Business Support Internet

Summary: The Pre-written CGIs are not needed if you are using Allstream's FrontPage servers; the functions of those CGIs are duplicated by built-in functions of FrontPage. Mixing custom Perl with FrontPage components quickly becomes too complicated to be manageable.

Creative problem solvers tend to use whatever tools are available to them. Since the FrontPage servers are Unix machines, some tools are available in addition to the built-in functions of FrontPage. An example is the Allstream Pre-written CGIs . These snippets of code are available to all Business customers on Unix servers. However, the popular functions that the Pre-written CGIs can do are equally well provided by FrontPage itself, (e.g. the Hit Counter Active Element.) Since you're already using other FrontPage components anyway, we would advise you to stick with them for all the "add-ons" and features that your web page includes.

If you have the Web 25 plan or higher, you may use custom Perl CGI scripts as well. In this case you'll be creating the code yourself, or scavenging useful source code off the Net. However, you risk making a hodge-podge mixture of Perl and components. You'll find there's very little we can do to help you if you tie your site up in knots like this! Allstream recommends that you not attempt to create any interaction between Perl or data gathered by Perl and any FrontPage component.