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.TH redirect 8 "23 September 1995" |
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.SH NAME |
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redirect - simple redirection CGI program |
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.SH SYNOPSIS |
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.B redirect |
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.SH DESCRIPTION |
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.PP |
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Three steps to set up a redirection: |
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.PP |
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1. Make sure your web server is set up to allow CGI programs. |
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.PP |
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2. Make a symbolic link from the file or directory you want to redirect, |
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pointing at this program in the CGI bin directory. |
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.PP |
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3. Add an entry to the file ".redirects" in the directory where your |
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http server runs CGI programs. For most servers, this is the |
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directory where the given CGI program lives. The format of the |
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file is a bunch of lines with a filename, whitespace, and the new |
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URL. For example: |
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.nf |
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/test/oldfile.html http://www.acme.com/test/newfile.html |
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.fi |
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The easiest way to figure out precisely what filename to put into .redirects |
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is to set up the symlink and then click on it. |
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You'll get back a "404 Not Found" page which includes the filename |
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as received by the redirect program, and that's what you want to use. |
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.PP |
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You can also add a wildcard specification to redirect whole groups of files. |
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For example: |
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.nf |
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/wildtest/* http://www.acme.com/test- |
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.fi |
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will cause an access to the /wildtest/somefile.html to be redirected to |
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http://www.acme.com/test-somefile.html. (Note that the asterisk need not |
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be preceded by a slash.) |
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.PP |
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Note: this is designed for thttpd (http://www.acme.com/software/thttpd/) |
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and using it with other web servers may require some hacking. A possible |
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gotcha is with the symbolic link from the old file pointing at this |
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script - servers other than thttpd may not allow that link to be run |
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as a CGI program, because they don't check the link to see that it |
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points into the allowed CGI directory. |
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.SH "SEE ALSO" |
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thttpd(8) |
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.SH "BUGS / DEFICIENCIES" |
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.PP |
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It would be really cool to have this program look for |
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the .redirects file in the same directory as the file being redirected, |
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instead of in the binaries directory. Unfortunately, this appears |
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to be impossible with the information CGI gives, plus the non-standardized |
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but widespread practice of running CGI programs in the directory where |
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the binary lives. Perhaps CGI 1.2 will address this. |
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.PP |
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The wildcard mechanism is very primitive. |
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In particular, any characters that follow the asterisk are blithely |
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ignored. |
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.SH AUTHOR |
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Copyright © 1995 by Jef Poskanzer <jef@acme.com>. |
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All rights reserved. |
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.\" Redistribution and use in source and binary forms, with or without |
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.\" modification, are permitted provided that the following conditions |
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.\" are met: |
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.\" 1. Redistributions of source code must retain the above copyright |
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.\" notice, this list of conditions and the following disclaimer. |
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.\" 2. Redistributions in binary form must reproduce the above copyright |
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.\" notice, this list of conditions and the following disclaimer in the |
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.\" documentation and/or other materials provided with the distribution. |
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.\" |
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.\" THIS SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED BY THE AUTHOR AND CONTRIBUTORS ``AS IS'' AND |
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.\" ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE |
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.\" IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE |
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.\" ARE DISCLAIMED. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHOR OR CONTRIBUTORS BE LIABLE |
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.\" FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR CONSEQUENTIAL |
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.\" DAMAGES (INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, PROCUREMENT OF SUBSTITUTE GOODS |
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.\" OR SERVICES; LOSS OF USE, DATA, OR PROFITS; OR BUSINESS INTERRUPTION) |
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.\" HOWEVER CAUSED AND ON ANY THEORY OF LIABILITY, WHETHER IN CONTRACT, STRICT |
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.\" LIABILITY, OR TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE OR OTHERWISE) ARISING IN ANY WAY |
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.\" OUT OF THE USE OF THIS SOFTWARE, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF |
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.\" SUCH DAMAGE. |