CGI calling on Metacard

[Shari]

All this CGI talk has me thinking about this again.  Every once in 
awhile I ponder a desire.  But don't know how to approach it without 
wasting many weeks or months over something I do not understand.

I'd like to automate my registration system.  Currently I will get an 
email, pull out certain info from the email and enter it into a 
Metacard stack, which gives me the registration code, which I email 
back to the person.

I've never automated this online because I just don't know enough 
about online security to protect it.  Nor do I know anything about 
writing CGI or PHP.  I use pre-written CGI and PHP scripts on 
occasion.  But would not trust someone else's to actually generate 
registration code for me.  I don't know enough about online security 
to even trust that my CGI script is not gettable somehow.  You hear 
so much about hackers.

I do trust my ability to create a Metacard app which hides the 
algorithm used to generate codes.  So using CGI to send the info to 
Metacard and retrieve the info from Metacard would be within my 
safety zone.

A lot of discussion occurs here linking Metacard with CGI.  Most of 
it is way over my head.  Think of me as a CGI kindergartner.  Or 
better yet, a pre-schooler.  Also, as I do not know the C programming 
language, only Metacard's language, a lot of CGI script is 
gobbledygook to me.

Is it possible for a simple CGI script to just take the parameters 
from an email and send that to an online Metacard app somehow?  And 
for the Metacard app to generate the code, send it either back to the 
CGI or as an email to the purchaser without my help?  And trap for 
errors (such as the email didn't go out) and email me?

The whole Metacard app would presumably need to reside online.  I am 
guessing this goes into the CGI folder?  Would one simply create a 
Metacard app just like I'd use it on my hard drive?  And upload it to 
a CGI folder?  I'm assuming I'd have to compile it for Windows for 
most web hosts to handle it?

Is anyone doing this?  Are there any how-to's with detailed (How To 
for Dummies) step-by-step instructions on how to do it?

Shari
Gypsy King Software
-- 
Mac and Windows shareware games
http://www.gypsyware.com