Common Gateway Interface

Abstract: An open network system for supporting input/output (I/O) operations for non-standard I/O devices are disclosed. The system includes a server coupled to a plurality of I/O devices through an open network and an extended open system protocol that supports communication with devices that are not personal computers (PCs). These devices include magnetic stripe readers, check readers, smart card readers, credit card terminals, screen phone terminals, PIN pads, printers, and the like. The extended open network protocol includes tags which identify device and input operations and attributes which identify the location, data exchange method, and data variable names for the retrieval, acquisition, and submission of data between the server and I/O devices. Preferably, the open network protocol is implemented in a Hyper Text Transport Protocol (HTTP). Preferably, the system includes a common gateway interface (CGI) at the server which converts protocol statements communicated between the server and I/O devices to application language statements for providing data to an application program coupled to the server. Most preferably, the application statements and protocol statements are constructed in integrated statements with an editor. The editor ensures that data identifiers in the application and protocol statements are compatible. The integrated statements are then parsed by the editor to segregate the protocol statements from the application statements. The protocol statements are downloaded in a file to a client program at an I/O device for processing. The application statements are stored in a file for use by the application. In this manner, generation of the files for client and application processing are automatically done without the user ensuring the correlation of the data fields in the two files.

Abstract: A method for transparently monitoring and/or modifying web browsing activities over an entire computer network does not require modification of client software and can be implemented on a single server. By rerouting HTTP requests through a centralized gateway server, the sequence and timing of URLs accessed by individual clients are recorded, providing the full information required to recreate a user session. The client HTTP requests are rerouted through the gateway server by modifying URLs within HTML documents. For each document sent to the client, any original URL which points to another server is modified so that it points to a CGI script program on the gateway. The gateway server then fetches the requested document from the other server, modifies the URLs within the document, and passes it on to the client. Thus, subsequent requests from the client will automatically be directed through the gateway server. The method permits tracking individual web sessions and provides valuable information about user behavior. This information can be used for general purpose evaluation of web-based user interfaces to information systems. The technique can also be used to modify a browsing experience by layering or stripping hypertext content or functionality.

Abstract: A system and method for providing classified ads over the Internet. The system includes a plurality of regional newspaper World Wide Web servers, and associated newspaper classified ad generators; a central classified ad information collection and distribution facility, and a central World Wide Web application server facility, all connected to the Internet such that Internet users can connect to the Newspaper Web server and central Web application server facility to search for and obtain classified ads. The Web application server facility includes one of more application servers and one or more newspaper classified ad database servers. The system apparatus features elements which enable Internet users to enter the system at the newspaper Web server and subsequently search for classified ads held in the ad databases at the database servers thorugh the application servers at the central Wed application facility. Additionally, the system features elements to enable users to search for the newspaper classified ads at the database servers using a client-server method that includes a common gateway interface procedure. Additionally, the system ad generator includes elements for automatically generating ad records for inclusion at the database servers of the central Web application facility which are derived from the newspaper print ad feed. Still further, the system includes elements at the collection and distribution facility for automatically collecting ads produced at the newspaper ad generators and providing them to the database servers on a scheduled bases. The method features steps for supporting the common-gateway-interface searching procedures which can be carried out in multiple stages. Additionally the method features steps for automatically generating classified ad record information in substantially numerical form which is pre-sorted to support improved speed in search the ad record databases.

Abstract: Figures. Examples. Foreword. Acknowledgments. About This Book. What This Book Contains. How to Use This Book. Conventions Used in This Book. Related Reading. About the Aztec Site. Credits. The Changing VRML World. 1. Introduction. 3D Models versus 2D Images. Cutting-Edge Technology. A Brief Look at the Development of VRML. What's New in VRML 2.0? Enhanced Static Worlds. Interaction. Animation and Behavior Scripting. Prototyping. VRML File Information. 2. Getting Plugged Into the World Wide Web. Locating Documents on the Web. Browser and Server. Viewing VRML Scenes. Types of Internet Access. Gateway Service. Dial-Up Direct Connection. Dedicated Direct Connection. Finding an Internet Service Provider (ISP). VRML Browsers. Creating VRML Scenes. Publishing Your Work. 3. Exploring and Building a World. Exploring Aztec City. Do-It-Yourself Tour. Guided Tour. On Your Way. The Eagle Lands. Temple of Quetzalcoatl. At the Base of the Temple. Texture Mapping to Add Details. View from the Top. Reusing Objects. Exploring the Shrines. Traveling through Time. Building a World. Creating Objects. Using External Files: Inline Nodes. Using Multiple Instances of an Object. Linking to Other Objects. Combining Objects into Worlds. Looking at the Scene. Interacting with the Scene. Starting from Scratch. Develop a Story Board. Build Objects. Add Animation and Scripts. Refine and Test. Moving On. 4. Building Objects. Starting Your Temple. Transformations. Translation and the Standard Unit of Distance. Rotation. Scaling. Combining Transformations. Order of Transformations. Geometry. Simple Geometry Nodes. Irregular Geometry. Text (Flat). Appearances. Appearance Nodes. Materials. Textures. Prototypes. Fields Versus Events. EXTERNPROTO. 5. Lighting, Sound, and Complex Shapes. Lights. Scope of Lights. Common Attributes of Lights. Attenuation. DirectionalLight Nodes. PointLight Nodes. SpotLight Nodes. Sound. AudioClip. Complex Shapes. Terrain Modeling with the ElevationGrid Node. Extrusions. What's Next? 6. Animation and User Interaction. Events and Routes Revisited. The Animation Event Path. Triggers and Targets. Timers. Engines. Animation Hints. 7. Scripting. Script Node Syntax. How Scripts Handle Events. Special Functions. Field Types in JavaScript. Scripting and Animation. Locate-Highlighting: A Glowing Skull. Switching among Choices: The Eagle Has Landed. Other Fittings. Logic. Computed Animation. Advanced Scripting. The Browser Script Interface (Browser API). Scene Hierarchy Manipulation. Binding the Browser to a Node. Network Access. Multiuser Worlds. 8. Using Colors, Normals, and Textures. Colors. Specifying Colors Per Face. Specifying Colors Per Vertex. Lines and Points. Normals. Using Default Normals. Specifying Normals Per Face. Specifying Normals Per Vertex. Advanced Textures. What Is a Texture Map? Movie Textures. Components of a Texture. Combining Textures, Colors, and Materials. Specifying Texture Coordinates. Transforming a Texture. Repeating or Clamping a Texture. How to Specify a Pixel Texture. Backgrounds with Textures. Creating the Panorama Scene. Adding Ground and Sky Colors. Combining a Panorama with Ground and Sky Color. 9. Publishing Your Work. Setting Up a Server. Security Issues. Configuring a Server to Recognize VRML Files. Your URL. Organizing and Publishing Your Files. Use Relative Addresses. Use MIME Type Extensions. Verify Remote URLs. Add Information Nodes. Compress the Files. Announce Your Work on the Web. Using the Common Gateway Interface (CGI). HTML Form. Script. Putting Form and Script Files on the Server. 10. Improving Performance. Reducing File Size. Use Instancing. Use Prototypes. Use the Text Node. Use Space-Efficient Geometry Nodes. Use Automatic Normals. Eliminate White Space. Round Floating Point Numbers. Compress Files. Increasing Rendering Speed. Simplify the Scene. Divide and Conquer. Let the Browser Do Its Job. Turn Off Collision Detection and Use Collision Proxies. Use Scripts Efficiently. 11. Node Reference. Suggested Structure of a VRML File. Rules for Names. Anchor. Appearance. AudioClip. Background. Billboard. Box. Collision. Color. ColorInterpolator. Cone. Coordinate. CoordinateInterpolator. Cylinder. CylinderSensor. DirectionalLight. ElevationGrid. Extrusion. Fog. FontStyle. Group. ImageTexture. IndexedFaceSet. IndexedLineSet. Inline. LOD. Material. MovieTexture. NavigationInfo. Normal. NormalInterpolator. OrientationInterpolator. PixelTexture. PlaneSensor. PointLight. PointSet. PositionInterpolator. ProximitySensor. ScalarInterpolator. Script. Shape. Sound. Sphere. SphereSensor. SpotLight. Switch. Text. TextureCoordinate. TextureTransform. TimeSensor. TouchSensor. Transform. Viewpoint. VisibilitySensor. WorldInfo. 12. Field Reference. SFBool. SFColor and MFColor. SFFloat and MFFloat. SFImage. SFInt 32 and MFInt 32. SFNode and MFNode. SFRotation and MFRotation. SFString and MFString. SFTime and MFTime. SFVec2f and MFVec2f. SFVec3f and MFVec3f. A. Obsolete Nodes. B. Java Notes and Examples. Java Notes. Examples. Locate-Highlighting. Integer Interpolator. State Retention. Viewpoint Binding. Glossary. Index. 0201479443T04062001