CGI Script - Modify image handler to include hyperlink

[smarsh]

Hi,

Someone put together a small perl script for me that uses day and time to determine which of two images to display (open.gif or closed.gif). I need to modify the script to also include a hyperlink to open.html or closed.html so that if the open image is displayed it puts the open.html link on the image and the closed.html link on the closed image. The corresponding web page that loads the image is ultra basic, with a link to the .pl script as the image tag.

Can anyone help a real perl novice (me!) with this one?

Thanks guys!


[CODE=perl]#!/usr/bin/perl
use CGI::Carp qw/fatalsToBrowser/;

use strict;
use warnings;

# path to folder where images are
# assumes an image named open.gif and closed.gif
my $path = '/home/fireplug/public_html/images/';

# time in military format 0-23
# first number is opening time
# second number is closing time
# 24-24 indicates always closed
# server is central standard time so time is adjusted minus 1 hour
my %schedule = (
Sun => [9,11],
Mon => [10,11],
Tue => [10,11],
Wed => [10,11],
Thu => [10,11],
Fri => [10,11],
Sat => [24,24],
);

# default value
my $image = 'closed.gif';

# get the day and hour
my ($day, $hour) = (split(/ /,scalar localtime))[0,3];
$hour = (split(/:/,$hour))[0];

# check the day and hour
if ($schedule{$day }[0] <= $hour && $schedule{$day}[1] > $hour) {
$image = 'open.gif';
}

#print appropriate MIME type header
print "Content-type: image/gif\n\n";

open(FH,"$path$ image") or die "$!";
binmode(FH);
print while (<FH>);
close(FH);
exit; [/CODE]

[miller]

What you want is not possible.

This script is a handler that serves an image depending on the current time. This script is intended to be referenced inside the src value of an image tag. There is no way to effect the enclosing html that refers to this "image" handler.

- Miller

[smarsh]

Hmmm... does that mean an entirely new script written in a different way can do the job or that a CGI script can't do it at all? And... can a SSI be used in conjunction with the script to achieve what I need; something like redirecting based on the open or closed image? CGI + javascript?

Thanks!

[miller]

The solution must be found in the enclosing html, not the image handler. I don't know what is generating the html that is using this image handler, or if it's just static html. But regardless of what is currently generating it, if you want dynamic html, then you're going to have to program it.

- Miller

[smarsh]

Thanks Miller.

Currently it is a static html page(s). All the "intelligen ce" is in the CGI where the time and day are gathered and the appropriate image selected. The html is:

<img src="http://www.site_name.com/cgi-bin/open.pl" width="50" height="20">

I know I'm missing something conceptually here, making this more of a project than it really is but... Are you suggesting dynamic html from a new script that uses the server "intelligen ce" to both gather the day and time and then write the html code for both image and hyperlink, or some other approach? Would that require SSI to call the CGI or how would it be inserted into an otherwise static page?

Thanks.

[KevinADC]

Someone put together a small perl script for me

I did the script for you on the webmaster forum.

[miller]

It's a world of laughter
A world of tears
It's a world of hopes
And a world of fears
There's so much that we share
That it's time we're aware
It's a small world after all

There is just one moon
And one golden sun
And a smile means
Friendship to ev'ryone
Though the mountains divide
And the oceans are wide
It's a small world after all

It's a small world after all
It's a small world after all
It's a small world after all
It's a small, small world

[KevinADC]

hehehe..... brings back memories of Disneyland :)

what he wants to do could be handled via SSI and a perl script called using the include virtual SSI tag:

<!--#include virtual="../cgi-bin/open.pl" -->

which is cool becuase it allows you to send arguments to the script in the query string so you can get pretty fancy with it.

[KevinADC]

he has this question posted on yet a different perl forum from this one and from the original one where I wrote the script for him.

[numberwhun]

It's a world of laughter
A world of tears
It's a world of hopes
And a world of fears
There's so much that we share
That it's time we're aware
It's a small world after all

There is just one moon
And one golden sun
And a smile means
Friendship to ev'ryone
Though the mountains divide
And the oceans are wide
It's a small world after all

It's a small world after all
It's a small world after all
It's a small world after all
It's a small, small world

ROTFLMAO!!!!! It simply amazes me that people think that others only read one forum. I post in more than one myself, I know that Kevin does as I have seen his posts. I mean COME ON PEOPLE!!!

Jeff

[smarsh]

You all got bent out of shape for nothing... nothing insidious going on...

I said from the start that someone else wrote the script. I couldn't find the bookmark I had for the forum where it originally was posted, so I searched Google and found some new perl forums, so I posted there. KevinADC IS THE AUTHOR of the script and should be credited 110% for his work.

If this is a big offense to you guys and don't want to help out, say so and I'll ask elsewhere.

Thanks.

[numberwhun]

Bent out of shape, you wouldn't like it if I were bent out of shape? (Sorry, channeled The Hulk for a second there) No, that was more laughing hillariously at the silliness that some cross posters exert. We know who wrote the script, Kevin said it in his post when he told us he already wrote it for you. ( he he,

If it comes down to it that the question you are posting was answered elsewhere, then say that. Say that you posted and got the question answered elsewhere but cannot remember where so you need to repost it. You would have probably been given the link to the other post by Kevin here.

Regards,

Jeff

[smarsh]

He created the original script, but the new issue (links with the images) is still unanswered.

Thanks.

[miller]

Hello smarsh,

Please do not misconstrue my amusement at the prolific state of Kevin's contributions as a rebuke of your question and situation.

However, I believe that I personally have helped you as much as I can at this time. You're at that stage now where you must decide what technological level that you want to create this new feature at. And that's not something that I generally like to advise people in.

Do you want to use SSI?
CGI?
Javascript?
Some mixture of the above?

shrug,
- Miller

[KevinADC]

He created the original script, but the new issue (links with the images) is still unanswered.

Thanks.

See post #8 in this thread. Using SSI and a slightly different perl script you can generate the image and the link wihin your shtml document.

#!/usr/bin/perl
use CGI::Carp qw/fatalsToBrowser/;
use strict;
use warnings;
# path to folder where images are
# assumes an image named open.gif and closed.gif
my $path = '/home/fireplug/public_html/images/';
# time in military format 0-23
# first number is opening time
# second number is closing time
# 24-24 indicates always closed
# server is central standard time so time is adjusted minus 1 hour
my %schedule = (
   Sun => [9,11],
   Mon => [10,11],
   Tue => [10,11],
   Wed => [10,11],
   Thu => [10,11],
   Fri => [10,11],
   Sat => [24,24],
);
# default value
my $image = 'closed.gif';
my $alt = 'sorry, we are closed';
my $page = 'closed.html';

# get the day and hour
my ($day, $hour) = (split(/ /,scalar localtime))[0,3];
$hour = (split(/:/,$hour))[0];

# check the day and hour
if ($schedule{$day}[0] <= $hour && $schedule{$day}[1] > $hour) {
   $image = 'open.gif';
   $alt = 'we are open';
   $page = 'open.html';
}

#print appropriate MIME type header
print "Content-type: text/html\n\n";
print qq{<a href="../$page title="$alt"><img src="../images/$image" alt="$alt"></a>};

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