67 lines
2.9 KiB
Plaintext
67 lines
2.9 KiB
Plaintext
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Python CGI under MacOS
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This folder contains two tools that enable Python CGI scripts under
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Mac based web servers, like WebStar, Quid Quo Pro, NetPresentz or
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Apple's Personal Webserver.
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Both tools emulate Unix style CGI's, allowing for cross platform
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CGI scripts. In short, this happens by converting an AppleEvent sent
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by the web server into os.environ dictionary entries. See below for more
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details.
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Both tools serve slightly different purposes:
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- PythonCGISlave enables execution of Python scripts as plain *.py
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text files. The web server must be configured to handle .py requests
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over to PythonCGISlave. Not all web servers support that. Eg. WebStar
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does, but NetPresentz does not.
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- BuildCGIApplet wraps a Python CGI script in a compatibility layer, and
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creates a CGI Applet which can be executed by any web server.
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The pros and cons of using PythonCGISlave are (+ is good, - is bad):
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+ support plain .py files, no need to wrap each script
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- not supported b all servers, requires more complicated configuration
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The pros and cons of using BuildCGIApplet are:
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+ supported by more servers
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+ less configuration troubles
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- must wrap each script
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Using BuildCGIApplet
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Drop your CGI script onto BuildCGIApplet. An applet called <script name>.cgi
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will be created. Move it to the appropriate location in the HTTP document tree.
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Make sure your web server is configured to handle .cgi applet files. Usually
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it is configured correctly by default, since .cgi is a standard extension.
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If your CGI applet starts up for the first time, a file <applet name>.errors
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is created. If your CGI script causes an exception, debug info will be written
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to that file.
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Using PythonCGISlave
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Place the PythonCGISlave applet somewhere in the HTTP document tree. Configure
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your web server so it'll pass requests for .py files to PythonCGISlave. For
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Webstar, this goes roughly like this:
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- in the WebStar Admin app, create a new "action", call it PYTHON, click the
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"Choose" button and select our applet. Save the settings.
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- go to Suffix Mappings, create a new suffix .PY, type TEXT, creator *, and
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choose PYTHON in the actions popup. Save the settings.
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How it works
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For each Python CGI request, the web server will send an AppleEvent to the
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CGI applet. Most relevant CGI parameters are taken from the AppleEvent and
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get stuffed into the os.environ dictionary. Then the script gets executed.
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This emulates Unix-style CGI as much as possible, so CGI scripts that are
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written portably should now also work under a Mac web server.
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Since the applet does not quit after each request by default, there is hardly
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any startup overhead except the first time it starts up. If an exception occurs
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in the CGI script, the applet will write a traceback to a file called
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<applet name>.errors, and then quit. The latter seems a good idea, just in case
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we leak memory. The applet will be restarted upon the next request.
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Please direct feedback to <just@letterror.com> and/or <pythonmac-sig@python.org>.
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