###################################################################### 
#
#     Dream Catchers CGI Scripts               Feel free to modify 
#     Book of Guests 2.0                       this script to your 
#     Created by Seth Leonard                  needs, but please
#                                              keep this portion so
#                                              that I get credit.  
#     http://dreamcatchersweb.com/scripts      The same goes for 
#                                              distribution.
#
#     (c)1996 Dream Catchers Web Services, All Rights Reserved
#
######################################################################

Step by Step Guide to Book of Guests 2.0

Follow these easy steps:

1.  Contact your server.  Ask them to create a cgi-bin directory in your home directory.  Also ask them how one can access a file in that directory from WWW.  Usually this is "http://www.server.com/you/cgi-bin/".

2.  If you have telnet access to your home directories, log onto your server.  At the command prompt, type "which perl".  Write down the line given to you.  Usually this is /usr/local/bin/perl.  Next, type "which sendmail".  Write down the line given to you.  Usually this is /usr/bin/sendmail.  If there is not sendmail program, type "which mail" and use this instead.  Next, type "which date".  Write down the line given to you.  Usually this is /bin/date. If you do not have telnet access, ask your server where the perl, mail, and date programs reside.

3.  Using your favorite text editor, open the guest.cgi file included in the files you downloaded from the Dream Catchers CGI Scripts page.

4.  The first line of guest.cgi has the line: 

#!/usr/local/bin/perl

If the line you recieved from your server when you typed "which perl" is different, replace the one there.  Keep the #! and don't change anything if it is the same one you were given.

5.  Find the section that says "ONLY EDIT THIS PART OF THE SCRIPT" and change the vaiables so that the match your home directory.

NOTE: The values already placed there are examples!!  These are the common formats for how servers set up directories.  You need to fill in your own values!  DO NOT DELETE THE CHARACTERS OUTSIDE OF THE VALUES: ' " ;

For example, guestlocation is the url for your guestbook, so you would change:

$guestlocation = "http://www.something.com/~you/guestbook.html";

you would change to:

$guestlocation = "http://www.microsoft.com/~billgates/guestbook.html";

Change the values of:

$guestlocation = the url of your guestbook
$guestpath = the actual path through your home directory to your guestbook
$cgilocation = the url of the guest.cgi file
$mailprog = the name of the program that you received when you asked "which mail".
$youmail = your email address
$yourname = your name (it will appear on the email sent to the guestbook signees)
$getdate = the name of the program that you received when you asked "which date".

6.  You are done changing this file.  Save the file as guest.cgi.

7.  Upload this file into your cgi-bin in your home directory.

8.  Telnet into your server.  Go to your cgi-bin directory and view the files in it.  The guest.cgi file should be in there.  If not, upload it again.  At the command prompt in the cgi-bin directory type:

chmod a+rx guest.cgi

9.  At the command prompt again, type "guest.cgi".  If you see an HTML page in HTML script or get no message and a command prompt again, then the script is fine.  If there is a "command not found" message, try typing:

perl guest.cgi

if that doesn't work, type: 

edit guest.cgi

or use what ever edit command you use to edit (pico is recommended).  Type something at the top of the script and then delete it, so that the server believes you have made a change.  Then save the file again.  At the command prompt, again type "guest.cgi".  Hopefully this will work.  If not, follow the responses given by the server.  If you still get "command not found" contact your server.  Log off of your server.

10.  Open the sign.htm file that came with the bookofguests.zip files you downloaded off of Dream Catchers CGI Scripts Page.  Change the line:

<FORM METHOD="POST" ACTION="http://your_cgi-bin/guest.cgi">

by replacing "your_cgi-bin" with the address that your server gave you to access your cgi-bin from the WWW.  Usually this is "www.server.com/you/cgi-bin".

11.  Edit the sign.htm file to match however you would like your page to look. YOU SHOULD ONLY CHANGE ONE THING BETWEEN THE <FORM> TAG AND THE </FORM> TAG, THE FOLLOWING SECTION:

<!--ONLY CHANGE THIS SECTION!!-->
<SELECT NAME="howfound">
<OPTION VALUE="">How'd You Find Me?
<OPTION>Blind Luck I Guess
<OPTION>Dream Catchers CGI Scripts
<OPTION>Link
<OPTION>A Search Engine
<OPTION>Word of Mouth
<OPTION>A Better Question is How Can I Leave?
</SELECT>
<!--ONLY CHANGE THE ABOVE SECTION!!-->

YOU CAN CHANGE ANY OF THE OPTIONS YOU WANT AND ADD OR SUBTRACT OPTIONS AS WELL.  YOU PROBABLY WANT TO KEEP THE "HOW'D YOU FIND ME" OPTION SO THAT YOUR VISITORS KNOW WHAT THEY ARE CHOOSING.

12.  Save sign.htm and open guestbook.htm.  Edit the guestbook.htm file to match however you would like your page to look, but do not erase the <!--begin--> line!  All entries will be added below this line, with the most recent being added directly below it.

13.  Upload guestbook.htm and sign.htm into your web page directory in your home directory.  Telnet into your server.  At the command prompt in your web page directory (usually public_html) type:

chmod a+rw guestbook.htm

Log off of your server.

14.  Load the sign.htm page from the internet, fill in the guestbook, and submit it to make sure that you get the response page telling you what you filled in.  Go back to your guestbook and make sure that the new entry is there.  Wait a few seconds.  Check your mail and see if you have the response in your mailbox.  Everything working?

15.  Smile, you're done...

All working?  Great!  You now have a Guestbook.  If there are problems, please consult http://dreamcatchersweb.com/scripts and chose the Frequently Asked Questions option.  Please do not send email, it WILL NOT be answered.  I apologize for this, but there were just too many requests to be able to offer quality help for all as well as work on new projects.

