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Why Arent You Using CGI?
The very name CGI used to send chills up my spine. Foryears I put it in the 'too-hard-basket'. But like mostthings in life, CGI is not as scary as it seems. Ifyou have a cgi directory on your website and you knowhow to FTP files, chances are you can have a CGIscript up and running in less than 20 minutes. CGI (Common Gateway Interface) is not a programminglanguage but a standard that allows visitors tointeract with your website. CGI scripts can be writtenin a number of different languages but most arewritten in Perl (Practical Extraction and ReportingLanguage). This article gives you details of five free CGI scriptsthat will do the following: 1. Mail out your Newsletter from your server 2. Track the number of times your free E-Book is downloaded 3. Rotate banners on your website 4. Create your own auto responders 5. Allow visitors to recommend your website to friends At the end of this article are details of where todownload these 5 free scripts. But first, here aresome basic guidelines on how to configure and installCGI scripts: 1. CGI programs usually come in a zip file. Unzip thefile and open the README file. This document will giveyou instructions for configuring the program file. 2. Open the program file using a text editor such asNOTEPAD (the program file will usually have the fileextension .cgi but may have other extensions such as.pl). In most CGI programs you will have to configure thefollowing 4 items: (a) the path to perl This is where the perl program resides on your server.The path will usually be: #!/usr/bin/perl but could be: #!/usr/local/bin/perl If you're unsure what your 'path to perl' is, checkyour web host's online 'manual' or FAQs. If you can'tfind it there, simply ask your web host. (b) the path to sendmail Most CGI programs notify you when your visitors havecompleted a particular action, and for that, theprogram needs to know where the 'sendmail' programresides on your server. The path to your UNIX sendmailprogram will usually be: /usr/sbin/sendmail But it could also be something like this:/usr/lib/sendmail Again, check the documentation on your web host'swebsite, or simply ask your web host. (c) the absolute path to your CGI directory The absolute path tells the CGI program exactly whereto find the file (or files) that it needs to open.Unfortunately, the absolute path to your CGI directoryis not something you will be able to guess or deduce -it is completely arbitrary and depends entirely on howthe system administrator at your web host haspartitioned your host's hard drive. The easiest way to find out your absolute path is toask your web host. Another way is by using telnet -just type in pwd (print working directory) and thatshould give you your absolute path. (d) Your email address This is the address that the CGI program will use tonotify you when an action has been completed. 3. Uploading Upload the program files to your cgi-bin (or adirectory off your cgi-bin) using ASCII mode. Neveruse BINARY mode, as this will play havoc with theline-breaks in the script. 4. Set the File Permissions using CHMOD CHMOD (changing mode) is the term for setting securitypermissions on files. The README file will usuallytell you the permissions that you need to set for eachfile. The script file will need to be set to 755. Thisallows the file's owner to read, write, and executethe file; anyone else can only read and execute it. You can set the permissions using telnet, but theeasiest way is to use the built-in option in your FTPprogram. 5. Calling the Script Now that you've configured the script, uploaded it andset the permissions, it's time to try it out! You dothis by 'calling the script' using a URL in an HTMLdocument. This is what the URL for calling your scriptwill normally look like: http://www.yourdomain.com/cgi-bin/script.cgi Again, the README file should have specificinstructions on how to call the script. In addition,most CGI programs are accompanied by a web pagethat contains the form your visitors would use tocall the script. And now here are the details of the 5 free CGIscripts I mentioned earlier: -----------------------Subscribe Me Lite----------------------- Subscribe Me Lite is a program that allowsprospects/customers to automatically subscribe and/orunsubscribe themselves from your mailing list. It hasa built-in mass mailing form for sending out yournewsletter or updates. More Information:http://www.cgiscriptcenter.com/subscribe/index2.html -----------------------Rob's File Tracker----------------------- Rob's File Tracker is a perl script that counts filedownloads or click-thrus to any file. Very useful ifyou want to know how many people are downloading yourfree E-Book. More Information:http://www.robplanet.com/cgi/tracker/ -----------------------AdRotate Pro----------------------- AdRotate Pro is an ad rotation program that's easy tosetup and easy to use. Features include unlimitedrotations, expiry by date, views or clicks, defaultads for when all ads are expired, and customerreports. More Information: http://www.vanbrunt.com/adrotate/ -----------------------MasterRecommend----------------------- This script allows visitors to recommend your websiteto a friend by sending an email, without leaving yourwebsite. The program will also send you a copy of yourvisitor's message (nice to know what your visitorsthink about your website). More Information:http://www.willmaster.com/master/recommend/MasterRecommendmanual.html -----------------------Master Auto-Responder----------------------- This is a standard auto-responder program. Thescript allows you to set the "From:" and "Subject:"lines for your auto-response.You can also choose toreceive a copy of each email that the auto-responderreceives. More Information:http://mastercgi.com/howtoinfo/howautoresponderswork.shtml If you need more help installing your CGI scripts, hereare two excellent free tutorials: http://spider-food.net/install-a-cgi-script.htmlhttp://www.stefan-pettersson.nu/scripts/tutorials/installcgi.html ------------------------------------------------------------
Latest News:Site: Yahoo! News Search Results for news JCDecaux in talks for News Outdoor Group in Russia (AP via Yahoo! News) French outdoor advertising firm JCDecaux SA said Thursday it is negotiating to buy Russian rival News Outdoor Group from global media company News Corp. News Corp tightens grip on Premiere with new CEO (Reuters via Yahoo! News) Rupert Murdoch tightened his grip on German pay-TV broadcaster Premiere by appointing News Corp executive Mark Williams as CEO in a move to get the company back on track. JCDecaux and News Corp. in talks to combine outdoor ad groups (International Herald Tribune) The News Corp. chief executive, Rupert Murdoch, has recently expressed nervousness about investments in Russia, where News Outdoor generated the bulk of its revenue last year. News Corp says Mark Williams interim Premiere CEO (Reuters via Yahoo! News) News Corp. executive Mark Williams has taken over as chief executive of German pay-TV broadcaster Premiere in an interim capacity, News Corp. said after the move led to renewed takeover speculation. News Corp. says Mark Williams interim Premiere CEO (Reuters via Yahoo! News) Mark Williams, a News Corp. executive named late on Wednesday as chief executive of German pay-TV broadcaster Premiere, has taken over in an interim capacity, a News Corp. spokeswoman said on Thursday. JCDecaux in talks to buy News Corp. billboard unit (AP via Yahoo! Finance) In a deal that would create the world's largest outdoor advertising company, French conglomerate JCDecaux SA said Thursday that it is in talks to buy Russian rival News Outdoor Group from global media company News Corp. Weekly world news quiz (BBC News) At the end of another week, test your knowledge with our world news quiz. UPI NewsTrack Entertainment News (UPI) Kanye arrested in paparazzi scuffle ... Report: Critic smacked Ebert with binder ... Cafe Tacvba nominated for 6 Latin Grammys ... Groban to perform TV songs at Emmys ... News from United Press International. United shares climb after news debacle (UPI) CHICAGO, Sept. 11 (UPI) -- A computer program assigning dates to news stories was partly to blame for a sell-off of United Airlines stock Monday, a Google spokesman said. JCDecaux in talks for News Outdoor Group in Russia (San Francisco Chronicle) French outdoor advertising firm JCDecaux SA said Thursday it is negotiating to buy Russian rival News Outdoor Group from global media company News Corp. In a statement, the global seller of outdoor advertising said it was in exclusive talks with Rupert... Site: news - Google News New Voices in Congress Will Change the Tone of the Democratic Majority - New York Times
MORE RESOURCES: Site: Yahoo! News Search Results for ezine publishing Site: ezine publishing - Google News The Ezine Queen's 7 Reasons to Grow Your Business with Ezines ... - Gather.com
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