Kidlink Webteam Mail2Web program

Mail2Web
An E-Mail to Web Page Utility

Kidlink Webteam Home page

Kidlink's Support Organization

Kidlink's 2002 Web Guidelines

1.0 Introduction
2.0 Procedures
- 2.1 Getting Authorization to Put Files via Mail
- 2.2 Creating/Updating an HTML File
- 2.3 Creating/Updating a Binary File
  - 2.3.1 Make your GIF image or other binary file. Try to interlace GIF's.
  - 2.3.2 Use a UUEncoding program to convert the binary to ASCII code.
  - 2.3.3 Add the 'putbin' line at the BEGINNING of the UUcoded file:
  - 2.3.4 Send the e-mail message to mail2web@www.kidlink.org
  - 2.3.5 You will get a reply showing that the file has been stored.
  - 2.3.6 Confirm the file size.
- 2.4 Deleting a File
3.0 Project Managers Directory-based Authorizaton
- 3.1 Using Directory-based Passwords
- 3.2 An Example
  - 3.2.1 Creating the Directory
  - 3.2.2 Three Sample Events
4.0 Questions

1.0 Introduction

The Mail2Web program is available to Kidlink managers and participants as a way to add, update, and delete Web pages and binary files (like GIF's and EXE's) on the Kidlink WWW by sending e-mail messages. This program was developed to accommodate several concerns:

Allow publishing by people with e-mail only access to Internet.
Get the stuff on the Web ASAP with minimum human intervention.
Allow publishing by many people with no user accounts needed.

An alternative is to FTP the files into place. This will likely be the choice for some, especially when uploading a large number of pages or files but will best be served by use of a userid login rather than anonymous FTP to /incoming. By FTPing it to /incoming, someone will have to log in and move it to the right place.

The ability to edit files on the Kidlink WWW server through Mail2Web is controlled through use of a password that is associated with an individual file. For project managers, it is possible to associate a directory with a password, allowing them to control many files with a single password.

2.0 Procedures

2.1 Getting Authorization to Put Files via Mail

People who want to establish a page (or more) on the Kidlink WWW server should contact Ingimar Robertsson ingimarr@kidlink.org. If you know what you want to name the page (i.e. FredWilson.html) and the path name from the WWW root to the file (i.e. society/personal/FredWilson.html), that will help. If not, Ingimar or someone on the Kidlink WebTeam will work with you to develop the file name and proper path location.

When you request a page(s), please say if it will be an HTML translation of an existing Kidlink ASCII document. Ingimar will send you the full path name for your files and the individual passwords for each file. Here is an example:

   Path/File Name                        Password
   ----------------------------------    ----------------
   society/personal/FredWilson.html      flood-extra   
society/personal/SarahWilkerson.html  blue-doors

The EXACT path/file name and password must be used when sending commands to the Mail2Web program.

2.2 Creating/Updating an HTML File

The procedures for creating a new file and updating an existing one are the same. If the file exists and a file of the same name is sent, it will over-write the existing file (the reply you get will show stats on the old file).

The HTML of the new/updated page should be checked for errors and operation, if possible, prior to sending it.

Only one page can be sent in each message and the first line of the message (not the Subject: line) is considered the "command" and must follow a rigid format in order to be processed:

put path/filename pw=password

For Example:

put society/personal/FredWilson.html pw=flood-extra <html> <head> ...

You just mail this message to: mail2web@www.kidlink.org

If everything goes OK, you will get a reply showing some statistics about the old file (if present) and the new one. The reply will be sent to the address on file with the computer for that file.

2.3 Creating/Updating a Binary File

The command for adding/updating binary files like GIF or EXE files is 'putbin' and is used in much the same way as the put command. However there is a bit more work *you* need to do to make sure it all comes out OK. Here are the steps you must follow to put a binary file:

2.3.1 Make your GIF image or other binary file. Try to interlace GIF's.
2.3.2 Use a UUEncoding program to convert the binary to ASCII code.
2.3.3 Add the 'putbin' line at the BEGINNING of the UUcoded file:

putbin society/personal/FredWilson.gif pw=flood-extra begin 664 ... ...

Important

When writing the 'putbin' line, please take care that:

It is placed PRIOR to the UUEncoded data.
Check you use 'putbin' (not just 'put').
Check the output path file name to make sure it is a binary kind of file name.

Note

As implied above, the binary file name that you created and uuencoded on your system will be decoded and RENAMED to that name supplied in the putbin command line.

2.3.4 Send the e-mail message to mail2web@www.kidlink.org
2.3.5 You will get a reply showing that the file has been stored.
2.3.6 Confirm the file size shown matches the size of the source binary. If it is larger than the source binary, then you probably used 'put' instead of 'putbin' in the command line and the file was not decoded.

2.4 Deleting a File

This should not be necessary very often, but if you need to delete a page file you have a password for, just send a message with one line of text in it. This is the syntax:

del path/filename pw=password

For Example:

del society/personal/FredWilson.html pw=flood-extra

You just mail this message to: mail2web@www.kidlink.org

If everything goes OK, you will get a reply saying that the file has been deleted.

Note: You can delete either an html or binary file as long as you supply the correct password for the file or directory.

3.0 Project Managers Directory-based Authorizaton

For project managers, assistants, moderators, etc., having a different password for each file may become difficult to manage. For those with valid need, it is possible to allow any file to be put or deleted from a directory that the sender has the password for.

For example, if a KIDFORUM Moderator has pages they want to put up to support a current or past project, a directory can be created (by Kidlink Web Management) and then a Mail2Web password assigned to that directory. The manager will then be given the password for the directory and will be responsible for managing the files in that directory.

3.1 Using Directory-based Passwords

The way the password is used is identical to that of one linked to an individual file. When the manager sends a file, s/he uses the same command syntax as for individual files. The Mail2Web program first checks the password against the full file name. Then it checks to see if the password matches the directory in which the file is to be stored. If a password:directory match is made, the command will be acted on with a notice being sent to the address in the registry for the directory.

3.2 An Example

Here is an example of all this in practice. A KIDFORUM project on "Rivers" is being created. The KIDFORUM Manager arranges with Kidlink Web Management to have a directory on the Kidlink Web Server to be created and asks that alfred@k12.uni-x.cr be the manager of the web pages for the Rivers project.

3.2.1 Creating the Directory

A directory will be created called 'Rivers' and will have a path of KIDFORUM/Rivers. A placeholder index.html file will be added to this directory to keep the public from looking at all files in the directory. It is recommended that the index.html file be overwritten by the project home page which would be accessed as:

http://www.kidlink.org/KIDFORUM/Rivers/index.html

3.2.2 Three Sample Events

Alfred will be able to add or delete any file in the Rivers directory as long as he supplies the correct password (which he, alone, will be given) for the command. Here are three sample messages that Alfred would be able to send (in the body of the message):

3.2.2.1 Subject: Replacing the index.html file

put KIDFORUM/Rivers/index.html pw=yellowfish <html> <head> <title>The KIDFORUM Rivers Topic</title> ...

3.2.2.2 Subject: Adding a resources and links file

put KIDFORUM/Rivers/resources.html pw=yellowfish <html> <head> <title>Rivers Resources</title> ...

3.2.2.3 Subject: Deleting an obsolete data file

del KIDFORUM/Rivers/data5.html pw=yellowfish

4.0 Questions

If you have any questions about this service, please write to

ingimarr@kidlink.org

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