SSI and SHTML
SSI (Server Side Includes) and SHTML
Setup
By using SSI, you can utilize dynamic
features for your web site. For example, by placing the following
code...
<!--#echo var="DATE_LOCAL"
-->
...inside your HTML and naming your HTML file
with the extension .shtml, when the .shtml file is called via a browser,
the server will scan (parse) the HTML code for special commands.
The command above generated the following date when you "called" for this
web page via your browser...
Tuesday, 03-Dec-2024 10:49:59 CST
We can easily change how the date looks
such as...
<!--#config timefmt="%A, %B
%d %Y" --> <!--#echo var="DATE_LOCAL" -->
...results in...
Tuesday, December 03 2024
So what commands are available regarding
the date? Here they are...
|
Display Full |
Display Abbreviated |
|
Code |
Results |
Example |
Code |
Results |
Example |
|
%B |
Month |
December |
%b |
Month |
Dec |
|
%A |
Weekday |
Tuesday |
%a |
Weekday |
Tue |
|
%Y |
Year |
2024 |
%y |
Year |
24 |
|
%D |
Date |
12/03/24 |
%d |
Day of the Month |
03 |
|
Other Customizations |
|
%H |
Current Hour
(1-24) |
10 |
%I |
Current Hour
(1-12) |
10 |
|
%M |
Current Minutes
(0-60) |
49 |
%S |
Current Seconds
(0-60) |
59 |
|
%p |
AM or PM |
AM |
%Z |
Time Zone |
CST |
|
%m |
Month (1-12) |
12 |
|
|
|
|
Time Saving Commands |
|
%R |
Time
(24 hours)
Displayed as...
(%H:%M) |
10:49 |
%r |
Time
(12 hours)
Displayed as...
%I:%M:%S:%p |
10:49:59 AM |
|
%T |
Time
(24 hours)
Displayed as...
(%H:%M:%S) |
10:49:59 |
|
|
|
|
Date and Time Examples... |
|
<!--#config timefmt="%A %B %d %Y" --> <!--#echo var="DATE_LOCAL" --> |
Tuesday December 03 2024 |
|
<!--#config timefmt="%I %p" --> <!--#echo var="DATE_LOCAL" --> |
10 AM |
|
<!--#config timefmt="%B %d" --> <!--#echo var="DATE_LOCAL" --> |
December 03 |
|
Additional SSI Commands |
|
Web Page Related... |
|
|
<!--#echo var="HTTP_REFERER" --> |
The
page that brought you here was...
(none) |
|
<!--#echo var="REMOTE_ADDR" --> |
Your
IP address is...
3.12.154.133 |
|
<!--#echo var="DOCUMENT_NAME" --> |
The
name of the web page you are currently viewing is...
ssi_and_shtml.shtml |
|
<!--#fsize file="ssi_and_shtml.shtml" --> |
The
size of the web page you are currently viewing is...
30K |
|
<!--#flastmod file="ssi_and_shtml.shtml" --> |
The
page you are currently viewing was last modified on...
Tuesday, 24-Jan-2006 10:16:26 CST |
|
Date Related... |
|
|
<!--#echo var="DATE_LOCAL" --> |
Current Date and Time...
Tuesday, 03-Dec-2024 10:49:59 CST |
|
<!--#echo var="DATE_GMT" --> |
Current GMT Date and Time...
Tuesday, 03-Dec-2024 16:49:59 GMT |
|
Miscellaneous... |
|
|
<!--#include file="folder/name.txt" --> |
You
can include a text file or some other file to be displayed. Tuesday, 03-Dec-2024 10:49:59 CST |
Running a CGI or PL program from .shtml
If you call or run a CGI or PL program from
an HTML document in a statement such as...
<!--#exec
cgi="/cgi-bin/counter/counter.cgi" -->
...make sure you name the HTML file with
the extension ".shtml" or it will not run the requested CGI program.
Because the server scans the SHTML file for
special codes, this scan will result in two side effects. 1. A
pause in display while the server scans the HTML file and performs any
requested actions it finds embedded within the HTML, and 2. More server
resources are naturally required to parse a .shtml page. Keep this
in mind as to not overuse .shtml pages on a busy web site.
Common Questions About SSI (SHTML)
 PROBLEM:
When I view the .shtml page in the browser, and then view the HTML
source code, the SSI command is still there and the expected results
aren't displayed.
WHAT IS HAPPENING: The server does
not recognize the SSI command.
SOLUTION: For all SSI commands, make
sure there is ONE SPACE before the closing symbol --> as follows...
<!--#exec cgi="/cgi-bin/counter/counter.cgi" -->
PROBLEM:
The page shows the following...
[an error occurred while processing this directive]
WHAT IS HAPPENING: The server
recognizes the SSI command, however, there is an error in the SSI
command and the server doesn't know what to do.
SOLUTION: Make sure the path and
filename in the SSI command is correct.
PROBLEM:
When I view the .shtml page in the browser, and then view the HTML
source code, the SSI is no longer there, but the are no results
displayed in its place.
WHAT IS HAPPENING: The server has
recognized the SSI command and has attempted to run the CGI or PL
program. However, there is either an error in the CGI program, or
no output is defined in the CGI program.
SOLUTION:
Please note that scripts can enter infinite
loops and cause problems for any server. Please edit scripts with
care!
For additional assistance visit our
CGI-bin Applications Page. |
