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ecchi · 2006-02-01, 04:43 PM

If you are running a CGI program there are two ways to do it. One is to embed some code in the HTML that tells the server to run that program and insert the result in the page. For example, in the code I gave GGross  tells the server to run the program that reads what was after the ? in the URL and add it to the page at that point. The other way to use CGI is to point the URL directly at a CGI program which will write the HTML "on the fly". Usually the URL will end with .cgi, which tells the server to run the program at that URL. However there are several computer languages that the program can be written in. Sometimes the person who wrote the code will use an extension specific to that language (which is acceptable, but in my mind bad practise since it makes it slightly easier to hack). The .pl ending is simply telling the server that the program was written in Perl.

In short these endings mean:

.shtml - the page is written in HTML but contains parts that will be written "on the fly" by a CGI program, or it uses SSI.

.cgi - the URL is not a web page but a computer program that will write the HTML "on the fly". The program can be written in any computer language.

.pl - the URL is not a web page but a computer program that will write the HTML "on the fly". The program is written in Perl.

If the URL is one you are sending surfers to (i.e. a page on your sponsor's site) do not worry about it, their server will be doing all the donkey work.

However if you are saying you purchased a Perl script (or were given one by Verotel), then you will need to upload it as an ASCII file instead of a binary file (the manual to your FTP program will tell you how to do this) and change the permissions on the script (the document that comes with the script will tell you what permissions that script needs, and the manual to your FTP program will tell you how change them). You may find you have to "switch on" the Perl interpretor on your server, or install one if there is not one there already (you will have to ask your host about this). On many servers you will also only be able to use the script if you upload it to a file called "cgi-bin" (do not just create a folder called this, if you do not have one, speak to your host).

Hope this helps.

2006-02-01, 04:43 PM	#14
ecchi Banned Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: About to be evicted!!!! Posts: 4,082	If you are running a CGI program there are two ways to do it. One is to embed some code in the HTML that tells the server to run that program and insert the result in the page. For example, in the code I gave GGross <!--#echo var="QUERY_STRING"--> tells the server to run the program that reads what was after the ? in the URL and add it to the page at that point. The other way to use CGI is to point the URL directly at a CGI program which will write the HTML "on the fly". Usually the URL will end with .cgi, which tells the server to run the program at that URL. However there are several computer languages that the program can be written in. Sometimes the person who wrote the code will use an extension specific to that language (which is acceptable, but in my mind bad practise since it makes it slightly easier to hack). The .pl ending is simply telling the server that the program was written in Perl. In short these endings mean: .shtml - the page is written in HTML but contains parts that will be written "on the fly" by a CGI program, or it uses SSI. .cgi - the URL is not a web page but a computer program that will write the HTML "on the fly". The program can be written in any computer language. .pl - the URL is not a web page but a computer program that will write the HTML "on the fly". The program is written in Perl. If the URL is one you are sending surfers to (i.e. a page on your sponsor's site) do not worry about it, their server will be doing all the donkey work. However if you are saying you purchased a Perl script (or were given one by Verotel), then you will need to upload it as an ASCII file instead of a binary file (the manual to your FTP program will tell you how to do this) and change the permissions on the script (the document that comes with the script will tell you what permissions that script needs, and the manual to your FTP program will tell you how change them). You may find you have to "switch on" the Perl interpretor on your server, or install one if there is not one there already (you will have to ask your host about this). On many servers you will also only be able to use the script if you upload it to a file called "cgi-bin" (do not just create a folder called this, if you do not have one, speak to your host). Hope this helps.