Mega Script Archive: TextCounter Readme

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Copyright and Header


##############################################################################
# TextCounter                   Version 1.2                                  #
# Created by Matt Wright        mattw@worldwidemart.com                      #
# Created on: 3/14/96           Last Modified on: 5/10/96                    #
# Scripts Found at:             http://www.worldwidemart.com/scripts/        #
##############################################################################
# If you run into any problems while trying to configure this script, help   #
# is available.  The steps you should take to get the fastest results, are:  #
#       1) Read this file thoroughly                                         #
#       2) Consult the Matt's Script Archive Frequently Asked Questions:     #
#               http://www.worldwidemart.com/scripts/faq/                    #
#       3) If you are still having difficulty installing this script, send   #
#          e-mail to: scripts-help@tahoenet.com                              #
#          Include any error messages you are receiving and as much detail   #
#          as you can so we can spot your problem.  Also include the variable#
#          configuration block that is located at the top of the script.     #
#                                                                            #
# Hopefully we will be able to help you solve your problems.  Thank you.     #
##############################################################################
# COPYRIGHT NOTICE                                                           #
# Copyright 1996 Matthew M. Wright  All Rights Reserved.                     #
#                                                                            #
# TextCounter may be used and modified free of charge by anyone so long as   #
# this copyright notice and the comments above remain intact.  By using this #
# code you agree to indemnify Matthew M. Wright from any liability that      #
# might arise from it's use.                                                 #
#                                                                            #
# Selling the code for this program without prior written consent is         #
# expressly forbidden.  In other words, please ask first before you try and  #
# make money off of my program.                                              #
#                                                                            #
# Obtain permission before redistributing this software over the Internet or #
# in any other medium.  In all cases copyright and header must remain intact.#
##############################################################################

Overview

TextCounter 1.2 is a simple program which allows you to include a text counter on any page. You can also include the date since it began counting, a link to a help page, etc... This program was designed for anyone to use, from a user who just wants a text counter on his or her home page to a system administrator who wants to make it easy for anyone on their server to use the count program. Multiple counters can be set up, with the need for only one script to manage them all. You can specify what hosts are allowed to access this program, and can even allow certain directories or exclude certain directories from being able to use this script. Details on how to install and use this script are available below.

This package should have come with 2 files:

README - This file. Installation Instructions, Disclaimer, Copyright

counter.pl - The CGI/Perl program which does all of the work.

counter.pl

The first thing you will need to do when you get ahold of this script is make sure that the first line of the script correctly points to the Perl executable on your system. If you don't know where this is for sure, use the command:
which perl

or

whereis perl

from your Unix shell.

There are also several Variables and Options you will need to configure. The instructions below provide examples and instructions of how to do so.

Variable Configuration
$data_dir = "/path/to/a/data/directory/";
The $data_dir variable should specify the path to the directory under which all of th data files will be stored. This path must end with a '/' and it NEEDS to be writable by your web server. This means that you most likely will need to chmod this directory 777. You can do this by executing:
```
         chmod 777 /path/to/a/data/directory/
```
It is suggested that you make this directory a brand new directory for the sole purpose of holding the data files. A new data file will be created for each page you add your text counter to. You may think that this is not the best way to do this, but it is not all bad, and is beneficial in some ways:
1. If you use this system wide, it is likely that many pages will load at the same time, meaning this script would have to try and edit the main file if it was all included in one database. This file can lead to slow downs (if I locked the file each time it was called) or it could lead to mangled data if I didn't. That is one reason I chose to use separate files.
2. The files created for the data are EXTREMELY small, taking up between 15 and 30 bytes (yes, you heard correctly, bytes).
3. Access time is faster as I know exactly what file to open, rather than flipping through lines of a database if it was all in one file.
(BTW, this explanation was more for people who may have questioned why I chose to do it this way. Most of you could care less about these last 3 points) :-)
@valid_uri = ("/");

The @valid_uri array allows you to allow this script to be used only under a certain directory of your server. Say your username is fred and you are on a server called host.com, therefore all of your pages reside under: http://www.host.com/~fred/. You only want those pages under that directory to be able to use this program, so you set the @valid_uri variable to ("/~fred"); or you can allow you and your friend joe to use it by setting the @valid_uri variable to: ("/~fred","/~joe"); Or if you are a sysadmin who wants to allow everyone to use this script, simply set this array to ("/"); as I have shown above.

