Support Center
CGI Related

1. What is CGI?
2. Where should I put my CGI files?
3. What are the correct paths to my CGI scripts?
4. What are the correct permissions for my CGI Scripts?
5. How do I change permissions on my CGI scripts?
6. What version of Perl do we have?
7. What other developmental languages does your server support?

What is CGI?
CGI, or Common Gateway Interface, is the most widely used scripting language in the internet. It is a Unix-based scripting language used to enhance the functions of a website. Most common interactive website functions that may use CGI scripts are Guest book, Inquiry Forms, Databases, Polling Centers, Message boards, among others.

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Where should I put my CGI Files?
Our server supports a run-anywhere CGI BIN, or folder. So you may wish to create any folder within your Httpdocs Directory to store and run your CGI scripts. However, our server already has a default CGI-BIN Directory found outside your Httpdocs Directory. We call this a non-web directory. If you want to run scripts that handles confidential information, then we suggest you run it here. However, this non-web CGI-BIN does not support images that may run with a CGI script. So, if your CGI scripts calls for images to run with it, you have to place it within your Httpdocs Directory.

Note:
We highly suggest that if you run your CGI scripts in a directory inside your Httpdocs, name it other than a CGI-BIN. The default non-web CGI folder is already called CGI-BIN, so to avoid confusion by the script as to what CGI folder to call, you may call your own CGI folder such as CGIBIN, MYCGI, CGI_BIN, or any other, just not CGI-BIN.

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What are the correct paths to my CGI Scripts?

path to perl: /usr/bin/perl -w

path to date: /bin/date

Send_Mail path: /usr/sbin/sendmail

Full path to home directory: /usr/local/psa/home/vhosts/yourdomain.com/httpdocs/

Note on Full Path:
Since our server has a default non-web CGI-BIN Directory, you may use

/usr/local/psa/home/vhosts/yourdomain.com/cgi-bin/

if you are storing your CGI Scripts in it.

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What are the correct permissions for my CGI scripts?
All .cgi and .pl scripts can only run with a 755 (-rwxr--r--) permission in our server.

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How do I change the permission of my CGI scripts?
Changing the permission of your scripts can easily be done using your FTP program. To do that, connect to your Server using your favorite FTP program. Highlight the file that you wish to change permission. Right Click on the highlighted file then choose FTP Commands -> Site. Enter SITE string like this: chmod 755 name_of_file.

You can also use the UNIX command of changing file permission. To do that, highlight the file that you wish to change permission. Right Click then choose chmod (UNIX).

The following are the eqiuvalent UNIX command of changing file permission:

(755) -rwxr--r--
(644) -rw-r--r--
(666) -rw-rw-rw-
(777) drwxrwxrwx

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What version of Perl do we have?
We have Perl 5.006 currently installed in our server.

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What other developmental languages does your server support?
Aside from CGI, our server supports PHP, ASP, and WAP.

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