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Links "Walkthrough"

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Links "Walkthrough"
Hi All
I'm new to Links. Is there an online article which provides a walkthrough with explanations on how the core files "interact"?

I've carefully read readme.txt as well as the comments in the various .cgi and other files, but due to my limited PERL knowledge I find it difficult to gain an overall bird-eye's view of how the different parts work together.

I've read through many threads in this and other Links forums, and learnt a lot in the process, but something akin to a program structure primer will be very beneficial in gaining a thorough understanding of how the program has been put together.

If anyone knows of any suitable (detailed) article, I'd really appreciate it if he/she could let me (and other Links eager beavers!) have the URL.

Many Thx!

Beaver
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Re: Links "Walkthrough" In reply to
Some LINKS users were working on this. But the project seems to have not been worked on in awhile.

Here is a quick and dirty tour:

Visitor Interactive Options

(ALL THESE FILES SHOULD BE STORED IN YOUR /CGI-BIN/LINKS/ DIRECTORY.)

1) Add Form (add.cgi)

* Allows people to add links to your directory.

2) Modify Form (modify.cgi)

* Allows people to modify submissions in your directory.

3) Search Form (search.cgi)

* Allows people to search your directory.

4) Hits (jump.cgi)

* When people click on links, the number of hits will be increased.

5) Rate Site (rate.cgi)

* Allows people to rate links in your directory.

6) Mailing List (subscribe.cgi)

* Allows people to sign up to receive a newsletter.

Configuration Files

(ALL THESE FILES CAN BE PLACED IN YOUR /CGI-BIN/LINKS/ADMIN/ DIRECTORY.)

1) site_html.pl

* Formats the HTML layout of non-Template pages in your directory.

2) site_html_templates.pl

* Formats the HTML layout of Template pages in your directory.

3) category.def

* This file allows you to define fields for your category options in the LINK MANAGER.

4) links.def

* This file allows you to define fields for your links.

5) links.cfg

* This file is the main configuration file for the LINKS program where files are defined in the LINKS program.

Database Files

1) links.db

* This file stores all links in your directory.

2) categories.db

* This file stores all the category in your directory.

3) email.db

* This stores all email subscribers of your Newsletter.

4) modified.db

* This stores modified links.

5) validate.db

* This stores links waiting to be validated.

6) url.db

* This stores the record number and URL of links in your database, like the following:

1|http://www.mydomain.com

This is used for the jump.cgi file.

7) categoryid.txt

* This file stores the total number of categories in your database and is used to build new categories.

8) linksid.txt

* This file stores the total number of links in your database and is used for adding new links to your directory.

Administrative Scripts

1) admin_html.pl

* This file creates the layout for the admin.cgi file.

2) admin.cgi

* This is the LINK MANAGER script that allows you to administrate your LINKS program.

This is a brief overview of the major scripts in the LINKS program.

I REALLY hope this helps.

Also, the best way to learn about the LINKS functions is to check out the Sites in Action section of the Resource Center.

Regards.


------------------
Eliot Lee
Anthro TECH,L.L.C
www.anthrotech.com
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Re: Links "Walkthrough" In reply to
Hi Eliot

Much obliged! I've noticed from reading past postings that you're a most helpful & knowledgeable GT Forum member. Thanks for your excellent overview, which is very useful.

I suppose I must spend more time to learn about the intricacies of structuring a program. As far as I can tell, <%subject%> is replaced by data through pattern matching & retrieval from databases, but regrettably I find it almost impossible to follow the "flow" & intra-program "interactions" (I don't have a programming background). If there's any introductory article(s) online about program structures/flows, I'd really appreciate it if you'd post the URLs.

In any event, your Links summary's very clear & I'll re-read the program comments again, hopefully to gain a better understanding about how the different parts work together. Once again, thanks for the time & effort in posting your detailed response.

Last but not least, I enjoyed surfing anthrotech.com enormously - easy to navigate with useful add-ons. My eventual goal is to learn how to build & maintain a website like it (need time to understand/install all those mods though ... Frown ).

Thanks again & Best Wishes

Beaver Smile

PS Would you mind if I ask how you learnt programming/web design?
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Re: Links "Walkthrough" In reply to
No problem...I learned about designing web pages from a guru at the University I was attending two years ago. He forced me to learn raw HTML starting in 1996. I started using WYSIWYG editors like Front Page 98 and DreamWeaver in 1998. Yet, the best teachers of web design have been end users who I have interviewed and observed over the past three years. They are the best educators for how web pages should be designed.

I learned about Perl from taking tutorials, reading books, and taking the advice of many other helpful people in the GT forums.

Good luck.

Regards,

------------------
Eliot Lee
Anthro TECH,L.L.C
www.anthrotech.com
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[This message has been edited by Eliot (edited December 08, 1999).]