@invalid_uri = ("");

Most likely you will just comment this line out if you do not wish to block access to a certain part of your server. But take the example of fred above. He decides to be real cool and open this program up to anyone on the server by setting @valid_uri = ("/"); His arch enemy bob is also on the server though, and fred despises him so much that he wants to block access to this guy, cause bob is such a jerk. So fred sets his @invalid_uri = ("/~bob"); and bob can't use his counter. MU HA HA HA. I'm sure there are other cool uses for this too. Like if you sell virtual domains and want to charge people before they can use your counter script, you put their URI in here until they pay or something. I dunno. The story was fun to write, and that's all that matters. :-)
Option Settings
$show_link = "http://www.worldwidemart.com/scripts/";

If you put a URL into this option, then the actual number returned by the TextCounter script will be linked to this URL. This is useful if you want to link to my site (PLEASE?!) or link to a help page explaining how the user on your system can set up their own text counter. or if you just want to have a pointless link on your number. Setting this to a null value like "" or 0 will take out the link.

$auto_create = "1";
Suggested value here is 1, or else you will have to create data files by hand. This allows users who reside under the @valid_uri array to create a new counter for their page simply by putting the Server Side Include reference into their page. Otherwise the maintainer will have to create a data file which looks like:
```
			January 1, 2000||0
```
Obviously putting the correct date into the script and changing 0 to whatever you want to start the number at. This file MUST be writable by the web server meaning you need to chmod it 777. This means other users on your system can write to it too, which is another reason to allow auto-create. Auto-Create will leave it chmoded so only the web server can write to it.
$show_date = "1";
If this variable is on, then the date on which you began the count will appear with your actual count number. It will look like:
```
			[Count] hits since [Date]
```
If this is turned off, you allow users more control over their text and it will simply print:
```
			[Count]
```
The user can then supply the date if they wish.
$lock_sec = "3";

The $lock_sec variable defines how long the program will wait for the lock file to be cleared out, before going on and overwriting the current lock file. Often times, the count file would get overwritten in the older versions because there were no locks on the files, and when two users accessed at once, it messed things up.
There are now built in lock routines, but if a user stops the process or your machine gets turned off or re-booted while the lock file is still in the directory, that lock file needs to get removed somehow. The $lock_sec variable tells the script how long it should wait before deciding that the lock file is not valid.

Most of the time the script should not take longer than a second to execute, but to be safe I set the default to about 3 seconds. You can vary this depending on whether you think your system will operate much faster or slower.

$pad_size = "5";

You will notice if you have seen many other counters on the web, graphical or text-based, that they are often padded with zeros at the front to form a number like: 0000154. This is achieved by adding 0's to the front of the current count. In Version 1.2, you can specify how many digits long you want your number to be, so in the example above you would set $pad_size = "7";
If you do not want your number padded and wish for the above example to appear as 154 in your page, then set $pad_size = "1";

How to Call This Script From Your Page

Calling this program is really very simple. As I have mentioned before, you will need Server Side Includes turned on on your server before you can use this program. Talk to your system administrator or visit my Frequently Asked Questions section for more information on server side includes. If you know they are turned on, or want to try and find out, put the following code into your HTML document:
      
So, if I have my counter.pl (or counter.cgi if I have to rename it for my server) program located at http://www.worldwidemart.com/scripts/demos/textcounter/counter.pl, then I would put the following into any HTML document a wanted a count to appear in:

History

    Version 1.0 - 03/14/96 - * TextCounter Created and Released.
    Version 1.1 - 04/25/96 - * @valid_referer array and checking removed.
                               Because server side includes can only be
                               used locally, it is unnecessary. Also, it
                               was causing many counters to
                               incorrectly display error messages.
    Version 1.2 - 05/10/96 - * File Locking Procedure added.
                             * Options $lock_sec and $pad_size
                               added.

[ Mega Script Archive ]

Copyright and Header

Overview

counter.pl

Variable Configuration

Option Settings

How to Call This Script From Your Page

History