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(python2.1-lib.info)CGIHTTPServer

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CGI-capable HTTP request handler
================================

This manual section was written by Moshe Zadka
<moshez@zadka.site.co.il>.
This module provides a request handler for HTTP servers which can run
CGI scripts.

The `CGIHTTPServer' module defines a request-handler class, interface
compatible with `BaseHTTPServer.BaseHTTPRequestHandler' and inherits
behavior from `SimpleHTTPServer.SimpleHTTPRequestHandler' but can also
run CGI scripts.

*Note:*  This module can run CGI scripts on UNIX and Windows systems;
on Mac OS it will only be able to run Python scripts within the same
process as itself.

The `CGIHTTPServer' module defines the following class:

`CGIHTTPRequestHandler(request, client_address, server)'
     This class is used to serve either files or output of CGI scripts
     from the current directory and below. Note that mapping HTTP
     hierarchic structure to local directory structure is exactly as in
     `SimpleHTTPServer.SimpleHTTPRequestHandler'.

     The class will however, run the CGI script, instead of serving it
     as a file, if it guesses it to be a CGI script. Only
     directory-based CGI are used -- the other common server
     configuration is to treat special extensions as denoting CGI
     scripts.

     The `do_GET()' and `do_HEAD()' functions are modified to run CGI
     scripts and serve the output, instead of serving files, if the
     request leads to somewhere below the `cgi_directories' path.

The `CGIHTTPRequestHandler' defines the following data member:

`cgi_directories'
     This defaults to `['/cgi-bin', '/htbin']' and describes
     directories to treat as containing CGI scripts.

The `CGIHTTPRequestHandler' defines the following methods:

`do_POST()'
     This method serves the `'POST'' request type, only allowed for CGI
     scripts.  Error 501, "Can only POST to CGI scripts", is output
     when trying to POST to a non-CGI url.

Note that CGI scripts will be run with UID of user nobody, for security
reasons. Problems with the CGI script will be translated to error 403.

For example usage, see the implementation of the `test()' function.

See also:
     Note: BaseHTTPServer Base class implementation for Web server
     and request handler.