Pathetic toadying for website diagnostic help

[Nurlman]

I admit it. I'm don't know any computer language more practical than BASIC and some rudimentary HTML. I'm pathetic and should go back to flipping switches on an Altair.

Ok, having gotten that out the way, I've grabbed a CGI script to count hits on my website, and I can't get the damned thing to work. My tag in the website for it is:

<img src="/cgi-bin/counter.exe? font=../images/gifs/&inc=count&show=count">


(Gratuitous space after question mark added solely for purposes of this post to let it wrap if necessary.)

This produces a broken image link when the page is loaded. Right clicking on View Image yields a 400 (Bad Request) error. Fair enough.

But then if I highlight the URL in the location bar and hit enter (or type in my website URL plus the exact same arugment used in the image tag, it brings up the counter, properly incremented, right font, and everything. Weird.

Obviously, the script works, and the problem is how I've coded the tag. (There is an existing "count.txt" file in my cgi-bin directory, so I don't think that's the problem.) But I can't figure out what's wrong with it. God, I'm ready to just do a PEEK for the damn thing.

I'll petition the deity of your choice for blessings on you if you can explain what I'm doing wrong.

[Astroglide]

Just a suggestion to check:

The link you give is relative to the page from which it is called.

[Raza]

<img src="/cgi-bin/counter.exe? font=../images/gifs/&inc=count&show=count">


I think Astroglide has it right: you have the relative path "/cgi-bin/" for the counter.exe, and up a level then down for the images directory - it may be correct, but you need to double-check it.

Also, I found it odd that the "font=" attribute points to a directory, but not a specific font file - again, this might be legit, just odd.

[handy]

With CGI they only work if you upload the scripts in ascii & are chomodded properly & you should use the full path name at the start. http://www.mysite.com/cgi-bin/pluck.cgi

Better check your real cgi path with some test cgi program.

[Nurlman]

Thanks for the tips. I've already tried using absolute URL's for both the CGI directory and the font directory, but with exactly the same results. (I find the font parameter a little unnerving too, but the parameters that came with the script asked only for a directory where the individual digit .gifs could be found, not for any filename.)

Oh well, counters are for sissies anyway. I'm gonna go find me an annoying chat applet instead!

Thanks again for the help. Now then, let's see:

"Oh, great and glorious Allah, please confer on your humble servant Astroglide a mint condition 1967 Corvette."

"All powerful and knowing Shiva, may your divine gifts upon Raza manifest themselves as several thousand dollars in small, unmarked bills."

"Zeus, we are in awe of your might and wisdom, but would be even more so if you could see your way clear to giving Handy a successful Krispy Kreme franchise."

[Sam Stone]

Also, make sure that your permissions are set correctly. Whatever directory your CGI script is sitting in must have execute privileges.

[WillGolfForFood]

If I were in your situation, the first thing I'd try to do would be to use the same/similar logic to get *any* CGI script to work - even one that just says "hi there".

That way, I'd know if the problem was in the CGI program you'd downloaded, or in your server's understanding of where CGI scripts are located.

[handy]

Just cause you made yourself a CGI-BIN directory doesn't mean you can use cgi scripts there.

Your ISP must be able to run CGI. The path to the PERL interpreter MUST appear on your script too.

Your ISP must give you CGI permission.

Your ISP may & often does, give you a path
other than the path you think you have to it.

[handy]

Why doesn't the counter have a PL or CGI extension that indicates a CGI script?

Isps usually don't like EXE's in that they could be program that just deletes things...