Zot-Dispatch: Configuration File

1. Configure Zot-Dispatch to work properly with your system.
2. Set up restrictions on Zot-Dispatch's use.
3. Define Macro Variables.

In order for Zot-Dispatch to work with your system properly it is necessary to set up, within Zot-Dispatch's configuration file, the location of various programs and libraries, as well as the location of specific directories on your machine:

• Path to cgi-lib.pl
• Path to libwww-perl
• Path to hostname program
• Absolute location of sendmail program
• Absolute location of date program
• Location of temp file directory
• Document Root (Same as with NCSA httpd)
• User Directories (Same as with NCSA httpd)
• Location of Log File
• Default subject line for e-mail

Zot-Dispatch allows you to set various restrictions in the configuration file to protect it from misuse. The restrictions that can be set include:

• Time limit on Zot-Dispatch to protect against runaway processes
• Hosts from which templates may be retrieved via HTTP
• Hosts to which e-mail may be sent
• Truncation of e-mail addresses (chopping address after the @)
• Allow or disallow mail sent to the local host
• Limits to the number of characters allowed to append or e-mail
• Directories/Files to which appending is allowed
• E-mail aliases
• Allowed filter programs

Zot-Dispatch, as an added feature, also allows you to set up "Macro Variables" in its configuration file. Macro Variables are groups of name=value pairs that have a symbolic name associated with them. If the symbolic name of a Macro Variable is placed in the extra path information of the URL that calls Zot-Dispatch, the associated name=value pairs will be loaded as if they were entered by the form itself, before any actual values that are entered by the form.