file extension ACGI

AppleSearch ACGI

AppleSearch ACGI provides a mechanism for users to make their AppleSearch information sources available to others on the World Wide Web. AppleSearch ACGI is implemented as an asynchronous gateway (ACGI) application for use with WebSTAR.

AppleSearch ACGI supports two types of WWW client interfaces. The simplest uses the search arguments passed from a WWW client like Mosaic or MacWeb to perform searches on an AppleSearch information source. There is a more comprehensive interface available that uses fill-in forms to collect search arguments from the user. To use the forms interface, you must access WebSTAR and AppleSearch ACGI using a WWW client capable of supporting forms. Netscape Navigator, MacWeb and Mosaic 2.0 both support forms.

AppleSearch ACGI is invoked by WebSTAR in response to a client's request for a particular URL. WebSTAR passes arguments to AppleSearch ACGI through custom AppleEvents. These arguments are obtained from the path and search arguments contained in the URL sent to WebSTAR. If you are unfamiliar with path and search arguments, you may want to read through the documentation and examples that come with WebSTAR.

AppleSearch ACGI uses these arguments to perform search operations with the AppleSearch server that it is connected to. The results are formatted into an HTML document that is automatically generated by AppleSearch ACGI and returned to WebSTAR (and then to the WWW client.) Much of the information in the generated forms can be modified by changing TEXT resources within the AppleSearch ACGI application.