Why Arent You Using CGI


Michael Southon

The very name CGI used to send chills up my spine. For years I put it in the too-hard-basket. But like most things in life, CGI is not as scary as it seems. If you have a cgi directory on your website and you know how to FTP files, chances are you can have a CGI script up and running in less than 20 minutes.

CGI Common Gateway Interface is not a programming language but a standard that allows visitors to interact with your website. CGI scripts can be written in a number of different languages but most are written in Perl Practical Extraction and Reporting Language.

This article gives you details of five free CGI scripts that 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 to download these 5 free scripts. But first, here are some basic guidelines on how to configure and install CGI scripts:

1. CGI programs usually come in a zip file. Unzip the file and open the README file. This document will give you instructions for configuring the program file.

2. Open the program file using a text editor such as NOTEPAD the program file will usually have the file extension .cgi but may have other extensions such as pl.

In most CGI programs you will have to configure the following 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 youre unsure what your path to perl is, check your web hosts online manual or FAQs. If you cant find it there, simply ask your web host.

b the path to sendmail

Most CGI programs notify you when your visitors have completed a particular action, and for that, the program needs to know where the sendmail program resides on your server. The path to your UNIX sendmail program will usually be: /usr/sbin/sendmail

But it could also be something like this:

/usr/lib/sendmail

Again, check the documentation on your web hosts website, or simply ask your web host.

c the absolute path to your CGI directory

The absolute path tells the CGI program exactly where to find the file or files that it needs to open. Unfortunately, the absolute path to your CGI directory is not


To provide some examples of web design and development I give you here:

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