Wizards Frequently Asked Questions

FAQ and their Answers about the PHP, Perl, JavaScript Wizards.


Frequently Asked Questions about the Wizards(FAQ)

https://www.thesitewizard.com/wizards/faq.shtml

This page lists the answers to frequently asked questions on the scripts generated by free script wizards on thesitewizard.com.

Important

The questions and answers specific to the Feedback Form Wizard have been moved to another page. Please see Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) about the Feedback Form Wizard instead.


General Questions

Perl / CGI Questions

Installation Questions

Web Host Questions

Answers to Common Questions

How do I insert the HTML code into my web page?

If you use a plain text editor, just insert it as you normally would any code. Otherwise, if you use a WYSIWYG web editor, refer to one of the tutorials below:

As for PHP, Perl or standalone JavaScript code, you should use a plain text editor. Windows users can use Notepad while Mac users can use TextEdit. Both these software come preinstalled on those systems.

Why do I see the source code of the PHP or Perl script when I run it on my website?

When you run the script, and see the PHP or Perl source code of the script in your browser instead of the expected results, it probably means that your site is hosted on a web host that does not support the execution of the type of script you chose, whether PHP (What is PHP?) or Perl (What is Perl?). To fix the problem, you can choose a script that doesn't require PHP or Perl (in the case of the Drop Down Navigation Menu Wizard, this means to select the Pure JavaScript version) or get a new web host.

On the other hand, for the Drop Down Navigation Menu Wizard, if you see the HTML code on your web page instead of the expected menu, it means you failed to switch to your editor's HTML mode before pasting the code. See the answer above on how to insert the HTML code correctly.

Will there be more Wizards for other scripts and web pages?

It is my intention to write wizards for more scripts and web pages as well as extend and improve existing wizards. If you would like to be informed when such wizards are available or updated, you might want to consider subscribing to thesitewizard.com's RSS feed. If you don't know how to do that, check out my FAQ on How to Subscribe to or Read ATOM and RSS Site Feeds. As and when I have new wizards (or new major versions of existing wizards) I will announce it in the feed.

Do you have a Wizard for... (name your script)?

If you cannot find a wizard for a particular type of script, try looking at the Wizards Index and see if it available under a different name or guise.

Will there be ads (advertisements) displayed on my site?

None of my wizards generate advertisements in the code they produce. If you see advertisements, it's either because you placed them yourself, or your site is on a free web host that inserts such adverts on your pages.

I'll be grateful, however, if you'll link to thesitewizard.com somewhere on your site. Some suggestions are given on my Link to Us page, but feel free to link to any page on thesitewizard.com that you find useful instead.

Why is the HTML/Perl/PHP code I copied to my editor in a mess?

I have observed this behaviour while using Internet Explorer 4.0 on Windows as well. When you copy the code generated by the Wizard from the text box and try to paste it into an editor somewhere, you may end up with code that appears garbled and interspersed with rectangular boxes.

What happens is that the code copied has each line terminated by carriage returns (CR) instead of carriage return and line feed pairs (CRLF) or just line feeds (LF). If you use an editor like Notepad that does not recognise carriage returns as line terminators, all your lines will run into each other.

The solution is to use another browser for the purpose of cutting and pasting the code generated by the wizards. Firefox does not appear to have this problem.

Note that if you encounter this problem, you cannot just ignore it and hope that it will go away when you upload the file with your FTP program. My experience is that some Windows FTP programs don't know how to handle local files like that and will translate it wrongly when uploading it to the server.

What is the path to Perl on my web server?

There is no point telling me your web host's name and expecting me to tell you where Perl is located on your web server. Such information can only be obtained from your web host. If you cannot find it on your web host's site, try contacting their support department and asking them. Remember, Perl is only available for use on your site if your web host allows CGI access and has installed Perl.

How do I install the CGI scripts generated?

You basically need a few things before you can get started:

  1. You will need a web host that gives you CGI access. You may not get this if you use a free web host, so you may need to go with a commercial web host. For example, the web host I currently use provides both CGI/Perl and PHP access. In addition, you cannot just create a directory named "cgi-bin" and think that you have CGI access. Creating the directory by itself does not add CGI access. It needs to be provided by the web host.

  2. Find out the directory where you can install your CGI scripts from your web host (usually "cgi-bin" in your web directory, but not always).

