CSGuestbook

CSGuestbook is a Java Servlet that maintains a set of named guestbooks. The servlet currently runs in two different modes: DISPLAY and RECORD. In display mode, the servlet reports back a list of guestbook entries in a most recent-first order. Various servlet parameters can be used to tailor how the entries are returned. In record mode, the servlet stores a guestbook entry into one of the guestbooks.

Installation

This program requires a web server that has servlet support. Such web servers include Java Web Server by Sun, Netscape Enterprise Server, and versions of Apache. If you are not sure whether your web server has servlet support, contact your System Administrator. Various external servlet engines are also available. Of those, the servlet has been specifically tested with JRun and Apache JServ. More information about servlet environments is at http://www.coolservlets.com.

Copying Files

A few files must be copied to the correct locations in order to make the servlet run.

If you are not familiar with your web server servlet environment, it is recommended that you copy the CSInstall.class file into your servlet directory for specific directory instructions (note, delete that servlet from your servlet directory after you are done with it for security reasons). If you are familiar with your servlet environment, you can skip to the next paragraph. Your servlet directory is often named servlets/ underneath your main Web Server directory. For example, on a Windows machine with Java Web Server, the servlet directory is: c:/JavaWebServer1.1.3/servlets/. As an alternative example, using a Debian Linux system with the Apache web server and Apache JServ, the servlet directory is /usr/lib/cgi-bin/servlets/. Once you have copied CSInstall.class into the appropriate folder, you should run the servlet by calling it from a web browser:

http://yourHost.com/servlet/CSInstall

You are now ready to begin copying files. First, the class files: In the dist folder of this distribution you'll find the files CSGuestbook.class, CSGuestbook.jar and a folder called com (with the subdirectory named coolservlets which holds more .class files). You should copy the CSGuestbook.class file into your servlets directory. You then have a choice of copying the com folder into your servlets directory or copying the CSGuestbook.jar file into a folder that is in the classpath of your servlet environment (for instance, on a Debian Linux system with Apache and Apache JServ, this may be /usr/share/java). Using the .jar can make your servlet run faster. However, in some cases if you do use it, you may need to shut down and restart your web server to make the servlet engine recognize the new file.

Next, you'll need to make a coolservlets/data (the name is case-sensitive) directory on your web server where your servlet engine defaults to reading files. If you don't know where this is, remember that you can use the CSInstall.class servlet to find out. In Netscape Enterprise Server, this folder is called config/. On the Java Web Server, it is the main server directory such as: c:/JavaWebServer1.1.3/ . If you have installed a CoolServlets.com Servlet in the past, you may already have a coolservlets/data folder properly setup. The coolservlets/data directory will be used to store the guest book database files. On Unix systems and other systems where read/write permissions are used, the data directory will need to be readable and writable by the user/group that the web server runs as.

Usage

Look in the demo directory of this distribution for sample uses of the servlet.

The normal use of this servlet is through direct calling of the servlet, either in a form submission, or in a link. However, it is possible to use this servlet with Server-Side Includes (SSI). For a full description of SSI and its use with servlets, consult your servlet engine or web server documentation.

The servlet operates in two modes currently: DISPLAY and RECORD mode. The following list describes the parameters available in each mode.

DISPLAY Mode

• key - specifies the name of the guestbook to use. It's value may be a string representing name of guestbook. (default="default")
• html - determines whether guestbook should return full HTML, or just guestbook entries (we envision the use of the SERVLET tag in the latter case). Valid values are either "on", or "off". (default="on")
• sty - specifies the style type for printing of guestbook entries. Run the demo files to view the various style choices currently available. Valid values are either "s1", "s2", "s3", "s4", "s5". (default="s1")
• fltr - specifies whether to filter words in the comment section; currently uses built-in list of words. The value of this parameter may be either "on" or "off". (default="off")
• fltrlist - specifies a comma-delimited list of strings to use as the filter in the comment section. This option is only effective when fltr="on". The comma-delimited list of words overrides the built-in list of words. The filter currently only works well with words, so things like "filter this" won't work well as a filter, but unique single words like "shit" will work. Future versions will be more robust and handle more interesting filtering constraints.
• cnt - number of entries to return (returns most recent entries). Any positive integer is valid. (default=all entries)
• title - a string specifying the title to be used on the guestbook page. (default="Guestbook")
• fontFace - sets the style of the font face for the document. A string representing a font face is considered valid input. (default=normal browser font face)
• fontSize - sets the style for the font size for the document. A string representing a font size is valid. (default=normal browser font size)
• background - uses the file name given as servlet parameter for a background image on the guestbook display page. (default=no image)
• bgcolor - specifies the background color for the guestbook page. Any browser specified color is valid. (default=normal browser coloring)
• text - specifies the color for normal text. Any browser specified color is valid. (default=normal browser text coloring)
• link - specifies the color for links. Any browser specified color is valid. (default=normal browser coloring)
• vlink - specifies the color for visited links. Any browser specified color is valid. (default=normal browser coloring)
• alink - specifies the color for active links. Any browser specified color is valid. (default=normal browser coloring)

