CGI Library
If your web host provides a CGI library, it means they have a library or collection of CGI scripts that you can use on your website.
CGI, or Common Gateway Interface, allows a website to point to a program instead of a web page. CGI programs are normally written in Perl but other languages can be used like C, C++, Applescript, Python, Visual Basic and Unix Shell.
Some common types of CGI program categories include:
- Calendars
- Advertisements
- Chat programs
- Instant messaging
- Mailing lists
- Image display
- Cookies
- Countdown timers
- File management
- Shopping carts
- Guestbooks
- Games
- Customer support systems
- Website statistics
The above are just a small selection of the types of CGI programs you can find in a CGI library. By combining them all into one collection, your web host makes it easy to access, install and use certain CGI scripts. Not all web hosts have this feature and some only provide a few programs so it is wise to check with your prospective host if a CGI library is important for you.Many cPanel installations contain just two CGI scripts. They are:
CGI Email
The input from a HTML form can be taken and converted into an email format.
FormMail Clone
A clone of the popular FormMail script made by Matt Wright. This creates a form on a web page that emails you whenever someone fills it in. This is a secure script and is a great way to provide contact form functionality on your site.
If you wish to install your own scripts they need to be installed in the CGI-BIN directory on your web server. Check with your host whether they provide this folder for you.
CGI scripts work by the URL requested in the browser pointing to a pogrom rather than a static website. The server then runs the CGI program and output is sent to the client in the same way the contents of a HTML file is. At times it might be that the visitor does not realize a CGI program is even running, such is the transparency of some CGI scripts.
Apart from the above mentioned widgets like calendars, CGI is often used to process forms on a website. CGI scripts are not as popular as they once were as more and more people rely on PHP and other object oriented languages. It still however is a great way to add small scripts to spice up your site.