CGI::Formalware(3pm) User Contributed Perl Documentation CGI::Formalware(3pm)

"CGI::Formalware" - Convert an XML file into a suite of CGI forms.

In your browser, type: localhost/cgi-bin/x.pl

where x.pl contains nothing more than:

        #!perl -w
        use strict;
        use lib 'C:/Perl';
        use lib 'C:/Perl/Scripts/General';      # Ie $PERL5LIB.
        use CGI::Formalware;
        my($form) = CGI::Formalware -> new({form2file => 1, debug => 1});
        $form -> process();
        exit(0);

Upon starting, "CGI::Formalware" asks for the name of your XML file, which is assumed to be in cgi-bin/.

To provide a type of repository for frequently used scripts, which can then be executed locally or remotely (via Net::Telnet), by just entering a password (for remote scripts), and clicking.

You install "CGI::Formalware", as you would install any perl module library, by running these commands:

        perl Makefile.PL
        make
        make test
        make install

If you want to install a private copy of "CGI::Formalware" in your home directory, then you should try to produce the initial Makefile with something like this command:

        perl Makefile.PL LIB=~/perl
                or
        perl Makefile.PL LIB=C:/Perl/Site/Lib

If, like me, you don't have permission to write man pages into unix system directories, use:

        make pure_install

instead of make install. This option is secreted in the middle of p 414 of the second edition of the dromedary book.

Webmasters.

None. Even worse, "CGI::Formalware" is designed to circumvent a web server's concept of what Apache calls DocumentRoot.

new takes either no parameters, or an anonymous hash. See the example above. Keys and values recognized are:

  • fileField

            <fileField
                    name            = 'fileName'
                    prompt          = 'Filename: '
                    size            = '60'
                    override        = '0'
            />
        
  • horizontalRule

            <horizontalRule />
        
  • paragraph

            <paragraph />
            <paragraph text = 'Output a comment' />
        
  • radioGroup

            <radioGroup
                    name            = 'serverName'
                    prompt          = 'Server name: '
                    value           = 'Example|Simple|Test'
                    columns         = '1'   # Optional. Defaults to '1'. Use a string, not a digit
            />
        
  • textField

            <textField
                    name            = 'username'
                    prompt          = 'Username: '
                    value           = ''
                    size            = '15'
                    override        = '0'
            />
        

Over time, more functions will be added.

Forms are linked with 'Previous form', 'Next form' buttons.

Any previously-entered textFields, except those whose name is 'password', are remembered when you return to a form. This is very convenient.

The password values are zapped by CGI.pm, not by me. This is a security feature. It means you can walk away from your system and not have someone gain automatic access to a remote system.

Each form entity may have a 'css' attribute, giving the name of the CSS file for that form. These attribute values are like '/CGI-Formalware.css', which, under Apache, means this value is prefixed with DocumentRoot. That is, the path to the CSS is a URI, and will not be seen if in cgi-bin/.

The compulsory elements are: H1, H2 and P.TOC.

Herewith a sample:

        H1
        {
                font-size:                      20pt;
                alignment:                      center;
                color:                          teal;
        }
        H2
        {
                font-size:                      16pt;
                font-style:                     italic;
                color:                          maroon;
        }
        P.TOC
        {
                font-size:                      12pt;
                color:                          white;
                background-color:       blue;
        }

None.

These checks are performed:

TBA.

Herewith a sample:

        <forms
                tocEntry        = 'Forms'
                tocVisible      = 'True'
        >
        <form
                heading                 = 'Unix Command Menu'
                tocEntry                = 'Unix menu'
                css                             = '/CGI-Formalware.css'
                formFileName    = '1.html'
        >
                <horizontalRule />
                <radioGroup
                        name    = 'host'
                        prompt  = 'Host: '
                        value   = 'bigBox|littleBox'
                />
                <paragraph />
                <textField
                        name            = 'username'
                        prompt          = 'Username: '
                        value           = ''
                        size            = '15'
                        override        = '0'
                />
                <textField
                        name            = 'password'
                        prompt          = '  Password: '
                        value           = ''
                        size            = '15'
                        override        = '0'
                />
                <horizontalRule />
                <scripts
                        heading                 = 'Unix Scripts'
                        numberScripts   = 'Yes'
                >
                        <script
                                heading         = 'Files in home directory'
                                type            = 'remote'
                                line1           = 'dir'
                        />
                        <script
                                heading         = 'Tags in repository'
                                type            = 'remote'
                                line1           = 'cd $M'
                                line2           = 'getTags'
                        />
                </scripts>
        </form>
        <form
                heading         = 'DOS Command Menu'
                tocEntry        = 'DOS menu'
        >
                <horizontalRule />
                <radioGroup
                        name    = 'host'
                        prompt  = 'Host: '
                        value   = 'bigBox|littleBox'
                />
                <paragraph text = 'Enter a username and a password.' />
                <textField
                        name            = 'username'
                        prompt          = 'Username: '
                        value           = ''
                        size            = '15'
                        override        = '0'
                />
                <textField
                        name            = 'password'
                        prompt          = '  Password: '
                        value           = ''
                        size            = '15'
                        override        = '0'
                />
                <horizontalRule />
                <fileField
                        name            = 'fileName'
                        prompt          = 'Filename: '
                        size            = '60'
                        override        = '0'
                />
                <horizontalRule />
                <scripts
                        heading = 'PC Scripts'
                >
                        <script
                                heading         = 'Files in root directory'
                                type            = 'local'
                                line1           = 'cd \'
                                line2           = 'dir'
                        />
                        <script
                                heading         = 'FTP something somewhere'
                                type            = 'local'
                                line1           = 'ftp -n -v'
                        />
                        <script
                                heading         = 'Untar a file'
                                type            = 'local'
                                line1           = 'cd \'
                                line2           = 'tar mxvzf %fileName%'
                        />
                </scripts>
        </form>
        </forms>

Nope, I don't recognize them. Maybe one day...

"CGI::Formalware" was written by Ron Savage <ron@savage.net.au> in 1999.

Available from http://savage.net.au/Perl.html.

Australian copyright (c) 1999 Ron Savage.

        All Programs of mine are 'OSI Certified Open Source Software';
        you can redistribute them and/or modify them under the terms of
        The Artistic License, a copy of which is available at:
        http://www.opensource.org/licenses/index.html
2022-10-14 perl v5.36.0