RECORD Mode

• key - specifies the name of the guestbook to use. It's value may be a string representing name of guestbook. (default="default")
• name - a form input parameter that holds a name.
• email - a form input parameter that holds an email address.
• url - a form input parameter that holds a url address.
• city - a form input parameter that holds a city name.
• state - a form input parameter that holds a state.
• country - a form input parameter that holds a country name.
• comment - a form input parameter (textarea) that holds the user's comment.
• response - specifies a thank you response used when an entry has been added to the database (default="Thanks for signing our guestbook!")
• linkBack - specifies the link to use as a return link. VALUES: any URL such as "http://www.yourhost.com", or http://www.coolservlets.com". (default=none)
• textBack - A text string that is associated with the linkBack parameter. (default="Click Here")
• title - a string specifying the title to be used on the guestbook page. (default="Guestbook")
• fontFace - sets the style of the font face for the document. A string representing a font face is considered valid input. (default=normal browser font face)
• fontSize - sets the style for the font size for the document. A string representing a font size is valid. (default=normal browser font size)
• background - uses the file name given as servlet parameter for a background image on the guestbook display page. (default=no image)
• bgcolor - specifies the background color for the guestbook page. Any browser specified color is valid. (default=normal browser coloring)
• text - specifies the color for normal text. Any browser specified color is valid. (default=normal browser text coloring)
• link - specifies the color for links. Any browser specified color is valid. (default=normal browser coloring)
• vlink - specifies the color for visited links. Any browser specified color is valid. (default=normal browser coloring)
• alink - specifies the color for active links. Any browser specified color is valid. (default=normal browser coloring)

We have made every effort to make this servlet easy to install and as robust as possible. If you are having problems making it work, first go back over the installation instructions and make sure you followed them exactly. If that does not fix the problem, verify that servlets are working correctly on your web server. Additional help can be found on http://www.coolservlets.com where FAQ's or discussion forums may exist for this servlet.

Bugs in the servlet can be reported to bugs@coolservlets.com. You may also send descriptions of any other problems you are having with the servlet to that address, but we cannot guarantee a reply due to our busy schedules.

If you require technical support, please see below for information about how to purchase it.

Source

The full source of the servlet be found in the src folder in this distribution. If you would like compile it, you'll need the Servlet SDK which is available on the Java website: http://java.sun.com .

Technical Support

Individuals or companies that would like technical support for this servlet can buy unlimited email tech support. A support contract can also be purchased which provides unlimited email tech support for all CoolServlets.com servlets. Please see http://www.coolservlets.com/support.html for further details.

Purchasing technical support guarantees a quick resolution to any problems you have with CoolServlets.com servlets. It is also a great way to aid the continued development of further high quality, free, open-source servlets.

License

This servlet is distributed under the GNU Public License. This means that the program is completely free (see below for legalese).

However, there are a few voluntary things that we would really appreciate: provide links back to CoolServlets.com instead of redistributing the code (this will guarantee that people will always be able to get the latest version), and send us bug reports or feature requests. Also, we encourage you to put the CoolServlets.com button somewhere on your site so that other people can find out about our free servlets. Please spread the word about CoolServlets.com!

     Copyright (C) 1999  Pete Willemsen, Matt Tucker and Bill Lynch
 
     This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify
     it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by
     the Free Software Foundation; either version 2 of the License, or
     (at your option) any later version.
 
     This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
     but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
     MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the
     GNU General Public License for more details.
 
     You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License
     along with this program; if not, write to the Free Software
     Foundation, Inc., 59 Temple Place, Suite 330, Boston, MA  02111-1307  USA