BannerPlus allows you to set up your own banner/link exchange. It is free software for use on unix servers. It is easy to install and
configure using the auto-configure function. It should not be necessary to make any changes to the code.
It has been reported to be usable on NT servers without modification, but support for use on NT is now provided.
Discussion and support of the product is available via bulletin board at
http://www.gadnet.com/bplus
Installation Instructions:
1. Download bp.zip and unzip the file into a temporary directory on your PC
2. Create a directory for your banner exchange. It is recommended that you use the call the
directory "bp"
3. Create a sub-direcory under the above directory. This will contain your members' files.
It is recommended that you use the call the directory "ads".
4. Upload the following files onto your server:
- All files with the .cgi extension should be placed in your cgi directory
- All files with the .txt extension should be placed in your cgi directory, except bpadmin.txt
Do NOT upload bpadmin.txt yet.
- All files with the .htm extension should be placed in the directory you created
in step 2 (ie the "bp" directory)
NOTE: It is important to upload all the files in ASCII mode.
5. Modify the .htm files as you wish. index.htm provides the frontend for your banner exchange.
In other words, this is what members will see and where they will register as new members
or view their details. You will need to change the link information to reflect your server
details. So change the link:
http://www.gadnet.com/cgi-bin/bpjoin.cgi?new to
http://www.yourserver.com/yourcgidirectory/bpjoin.cgi?new
6. Ensure that all of the scripts are world-executable. Use: chmod 755 scriptname
Also change all of the .txt files to world-readable. Use: chmod 777 filename. The /bp/ads
directory should also be world-readable. You should also change the bp/ads directory so that it
is world writable, but see the security note below.
7. Make sure that the first lines of each file with the .cgi extension points correctly to the
location of Perl on your server. The first lines are currenlty: #!/usr/local/bin/perl.
You may need to change this to #!/usr/local/perl. Failing that, contact your system
administrator.
8. Now bring up bpadmin.htm in your browser. Click on bpadmin.htm. Now click on System Settings.
Ensure that all you path names are correct and set the other defaults according to the
instructions.
9. Now upload bpadmin.txt into your cgi directory. This contains the administration password.
You will not be able to access any of the admin functions without entering this password.
The default administration password is "ecap08". It is important to change this
to a password of your choice to prevent unauthorised access. Use the System Settings admin option
to change the password. Do not attempt to edit the password file directly.
9. That's all there is to it. Your banner exchange should now be up and running.
SECURITY:
Although it is not necessary for the successful operation of the BannerPlus scripts, it is highly
advisable to place password protection on the /bp/ads directory to prevent people from acessing
these files directly.
Version: 1.01 28/10/03
Modification History:
19/1/99 Included display of system error message when lock errors are encountered.
28/1/99 Replaced 'chomp' statements with 'chop' staements for Perl 4 comaptability
Included automatic generation of member IDs. This is optional.
30/1/99 Included email address in footer and in configuration setup form.
31/1/99 Fixed bug in configuration program which chopped off al but the first word
of the banner exchange name.
Fixed bug in configuration program that corrupted the email address on the
second time through.
01/02/99 Fixed bug when deleting members.
Fixed bug in bpwork.cgi where the locking routine was not included
02/02/99 Fixed 2 bugs in bpwork.cgi which were preventing banners being displayed on
some systems.
05/02/99 Fixed bug that prevented default banner from being displayed.
Changed bpconf.cgi so that it does not ask for a password the first time.
13/02/99 Fixed bug in bpconf.cgi concerning the variable name for the default banner.
24/02/99 Improved the banner tracking in bpwork.cgi to reduce the chances of mis-clicks
11/03/99 Fixed a bug which made it hard to install the software in a directory called something
other than cgi-bin
Fixed a bug which created an extra "/" in the default data path
19/03/99 Fixed a bug left over in the 24/02/99 fix.
20/04/99 Fixed bug in display of percentage clickthroughs
Fixed bug which allowed spaces in user ID
Fixed bug which caused bpadmmod.cgi to loop on some servers
30/05/99 Fixed bug where the </a> tag was omitted from the html
12/09/99 Removed references to $cgipath for ease of cross-platform installation
Fixed bug where </font> tag was omitted from the html (Thanks, Dave)
This program is being distributed as freeware. It can be freely downloaded and used.
It may be modified as long as the copyright information remains intact. Do not
remove the link to BannerPlus in the footer subroutine of bpsubs.cgi, nor bypass the footer
subroutine. This link must remain visible to any new members joining the exchange, or checking
their stats.
Any use of this program is entirely at the risk of the user. No liability will be
accepted by the author.
This code must not be sold, even in modified form, without the written permission
of the author. This code must also not be distributed without the permission of the
author.
Use of the software will be taken as acceptance of the above terms.
Email Drummond Miles on
[email protected]