  3. You will need to know your account username and password to access your site by FTP.

  4. Another thing you'll need is a text editor. Note that this is not the same as the wordprocessor that you use to type your documents. If you use Windows, you already have a text editor on your system called Notepad. Warning: Do not use Wordpad or Microsoft Word for this. In fact, if the program you're considering allows you to do things like underline text or put text in bold, it's the wrong program. If you can't find how to get Notepad to work, or if you don't use Windows, you can get other text editors from the Free Text Editors, Free Programmers' Editors page. They're all free.

  5. Another required piece of software is an FTP program. This is a computer program that will let you transfer (ie, upload) your CGI scripts to your website. Some web hosts allow you to do it with your browser via a "File Manager". If so, be sure that you have a way to upload in ASCII mode and change permissions on the file. This guide assumes that an FTP program is used. You can get a free FTP program from the Free FTP Programs page.

Do the following to install your CGI scripts:

  1. Generate the script that you want using the Wizards. The script will appear on a page with brief instructions on what to do.

  2. Copy the CGI script from the box into your text editor. Do not re-type the script. Select the script in the box and use the Copy function in your browser. This will cause the text to enter into your system clipboard. Then open your text editor and use the Paste function in the editor to create an identical copy there. Copy and paste functions are available in most modern operating systems.

  3. Save the file in your text editor using the name suggested by the Wizard. This is important, because either the script or the HTML code that calls the script may depend on it.

  4. Fire up your FTP program. Change the directory to the correct directory for the CGI scripts (usually "cgi-bin") and upload the script to your web server. Critical: You will have to upload the file in ASCII or Text mode. Do not rely on the auto-detection facility of your FTP program since the FTP program might assume that the file you're uploading is a binary file from its unknown extension.

  5. If your web server is a Unix system, you will probably have to change the permissions on the uploaded file. Change it so that it is readable and executable by everyone. If you are using a Unix FTP program, change the permissions to 755. If you are using a Windows FTP program on Windows, see if you can right click the file you've just uploaded (on the web host, not your local file) and choose "chmod" or something called "permissions" (the actual words vary from FTP program to FTP program). You'll be presented with a dialog box where you should check "Read, Write, Execute" for the owner, and "Read, Execute" for the group and everyone else.

Congratulations. You've installed your CGI script.

Note: You might also want to read my tutorial on How to Upload or Publish a File Using FileZilla (FileZilla is a free FTP program for Windows).

How do I install the PHP scripts generated?

Firstly, check up from your web host whether they have PHP support. If this is not available, simply uploading the PHP script to your server is not going to work. Once you are sure that your web host supports PHP scripts, simply upload the script to your site the same way you upload your other web pages. No other special actions are needed.

Note that if you are using Windows, you can check out my tutorial on How to Upload a File to Your Website Using FileZilla. FileZilla is a free FTP client.

Why do I keep getting 500 Internal Server Errors?

Please read my article, Perl CGI Debugging: Solving a 500 Internal Server Error.

How do I upload my PHP scripts, CGI scripts and web pages to my web server?

Most web hosts allow you to upload files using what is known as an FTP program or client; there are a few free FTP programs/clients available on the Internet. After downloading and installing one, please read the program's documentation on how to use it to upload your files.

Some web hosts also allow you to upload files via your browser, using what is often called a "File Manager" (or the like). If so, instructions on how to use the "File Manager" should be available from your web host.

Uploading and installing CGI scripts require special additional actions. Please read our installation instructions for CGI scripts on this.

Note that if you are using Windows, you should check out my tutorial on How to Upload a File to Your Website Using FileZilla. FileZilla is a free FTP client.

How do I install the JavaScripts?

If the Wizard tells you to insert the JavaScript into your web page:

  • If you are using a simple text editor or a specialized raw HTML editor to write your pages, just cut and paste the code from the Wizard-generated page to your web page. Do not manually re-type or you might accidentally introduce errors into the code.

  • If you are using a WYSIWYG web editor, please see the How do I insert the HTML code into my web page? section.

If the Wizard tells you that you need to upload a JavaScript as a file to your website, copy the code generated into a plain text editor (like Notepad), save it using the name supplied by the Wizard, and upload it to your web server.

Which web host should I choose?

You can find information on the web host I'm currently using here. Alternately, read How to Choose a Web Host, and decide for yourself from the list of commercial web hosts.

Which web host has Perl/CGI support?

Many commercial web hosts, including the web host that I currently use, support Perl/CGI.

Which web host has PHP support?

Many commercial web hosts, including the web host that I currently use, support PHP.

Copyright © 2000-2018 by Christopher Heng. All rights reserved.
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