I'm still confused why we need a path_info for the additional info to CGI/modperl scripts? Generally under CGI we say x.cgi?key=value to pass arguments, under modperl handler we say /myHandler/?key=value to do it, or using POST method. Under what case we use path_info?
//joy On Sat, Mar 1, 2008 at 3:22 AM, Torsten Foertsch <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > On Fri 29 Feb 2008, Frank Maas wrote: > > I am using a mechanism where I use the path_info to carry information > > about the content to be served. However, as far as I know the only way to > > do this is to create a handler that is defined for the correct location. > > In the described situation, something like, > > > > <Location /archive/news> > > PerlHandler MyNews->handler() > > </Location> > > > > I do not see how MapToStorage handler will help here. There probably is no > > /var/www/archive/news file (or directory), and even if there is, it is of > > no use to Apache. Or am I completely and utterly mistaken here? > > Your confusion comes from the fact that you look at it through mod_perl > spectacles where you don't necessarily have a corresponding disk file. But > Apache is made chiefly to ship files. > > So in the m2s phase apache splits the filename it gets from trans into the > name of a filesystem entry and the trailing "path_info". > > If you have a CGI script say /bin/x.cgi that is located in /www/cgi-bin/x.cgi > and you call it as /bin/x.cgi/path/info then after trans filename points > to /www/cgi-bin/x.cgi/path/info. m2s then finds that /www/cgi-bin/x.cgi is a > regular file. So it sets filename to /www/cgi-bin/x.cgi and path_info > to /path/info. So in CGI context you can be certain that PATH_INFO is the > remainder of the URI after the current script is stripped off. > > BTW, the default response handler the one that ships files returns 404 if > path_info is not empty. > > Now in mod_perl you normally don't have a disk file. You have a compiled > handler. So m2s will determine the start of path_info somewhere in the URI > where it finds the last existing directory. > > Hence when using a modperl handler don't rely on path_info. By creating an > additional directory or deleting one you can spoil your logic! That is called > action at a distance. > > Use $r->uri and $r->location instead. Don't use <LocationMatch> in this case. > Then the first part of $r->uri equals to $r->location. So you can compute a > mod_perl version of path_info as "substr($r->uri, length($r->location))". > This one doesn't depend on existing or non-existing filesystem entries. > > Torsten >