Preserved Topic: Server Side Includes

I know that Server Sides Includes aren't dHTML or Javascript, but I wasn't sure where to post this thread.<P>I have some information in a bulleted list that I would like to insert on "webpage A". "Webpage B" is my main page and I would like to use Server Side Includes to display "webpage A's" bulleted list in one section of "webpage B". Is this how Server Side Includes function? I'm new to SSI's. Please explain to me the concept of SSI's, brief synopsis please. I know Doc said he uses them on the main page to his site. From what I've gathered SSI's are similar to floating frames minus the frame...does that make sense? Am I on the right track in my thinking?<P>

SSI's actually just include the content from website A in the page B. you can't tell when they are being used because all it does is include the code seamlessly into the page. These are usefull for dynamic pages where you want to be able to change content quickly and easily or if you have the same code repeated on a lot of pages. If this is one page then they are not very usefull (just put the code in the page in the first place)<P>They need to be supported by your server in order to work since the server does the work and some hosts have issues with these includes.

SSI's actually just include the content from website A in the page B. you can't tell when they are being used because all it does is include the code seamlessly into the page. These are usefull for dynamic pages where you want to be able to change content quickly and easily or if you have the same code repeated on a lot of pages. If this is one page then they are not very usefull (just put the code in the page in the first place)<P>Doc actually uses these on the copyright part of all of his pages for the copyright and link area of the page <P>They need to be supported by your server in order to work since the server does the work and some hosts have issues with these includes. <P>

SSI, or Ser4ver-Side Include, is a way for the server to take a text or html file from one place and include it somewhere else. You can also get some good information on browsers, date and time, all sorts of good stuff. Basically, they look just like a commented out line of code, here's an example that would output the date...<P><!--#echo var="DATE_LOCAL" --><P>Try putting this line in your code, and name your document with a ".shtml" at the end, instead of the usual ".html". If the date prints out, then Yay! You have SSI enabled on your server. If not you'll eed to write your SysAdmin and request SSI-include to be enabled. (They might balk at enabling SSI-exec, which allows you to start scripts dynamically in your code.) <P>Check out this web page at MIT, a good basic tute...
http://alumweb.mit.edu/reference/ssi/ <P>Good luck, have fun, SSI really rocks my world, I love this stuff!<P>
Your pal, -doc-<P>----- Doctor Thaddeus Ozone --------- "Specialization is for insects"---

O mah gawd! I just pee'd my friggin' pants! I just implemented Server Side Includes to seamlessly integrate an external web page containing a menu into about fifty web pages. It is the BOMB, baby! I made one little change to the external file and badda-bing all fifty pages were updated. Damn! This really rocks!

Check out this site for Server Side Include tags and tute's:
http://www.carleton.ca/~dmcfet/html/ssi2.html

oh oh and you can nest SSI's in external web pages as well.....I can't take it any more!!! AAAAAAH Stop the madness!!!

So theoretically couldn't a forum be created using SSI's?

DOC... What uses do you use SSI for? I've come up with some great use's so far on my own.<P>(intranet scenario) I've envisioned creating a notepad text document on a non web server server that a particular group of people have access to. Then on the .shtml page on the web server I could include the text page using SSI thus giving them limited ability to make updates to the .shtml page without giving them the ability to screw up the code.

DOC if you look hard enough out your window in the direction of HOUSTON, TX you can probably see the light emanating from the light bulb that turned on in my head this morning!

DOC you posted a great MIT tute! You said it was basic and I agree. Do you have any links that go into more detail on other tags for SSI?

Another useful SSI link:
http://hoohoo.ncsa.uiuc.edu/docs/tutorials/includes.html

Here's a page with simple and also technical descriptions of how SSI works:
http://worldwidemart.com/scripts/faq/ssi_image.shtml

DOC...If you call a .sht file using SSI 'include' variable, can the .sht contain only the variables and code for SSI and not any other HTML stuff like {html}{/html}?

DOC, here is a script that could come in very handy. It is a javascript in your external SSI that prompts for correct user name and password in order to gain access to a web page. Dunno if it works but I sure am gonna give it a whirl for the heck of it.
http://www.developer.com/experts/javascripts/answer146.html

BTW does anyone know of any free web sites that allow the use of SSI? I'd really be surprised to find one that did.

Actually, www.net-games.com is free (for gaming/clan sites - and supports CGI, SSI, SQL (i think) and some other things... extremely good free host - they give you 250 megs.<P>I highly recommend goin there if you need a free host, and qualify for thir service.<P>--TheCommando--

I put SSI to use on a corporate site. My client http://www.atec.com now has SSI footers on every page...from the horizontal rule down on every page the content is linked to an external file... I love this stuff!

