Difficulty using search.cgi

[GAtherton]

Hi
I am trying to upload and run the cgi version of zoom. On uploading all files have to go into the same directory. Unfortunately on my server cgi files are only executable in a cgi-bin directory - and indeed on uploading it seems to run.
However the index files (zdat) cannot be uploaded to the same directory - it is not allowed by server admin.
I therefore need a way for the search.cgi to be pointed at zdat files in a different (higher) directory. I tried opening the .cgi file in a text editor only to get unintelligable characters (notepad or wordpad) suggesting that these cgi files are not plain text.

Is this possible?

Thanks
Graham

[David]

The CGI is a compiled executable. This is why it is faster than PHP and ASP. This is also why it is a binary file and not in plain text.

The position of your server admin makes no sense. Why allow a CGI, but not allow a data file to be in the CGI-BIN directory? Is your admin just worried about being tidy or is there another reason? Maybe suggest to them that you could make a sub-directory. e.g. /cgi-bin/search/search.cgi

[Ray]

Note also that it is more common for non-CGI files in the "cgi-bin" folder to only be made inaccessible via HTTP (ie. from the web). This is the more common policy employed by admins. You should, however, usually be allowed to upload other files into the folder.

Make sure that your admin's policy is what you think it is and not just the above. The above scenario is fine for Zoom to work. The ".zdat" files does not need to be accessed via the browser, only by the search CGI itself.

Also, for your information, here's some more clarification as to what CGI actually is, and why it does not necessarily mean plaintext scripts such as Perl:
http://www.wrensoft.com/zoom/support/platforms.html#cgi

[GAtherton]

Problem solved

That sorted it! I used a subfolder in cgi-bin and of course was careful to allow appropriate permissions to all.

It works beautifully - many thanks for prompt assistance