Can't get a script working?

Note: If this is a bug report or a suggestion, please click here.

Step 1

The script should have come with a readme.txt file. If you didn't get a readme.txt file, click on the script you're having trouble with from my main page, then download the readme.txt file. This file will tell you how to install the script, and should have a troubleshooting section. The chances are, you're question is answered there. If you are having trouble following the instructions, click here.

Step 2

Make sure that you have everything on your system that you need. For most scripts, that really just means that you have to have perl installed on your system; however, some of the scripts require SSI and\or libwww-perl. To find out if the one you're having trouble with does, click here. If the script you're having trouble with does require one or both of these things, make sure that you have it by asking your system administrator or consulting your FAQ.

Step 3

Make sure that your server is running UNIX. A few people have gotten my scripts working under NT, but for the most part it just doesn't happen, and there's really nothing I can tell you to get it working.

Step 4

Okay, here's the thing... as of 3/17/1999, I've been getting 1,000+ e-mails a day asking for help. Most of the questions I get have been answered in the troubleshooting section of the readme.txt file, and while I really would like to help everyone, I just can't handle spending 8 hours every day on tech support in addition to all the other stuff I have to do. If you already have my e-mail address, go ahead and ask; but if not you'll have to answer a little Cliff trivia to get it. Sorry about that, it's just to encourage you to make absolutely sure that the question isn't answered in the readme.txt file. Anyway, the quiz...
Question
Answer
Hint
Cliff once attempted to make people pay him to stick their head into an empty cardboard box. What did he call this box?hint
Which of these CliffScripts is not free?hint
When Cliff helped an ex-girlfriend's roommate fake her death on the internet, he claimed that his server was built on top of what?hint
Cliff often adds a (tm) after his name. What does this (tm) stand for?hint
Cliff helped an ex-girlfriend's roommate fake her own death to avoid a stalker. Through female, she has the same name as one of the male characters on South Park. What is her name?hint
The title of Cliff's personal page translates to "A little song, a little dance, a little seltzer down your pants". What language is it in?hint
Now that you've answered those, you must answer this fun question that you can't find the answer to on one of my pages. Just guess, or hit reload to get a different question.... If Cliff ruled the world, he'd choose Fundementalism as his form of government. Why?

Help with the instructions

How to set permissions

Setting a file's permissions is probably the one thing that confuses webmasters new to CGI more than anything else. It's not really as confusing as it first seems, though, and if you plan on using CGI you are going to need to know how to do this. What it basically means is that you need to tell your server who can do what with a file. If you have telnet access, cd to the directory which holds the file whose permissions you want to set, and type

chmod

For example,

chmod 755 picpost.cgi

If you update your page with an FTP client, you can probably set permissions this way, too. To find out how, consult the help file for your FTP client. In my experiance, it's usually done by highlighting the file, right-clicking, and selecting chmod for the list.

Many servers also provide a way to do this through the web. To find out if your's does, and how to use it, check your FAQ or ask your system administrator.

What is my server path?

Your server path is how your server finds files that it needs to read from and write to. While your server path ends the same way as your URL, it begins differently. You can find out what your server path is by asking your system administrator or consulting your FAQ.

Where can I find my path to perl and my mail program?

Ask your system administrator, or consult your FAQ.

Reporting a bug or making a suggestion

Please note that I cannot respond to these. If you need a response, you'll have to get my e-mail address from the quiz above.
What script are you referring to?

Problem/Suggestion: