CGI calling on Metacard

[Ray Horsley]

Hi Shari,

I'm working on a simpler but related project right now which is simply 
to solicit an E-mail address from a Metacard stack and then use it to 
send an ID number or something to the user.  The intention is to 
receive valid E-mails in exchange for providing access codes to various 
parts of my software.  Your project sounds a little more complex, but 
as a suggestion you might try looking through Ken Ray's SonsoThunder 
site at:

http://www.sonsothunder.com/devres/metacard/tips/cgi001.htm

Good luck,

Ray Horsley
Developer, LinkIt! Software


On Apr 28, 2006, at 5:41 PM, Shari wrote:

> 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
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