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CGI & Perl
- What are CGI scripts?
CGI (Common Gateway Interface) is a process used by the server to
pass information between the user and an application on the server. With
CGI access, you can install Perl scripts on your website for such things
as feedback forms, guestbooks, counters and so on.
- What info do I need to run a CGI script?
CGI scripts can be run from anywhere in your public directory so a
cgi-bin is not necessary (make sure the script has a .cgi or .pl
extension).
absolute path = /home/sites/www.yourdomain.com/web
path to Perl = /usr/bin/perl
path to sendmail = /usr/sbin/sendmail
path to the date program = /bin/date
Do you know where can I find some free CGI scripts?
Yes, check out our Script
Resources section.
My Perl CGI script is not working, can you help me with it?
In general our support does not cover CGI script debugging. We make
sure that it is working properly on the server and give you the correct
paths to Perl, Sendmail, etc., but we really do not have the resources
to debug any CGI scripts for our customers. The same is true for the
troubleshooting of html, javascript and so on. What I can suggest is to
re-check your permissions, paths and especially the instructions that
came with the script.
Here are a few things to try when you are troubleshooting a CGI
script:
- First of all, thoroughly read through the instructions that came
with the script and also check the website where the script was
downloaded for troubleshooting info.
- Check to see if the script was uploaded to the server in the
proper format (usually ASCII not binary).
- Verify that all the paths are correct (perl, sendmail, etc.).
Refer to the CGI info that was included with your setup email that was
sent to you when your site went live on our server.
- Check to see if all the file permissions are set correctly.
Permissions can be set at the shell prompt using the "chmod" command
or using an FTP
program that allows permissions to be set on transfer.
Here are a few good online articles on installing perl CGI scripts:
How to install a basic Perl script on a Web server
(ServerWatch)
How To Install A Script (About.com)
CGI Scripts for Fun and Profit (webmonkey)
The Common
Gateway Interface (NSCA) |
