hey, all. i recently downloaded and installed a cgi journal script (basically what it does is allows me to update my online journal through a browser window – sort of like diaryland, but on my server). i would like to make some “hacks” to the script, but i haven’t the foggiest clue where to begin. anyone interested in attempting to help me?
Learn PERL (Assumming that is what the script is written in)
Or send the script to me and I’ll cherry it out for you.
the whole thing? ahhhhhh!!!
you can do it! 
this is where you download the script: zip file.
here’s what i want to do:
make the date show up in lower case letters
add a form field for “location” to the entry form
This might take awhile.
are you really going to do this? oh, i always find the sweetest, nicest guys on this board!!!
…and there is no doubt that someone will beat me to it.
But I’m on it.
[That Thing You Do]Careful guys, she’s engaged![/That Thing You Do]
Yeah, punny, but have you seen her diary? 
Anyway, Cessandra, I’ve hacked around some PERL scripts in my day without knowing a whit of PERL. If Lance can’t help ya out, let me know and I’ll see what I can do.
Try cgi-resources.com anything you need to know about cgi is there & free, too.
Cessandra, just so you know, I think you done a pretty amusing thing: You’ve created a thread that, last I checked, had eight posts and 242 views. Way to go! Just goes to show ya that thread title selection is important.
BTW, I actually write Perl code for a living, so if you need any help, Lance (not that you will), I can mebbe help.
Cessandra:
Nice tag line… made me look…
I can’t help you with your cgi (actually I could, but there are plenty of hungrier hackers on this board)…
I just wanted to comment on your sig:
You’re much too young to be quoting Kansas, so I’m guessing there’s a gangsta rap remake out there???
Ya know, Cessandra, I thought your topic line was pretty arrogant. Then I clicked the link to your picture … 
Sua
Sorry, actually I may have something relevant to say…
I took a quick peek around your site and I didn’t see any other CGIs… You do know, I hope, that you have to have perl installed and your web server properly configured to be able to run CGIs, right? Just wanted to make sure you knew what you were getting in to…
thank you to everyone who offered help! i am just now learning a little bit about this cgi stuff. it’s so much harder than html!
(joeyblades: actually, my guestbook is cgi, also. everything is configured the way it’s supposed to be! thanks, thought!)
and about the subject, usually when i come here looking for webhelp, i get buried under more important questions (like ). it’s frustrating when i know there are lots of smart people here who could help me! i had to get your attention somehow.
btw, thanks, suasponte! very sweet.
oh… one more thing. joeyblades: young man, i’ve been listening to kansas since i was knee high to a grasshopper! don’t give me any “gangsta rap version” bs! sigh. who says age dictates taste?
Just edit cgi only with something like notepad. Upload only as ASCII…
In Notepad, you can see how pretty it all looks.
Cessandra:
So it is… my bad…
Well, it was just a joke, of sorts… Though, you have to admit, it’s a bit unusual considering the song was released 5 years before you were born…
Point well taken. At 40+, I listen to a wide variety of music, but some of it I have to compete with my kids for. They’re always wanting to borrow my Korn, Offspring, or Lenny Kravitz and I occasionally borrow their Savage Garden, Limp Bizkit, and Santana.
Of course, for that last one, it’s not really the same thing. They refer to it as “That album with Rob Thomas and Eagle-eye Cherry. Oh, and that old guy with the guitar.” On the flip side, they occasionally pull out some of my old Alice Cooper… They’re just Sick Things at heart.
I think I can handle this one; I know my way around the code well enough. Forgive my failure to reply to your email, I’ve been having some problems of late.
I’ve posted a modified admin.cgi and journal.cgi at http://awdang.com/journal/cassandra/. I wasn’t sure how you wanted the ‘location’ thing to work, so if it’s wrong, tell me and I’ll fix it. (Having no problems getting email…)
Also, the dates will always be lowercase in this version, but hey, you asked for a hack, not an upgrade to version 2.0…
Everyone else is free to hack away, but be aware that I’m in the middle of a complete rewrite from scratch… any changes you make will be completely outmoded by the new architechure. (Of course, after that, it’ll be easier to hack on, so…)
If that doesn’t do what you need, let me know and I’ll take another look at it.
–Stephen.
colour me surprised… and impressed! didn’t expect to see you around here, stephen! you find us through your referring urls? (i hesitate to believe this is a coincidence.)
well, lance has already sent me an email with his first hack (getting the dates lowercased), but since you’ve got both done, i guess i’ll try yours first.
i feel awfully special.
joey: i actually rarely listen to “new” music (anything made after i was born), unless it involves someone from the music i usually like (such santana’s new release – i was at that concert, in fact. free tickets. good seats.) my mother was always sort of a teenager at heart, and she played her records at full volume while doing housework. ever since then i’ve listened to nothing but kansas, creme, boston and the like.
ps, stephen, it’s quite alright. everyone does the first time. and seeing as your doing me a huge favour, i’m prepared to forgive you.
(http://awdang.com/journal/cassandra/sorry_i_misspelled_your_name_cess.txt)
Lance: If you can figure out how to add the location field, you get a gold star. The code is a spaghetti trainwreck despite all my attempts to restructure it. After a while, it takes less effort to scrap it and start over than it does to bolt on yet another temporary support mechanism - that’s where I am now.
Cessandra: Yeah, I saw a few hits coming from here and figured I’d see what the commotion is about. Can’t beat good press, and it’s always nice to hear good things.
Okay, back to work I go. Version 2.0 will be in beta hopefully by the end of October. Happy hacking.
–Stephen.