on your website yesterday? What about last week or last month? How about in the past hour? How many visitors come to your website as a result of using a search engine? How long do people stay on your website for on average? Which pages do your visitors go to?If you don't know the answer to some or all of these questions you are effec...(related: Web Development)
Planning Your Website For Success
Most people know they need a website in order to publicise and promote their business but very few people know what they want in their website. Fewer still are those who can actually sit down and plan their websites well.If you don't plan ahead, problems will crop up later.For example, who is going to take care of the website? What are the costs involved? Will you have the time to maintain it or should you hire a webmaster?T...(related: Web Development)
A Network Of Web Sites Is Not Enough!
The big thing these days is your ability to capture the market. So how do you do that?Do you...1) Use spam tactics?2) Have a massive banner campaign?3) Spends lots of money of PPC Advertising?4) Build a huge web site?5) Link to everyone in the world?or do you...6) Own a network of more than one web site? - Thinking that your network will help your search engine rankings since you can control your own link popularity!#6 is starting to be the norm out there. Companies are ju...(related: Web Development)
Why Your Brick-and-mortar Biz Needs A Website
The internet has taken over our lives with a vengeance, and has changed the way many of us do business. More and more consumers are now doing their shopping online and, unfortunately, some business owners have felt the pinch.But there are many small businesses that have been virtually unaffected by the internet boom. Th...(related: Web Development)
The Importance Of Website Stats To You
One of the best tools you have as a webmaster is your website statistics. The most popular site stats programs are Awstats, Webalizer, and Analog. Usually, they come free of charge and are accessible through your website's control panel provided by your web host.Awstats gives you valuable information like which file types on your server are getting hit the most, what page is getting the most hits, the numb...(related: Web Development)
Building A Web Site Requires The Right Software To Eliminate Headaches And Keep Money In Your Pocket
When most people build a web site, they think one simple thing. "If I build it, they will come". How further from the...(related: Web Development)
site-map - Copyright © 2006 Empower! Web Design | All Rights Reserved. | Web Development