CGI - CUPS v1.1.19 - 05/27/2003 ------------------------------- This file describes the experimental scripting/CGI support provided by CUPS starting with CUPS 1.1.19. WARNING: CGI support is not complete; you may run into problems and limitations in the implementation of CGI in CUPS that are not present in full-featured web servers like Apache. OVERVIEW OF CGI SUPPORT IN CUPS CUPS has traditionally provided a dynamic web interface through four CGI programs that are executed when users open special directories on the CUPS server. Each CGI performs administration, class, job, and printer functions as directed by the user, but the actual programs that are run and functions that are available are limited to those that were originally designed into the scheduler. Starting with CUPS 1.1.19, support is now available for CGI programs and specific scripting languages, currently Java, Perl, PHP, and Python. The interpreters for these languages are currently configured at compile time. Future versions may expand the interface to allow for generic support of scripting languages similar to the Apache "AddHandler" directive, but with external programs instead of modules. The following MIME types are reserved for the CGI support in CUPS (the names have been chosen to mirror those used by Apache): application/x-http-cgi CGI script/program application/x-http-java Java program application/x-http-perl Perl script application/x-http-php PHP script application/x-http-python Python script In order to enable the corresponding type, you must create a new /etc/cups/cgi.types file which maps the filename extensions to the appropriate MIME type, for example: application/x-http-cgi cgi application/x-http-php php CGI scripts/programs (application/x-http-cgi) also must have execution permissions to be treated as a CGI script or program. LIMITATIONS CUPS implements most of the CGI/1.1 specification, with the following limitations: - No Location: redirection support. - No PATH_INFO or PATH_TRANSLATED support. - Limited HTTP field support; only the Content-Length (CONTENT_LENGTH), Cookie (HTTP_COOKIE), and User-Agent (HTTP_USER_AGENT) fields are placed in environment variables at this time. REPORTING PROBLEMS If you have problems, READ THE DOCUMENTATION FIRST! If the documentation does not solve your problems please send an email to "cups-support@cups.org". Include your operating system and version, compiler and version, and any errors or problems you've run into. The "/var/log/cups/error_log" file should also be sent, as it often helps to determine the cause of your problem. If you are running a version of Linux, be sure to provide the Linux distribution you have, too. Please note that the "cups-support@cups.org" email address goes to the CUPS developers; they are busy people, so your email may go unanswered for days or weeks. In general, only general build or distribution problems will actually get answered - for end-user support see the "README.txt" for a summary of the resources available.