CGI Scripts
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David
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February 20th, 2012
CGI, Common Gateway Interface, is a protocol for users to complete a task using an application software generally installed on a web server. This task is generally completed entering information into a form.
At that point the software will respond using the variables entered by the website visitor. This could be simply submitting a form, entering an item into a classifieds ad or entering a comment into a message board. The available scripts are nearly limitless, you'll simply want to do a search on your favorite search engine to see if a CGI script is available.
CGI Script Basics
One of the first thing that you'll need to do is to ensure that your web hosting plan is setup to allow for CGI scripts. I can say that pretty much all of the big name web hosting companies offer CGI capabilites.
The other thing that you'll need is an FTP program. This will allow you to easily upload your website and make the appropriate changes that you need. These changes will be documented in the installation file that comes with your script so don't let this intimidate you. My FTP program of choice is FileZilla, it's free and is very easy to learn.
As I mentioned, each CGI script will come with an installation guide. They will generally contain the steps, in order, that you need to do to get the script running. If you should have issues they generally offer an email address that you can email for support.
It's likely that the first few scripts that you install may require a bit of troubleshooting so be patient, as the programmer that wrote the script for support and make sure you drop an email to your web hosting provider because there may be something that they need to activate on your account.
Where To Find CGI Scripts
A couple of reliable places that I've used on numerous occasions to search for scripts is Script Archive and Hot Scripts. You'll find both Hot Scripts offers quite a few more scripts and they offer a search for you to search for the type of script that you're looking for.
One thing to consider is that some of the scripts may simply offer a trial period so be sure to know this and what the cost is for the full version before you invest the time into installing the script.
Other than that, a simple search on your favorite search engine will definitely return some CGI scripts that aren't available on the two websites that I mentioned.
Evaluate CGI Scripts
Due to the complexity and possibility of errors when installing a script, it's recommended that you look for a demo to see if the script is what you're looking for before taking the time to install it.
You'll find that as you install more scripts that troubleshooting and just the installation process itself will get much easier. It's important that you simply learn from your errors when installing your CGI scripts.
Webmaster Forum
If you'd like more information on web designers I'd suggest that you take a look through our webmaster forum. It's a great source for asking questions to fellow webmasters. You may just find a good web designer there!