TWNMM: Header SSI Documentation

Header SSI Documentation
Created: January 3, 2002

In case you haven't noticed, all webpages here have the same look and feel. This is accomplished by the use of some Server Side Includes. By using SSI, I can make page creation simple, without having to manually put the same header and footer on every page.

The purpose of this little text file is to document the variables you can set to make things happen.

#set var="DOITALL" value="1"

If DOITALL is set, the SSI will do everything, including the header. Without this, the page is expected to do everything up to the end of the </head> tag. Note that this is done only because I still have a page or two that has it's own header.. this will at some point go away.

#set var="SUBSECTION" value="about"

This defines what part of the website the page is in. Eventually, this may do other things, but at the moment it simply uses this to divine what image it should load for the header.

Note that there is brain-dead weirdness here. If it isn't set, the SSI will default to "rants". This usage is seriously depricated.

#set var="TITLE" value="About Feedle"

The title of the page. Will also be inserted in the header if the script is told to generate the header.

#set var="SUBTITLE" value="Everything you didn't want to know."

An optional subtitle for the page. It need not be defined.

#set var="CREATE_DATE" value="Yesterday"

Sets the creation date for the page. This is different than the last-modified time written to the filesystem. This is done because sometimes knowing when a document was first created, as opposed to last modified, is sometimes useful.

Note that if this is not defined, the script will use the filesystem's last modified time. Yes, I know this information is duplicated in the footer.. just deal.

#set var="UP" value=""

Sets what "up" should point to. For second-level pages, it should probably be set to null. Lower pages should be set to the page above it (duh). This isn't as intelligent as it could (or probably should) be.

#set var="ABOUT" value="aboutthis.shtml"

Creates a navclick next to UP that is for providing more info. I have yet to use this feature.

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For those who are reading this textfile from the outside world, here is a text copy of the SSI in question. Note that this is more than likely an older version than what is currently used... it was drooled in here when this document was first created. You are welcome to take it and use it for whatever nefarious purposes you wish.

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