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What is SSI?
Server Side Includes
When using a UNIX system it is sometimes necessary to enable
certain HTML files executable for the purpose of using SSI. Server Side Includes
are often used to run a CGI script. An include will be called if, after you
insert your include, you mark the HTML file as executable so the server will
parse the file. This is done using one of the two following methods:
1. Renaming the file to .shtml: On our server, any
file name .shtml will be parsed. So instead of having an index.html file, you
would name it index.shtml. This is the easiest way to enable includes.
2. CHMODing the file to 777: This is another way
to mark a file as executable. It is important to only make the files that you
want parsed executable. This method poses certain security issues as well as
a strain on our resources, as the processor has to work harder to parse a file.
Reasons for Using SSI
SSI is often used to include something into an HTML
page. For instance, you can insert the contents of one HTML page into another
page. An example of a practical usage for this would be including your e-mail
address at the bottom of each page. If you do this as an include (SSI), when
your e-mail address changes, you will only have to update it on one page and
not your entire website. Another usage is to call CGI scripts into action. Many
counters, clocks, and other scripts are called using SSI. The command needed
will most likely be provided in the documentation of your CGI script.
