Website design in Extremely Limited Circumstances

[Nevermoor]

Hi,

I am working on a website for a group that I participate in under the following constraints:
1: the main server, which hosts the site itself, only allows static HTML/Javascript and static file includes.
2: the secondary server, which hosts the cgi-bin, allows a wider array of languages but the url will have to change (in a minor way) every year or so.
3: Both servers run UNIX, so things like ASP are out

Based upon these constraints I have two goals:
1: be able to generate IFRAMES based upon a javascript variable (the secondary url).

2: be able to modify and upload static files (including that javascript variable) with a perl script.

Apologies for being long-winded, but I've been screwing around with goal 1 and haven't gotten anywhere.

 

[ChrisHunt]

1) What exactly do you mean by "be able to generate IFRAMES based upon a javascript variable"? Do you mean the generation of the <iframe> tags on the parent page, or the generation of the page to appear in the iframe? How does the javascript variable come into the equation?

2) Which server are these files going to be uploaded to? The main server or the CGI server? My understanding is that a script can only upload files to the server on which it runs, and that SSI will only include files from their own server - so you may have problems here.

To be honest, my first inclination would be to change the constraints. Simple hosting can be had very cheaply these days, there's really no reason to make your life so complicated for the sake of the price of a couple of beers!

-- Chris Hunt

http://www.mcgonagall-online.org.uk

http://www.napitalia.org.uk

http://www.leicesteryha.org.uk

 

[Nevermoor]

I guess I should probably have posted in javascript and perl forums, but the point with javascript is that the cgi-bin url is of the form

http://www.CONSTANT_SITE.com/VARIABLE/CONSTANT_FILE

and I would like to, based upon a javascript variable = VARIABLE, create the html code for an IFRAME (since you are right about SSI not working) on the parent site. It seems like it should be an easy task, but I haven't been able to figure it out...

As far as hosting, we are stuck where we are as we have large amounts of data in a mySQL database, so hosting wouldn't really be affordable, while the current situation is free. You're absolutely right that a flexible server would be the best solution though...

Thanks!

 

[ChrisHunt]

We have large amounts of data in a mySQL database, so hosting wouldn't really be affordable

How large is "large"? How cheap is "affordable". A very quick search found budget providers like this one offering mySQL hosting at prices starting at less than a dollar a month. You'll have a much more stable site as a result, and keep your sanity intact!

-- Chris Hunt

http://www.mcgonagall-online.org.uk

http://www.napitalia.org.uk

http://www.leicesteryha.org.uk

 

[Wullie]

As far as hosting, we are stuck where we are as we have large amounts of data in a mySQL database, so hosting wouldn't really be affordable,

Contact a few hosts and ask them if there are any restrictions to the size of the DBs, with most hosts you will only be limited by the amount of disk space you have.

so hosting wouldn't really be affordable,

I guess it depends on how much your time is worth. If you spend 1 or 2 hours on working around these restrictions then you could have already paid for the hosting.

If you are really bothered about the cost, why not contact some hosts with details and see if they would be willing to provide the hosting free in exchange for a link to their site or something similar.

Hope this helps

Wullie

Fresh Look - Quality Coldfusion Hosting

http://www.tutorial-world.com

The pessimist complains about the wind. The optimist expects it to change. The leader adjusts the sails. - John Maxwell