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execute shell script using CGI for html site

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# 1  
Old 04-14-2011
execute shell script using CGI for html site
hi there
im currently in the process of creating a website for use basically within our org. im using a os x machine and installed MAMP - which includes Apache, mysql... the site will be used by techs to primarily install pkgs files onto os x devices. i would like to have buttons or hyperlinks (doesnt matter) that when the tech selects the object (e.g. a pkg file - adobe reader)... a sh script is executed that will basically install the app onto the os x device. i have placed a test shell script in the cgi-bin folder and changed ownership so its executable (chmod +x scriptname).
the test script looks like this:
#!/bin/sh
echo "content-type: text/html"
""
mkdir /users/test/thisisatestfolder

in the html page - i dont know how i would "call it" , e.g. form etc...
i dont even know if the script is set-up right as well
any help would be great
thanks!
# 2  
Old 04-14-2011
The base shell and web service are not too compatible, both because shell needs help decoding URLencoded strings and because it is easy to open security holes (shell injection, I guess you could call it) with metacharacters in input. You can do some simple things, especially when the user input is not required, like a report with no inputs and no forms, just information or links.

The rules of CGI are pretty simple, and executables in you cgi-bin subtree will get called by the web server. Scripts may not act like they do interactively, since there is no tty. Basicly, you write to stdout a good http header minus the first line, blank line and whatever document you want, then exit 0. Get input is by env var., and post by read-it-yourself from stdin. There are a handful of support variables. You can see them with this cgi script:
Code:
#!/usr/bin/ksh
 
echo "Content-type:text/plain
 
CGI Environment:
'
 
set 
 
echo '
---- END ----'

Last edited by DGPickett; 04-14-2011 at 10:42 AM..
# 3  
Old 04-14-2011
This could be dangerous, but generally it will depend on what scripting language you are using, for example with PHP behind the scenes you could use system(); / exec(); calls, with Perl/CGI you could use the same commands, as long as you put your script in executable directory, as in:
Code:
#!/bin/bash
echo "Content-type: text/html"
echo ""
echo "<html><head><title>Bash as CGI"
echo "</title></head><body>"

echo "<h1>Hello world</h1>"
echo "Today is $(date)"

echo "</body></html>"

and all this is enclosed in a script that has executable rights, most of the times placed in folder like "cgi-bin".
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