Doc, FWIW there's a fragment of code showing at the bottom of this page. It looks to be maybe some sort of close table tag:<P></t is all that is showing...<P>

Anyone here ever consider joining in a web site collaboration? <p>[This message has been edited by Bruce (edited 01-05-2000)

Doc...you ever use the SSI 'Mail' variable? How does it work?

How about it Doc?<P>------------------
â?¢ â?¢ â?¢ â?¢ â?¢ â?¢ â?¢ â?¢ â?¢ â?¢
"eat healthy, exercise daily, then die" - me

Heh heh heh. This thread really took off, eh? SSI, and it's souped-up cousin XSSI totally rules, you can do things on the server end that you would have thought would need some high-powered scripting thingamajig. Here's a fun one I use, from XSSI.<P><html>
<body>
(Sample page stuf...)<P><!--#set var="which" value="$QUERY_STRING_UNESCAPED" -->
<!--#if expr="$which != ''" -->
<!--#include virtual="/content/$which" -->
<!--#endif --><P></body>
</html><P>Now, I put this in the middle of a blank, formatted content page, and I use this code to insert different text documents into that area. So, I have a bunch of .txt files in the directory "content", right? Now, let's say that example page is called "display.html", I access it like...<P><a href="display.html?sample.txt">click</a><P>Now the display page will open, and the text file "sample.txt" gets included. I can make the whole format of the site in 2 or 3 pages, and just call for it by sending different text files into it, simple, easy, neat.<P>Here's another one I use to deliver one of two random pages...<P><!--#config timefmt="%S" -->
<!--#set var="page_num" value="$DATE_LOCAL" --><P><!--#if expr="$page_num < 50" -->
<!--#include virtual="/content/page1.html" -->
<!--#elif expr="$page_num >= 50" -->
<!--#include virtual="/content/page2.html" -->
<!--#endif --><P>Cool, eh? See these URLs, below...
http://www.apache.org/docs-1.2/mod/mod_include.html http://hotwired.lycos.com/webmonkey/backend/apache_xssi/ http://www.mtjeff.com/demos/xssi-1.1.html <P><P>------------------
<IMG SRC="http://www.ozones.com/forum/siggie.gif">

For anyone using a free web site like Tripod or Freeservers that doesn't support Server Side Includes I found a javascript on javascripts.com that emulates a Server Side Include for file inclusion.<P>If this interests you <a href="mailto:bruce@ktecelec.com"><b>e-mail</b></a> me directly and I'll send it to you.<P>----------
"Kill yourself and do the rest of us a favor!" - me

Does this mean that I could create a "template" page, then just use SSI to create all the other pages in the site?<P>That would ROCK!<P>Pat Richard
Web weenie

I've chosen to create header, footer, and menus in my SSI include file. Then all I have to do is create filler for the rest of the page's filler data. So to answer your question, yes I guess that you could create a template so to speak.<P> <IMG SRC="http://www.raceamerica.net/images/sig.gif">

Whoa...I think I just scored....<P>This would make things SO much easier! I'll really have to dive into this stuff! <P>Pat Richard
Web weenie

Woah - a javascript script that includes an outside file? hook me up with that! That would be SO helpful!<P> <IMG SRC="http://www.angelfire.com/ma2/slimesareneat2/images/slimesig.gif">

Send me an email and I'll reply with the script.

bruce@ktecelec.com

<IMG SRC="http://www.raceamerica.net/images/sig.gif">

Doc - I've been looking for a way to pass that info on the URL. I tried your code, and just about wet my pants when it worked. <img border=0 align=absmiddle src="http://www.ozones.com/forum/smile.gif">

Anyways, the only issue I have with this method is the page title. Is there a way to change that in a similar fashion?

Pat Richard
Web weenie

Doc -

I figured out the title thing by removing the title tags from all pages but the one getting called via SSI.

Also, for your code sample above, I came up with this:

<!--#set var="which" value="$QUERY_STRING_UNESCAPED" -->
<!--#if expr="$which !=''"-->
<!--#include virtual="$which" -->
<!--#endif -->
<!--#if expr="$which = ''" -->
<!--#include virtual="nav_right.htm"-->
<!--#endif -->

replace nav_right.htm with the name of the page that you would like called if no variable is called in the URL. That way, you can use this in the index file, and if they don't specify another page, it will load nav_right.htm

Thanks for the inspiration, Doc!


Pat Richard
Web weenie

[This message has been edited by Pugzly (edited 08-06-2000).]