====================
What is FAQ-O-Matic?
====================
The Faq-O-Matic is a CGI-based system that automates the process of
maintaining a FAQ (or Frequently Asked Questions list). It allows
visitors to your FAQ to take part in keeping it up-to-date. A
permission system also makes it useful as a help-desk application,
bug-tracking database, or documentation system.
This documentation itself is, naturally, maintained with Faq-O-Matic:
http://www.dartmouth.edu/cgi-bin/cgiwrap/jonh/faq.pl
===============
Latest Version:
===============
Before you get in too deep, make sure you have the latest version
of the FAQ-O-Matic. Check the main website:
http://www.dartmouth.edu/cgi-bin/cgiwrap/jonh/faq.pl
Especially the Administrators' Guide:
http://www.dartmouth.edu/cgi-bin/cgiwrap/jonh/faq.pl?file=3
And check the FTP site for the most recent revision:
ftp://ftp.cs.dartmouth.edu/pub/jonh/
===========
Quickstart:
===========
% perl Makefile.PL
% make
% make install
% mv fom /usr/local/etc/httpd/cgi-bin/fom
(or wherever your CGIs live.)
% netscape
http://localhost/cgi-bin/fom
(or whatever browser you prefer)
(or whatever the URL would be to execute the CGI)
* subscribe to faqomatic-users (see link to FOMFOM at bottom).
* add your Faq-O-Matic (a description is fine if it's not public) to
the List of Faqomatics (on the FOMFOM).
* send Jon a postcard, if you're feeling generous.
======================
Themes and Variations:
======================
* If you don't have the privilege to install the modules in an "official"
place, tell Makefile.PL that before you start:
% mkdir ~/user_perl
% perl Makefile.PL PREFIX=~/user_perl
% make
...
* If your web server requires CGIs to have a certain suffix, simply
rename the generated file "fom" to something like "fom.cgi":
...
% mv fom /usr/local/etc/httpd/cgi-bin/fom.cgi
% netscape
http://localhost/cgi-bin/fom.cgi
* If the user that CGIs run as can't write to the directory in which
CGIs reside (a wise security move), create a writable meta/ directory
(or a link to one) there in advance:
...
% mv fom /usr/local/etc/httpd/cgi-bin/fom
% mkdir /usr/local/etc/httpd/cgi-bin/meta
% chown nobody /usr/local/etc/httpd/cgi-bin/meta
% netscape
http://localhost/cgi-bin/fom
or
...
% mv fom /usr/local/etc/httpd/cgi-bin/fom
% mkdir /somewhere/else/meta
% chown nobody /somewhere/else/meta
% ln -s /somewhere/else/meta /usr/local/etc/httpd/cgi-bin/meta
% netscape
http://localhost/cgi-bin/fom
* If you'd rather not even put a link in that directory, modify the
fom CGI stub to name the meta directly:
% vi fom
% cat fom
#!/usr/local/bin/perl
use Faq::Omatic::dispatch
Faq::Omatic::dispatch::main('/somewhere/else/meta/');
% mv fom ...
Either of the above two techniques are also suitable for running
multiple FAQ-O-Matics on one server. Keep in mind that if the FAQs
are related, they should probably be kept together as one FAQ with
a few main categories, so searches will search the entire lot.
============
Author Info:
============
Jon Howell
[email protected]
http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~jonh
