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<title>11.2.10 Common problems and solutions
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11.2.10 Common problems and solutions
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<LI>Most HTTP servers buffer the output from CGI scripts until the
script is completed. This means that it is not possible to display a
progress report on the client's display while the script is running.
<LI>Check the installation instructions above.
<LI>Check the HTTP server's log files. (
"<tt class="samp
">tail -f logfile</tt>" in a
separate window may be useful!)
<LI>Always check a script for syntax errors first, by doing something
like
"<tt class="samp
">python script.py</tt>".
<LI>If your script does not have any syntax errors, try adding
"<tt class="samp
">import cgitb; cgitb.enable()</tt>" to the top of the script.
<LI>When invoking external programs, make sure they can be found.
Usually, this means using absolute path names --
<a class=
"envvar" id='l2h-
3176' xml:id='l2h-
3176'
>PATH
</a> is
usually not set to a very useful value in a CGI script.
<LI>When reading or writing external files, make sure they can be read
or written by the userid under which your CGI script will be running:
this is typically the userid under which the web server is running, or some
explicitly specified userid for a web server's
"<tt class="samp
">suexec</tt>" feature.
<LI>Don't try to give a CGI script a set-uid mode. This doesn't work on
most systems, and is a security liability as well.
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<span class=
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2.4.2, documentation updated on
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2005.
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