Virtual Server Documentation

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Comments Form and CGI
A web site wouldn't be complete without some simple method of sending comments or requesting information. A small form and simple CGI can be designed to facilitate such a task.

Installation
To install the Comments CGI, do the following:

1. Install the Comments Form
   You will need to download the Comments Form HTML source and store it somewhere in your ~/www/htdocs directory structure. This form can be customized for your Virtual Server by simply changing the occurrences of the e-mail address (EMAIL@YOUR-DOMAIN.NAME) to the address that you would like to use in the form. It may be necessary to add an e-mail alias or e-mail mailbox if you use an e-mail address that does not currently exist on your Virtual Server.

2. Install the Comments CGI
   Connect to your Virtual Server via Telnet or SSH and issue this command:

    
   % vinstall comments 
   

   This will install the comments.pl and util.pl files in your ~/www/cgi-bin/library/comments directory.

3. Customize the Comments CGI
   Two subroutines in the util.pl, print_header_info and print_footer_info, file are used to print out header and footer information. Feel free to modify these functions such that the CGI outputs pages that are in synch with the motifs of the rest of your site.

Configuration
You must add to the list of e-mail addresses that will receive e-mail from the Comments CGI to the @recipients_ok array. This will prevent the Comments CGI from sending unauthorized messages to a recipient other than the intended recipient.

 
@recipients_ok = ('EMAIL@YOUR-DOMAIN.NAME', 'EMAIL@YOUR-DOMAIN.NAME'); 

Substitute the e-mail addresses for EMAIL@YOUR-DOMAIN.NAME above.

Example
Once you have completed the installation successfully, you will have a working comments form like the one shown below (go ahead and test it).

More Information
If you are unfamiliar with the <FORM...> HTML element, or would like to learn more about forms, the following URL is an excellent resource:

• NCSA: Fill-Out Form Support