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From:
[email protected] (John Heidemann)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.perl.announce,comp.lang.perl.misc
Subject: ANNOUNCE: WWW::Search 1.007 available (web-search-engine API for Perl)
Followup-To: comp.lang.perl.misc
Date: 21 Dec 1996 14:53:00 GMT
Organization: USC Information Sciences Institute
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WWW::Search and AutoSearch
==========================
WHAT IS NEW WITH WWW::Search 1.007?
-----------------------------------
- new: back-ends for Dejanews (from Cesare Feroldi de Rosa),
Infoseek (also from Cesare Feroldi de Rosa),
and Excite (from GLen Pringle)
- new: more fields in SearchResult (score, dates, etc., see the man page)
(problem found by Cesare Feroldi de Rosa)
- new: better error handling on network failures
(AutoSearch should report errors on its pages,
$search->response() provides an API for error reporting)
- new (internal): user_agent handling has changed
- new: proxy support added to WWW::Search (still needed in applications)
(problem and fix suggested by T. V. Raman)
- bug-fix: numerous documentation updates
(problems found by Larry Virden)
- bug-fix: AltaVista web search was occasionally dropping hits
(problem found by Larry Virden, fixed by Bill Scheding)
- bug-fix: all non-alphanumeric characters are now escaped
(problem found by Larry Virden)
WHAT IS WWW::Search?
--------------------
WWW::Search is a collection of Perl modules which provide an API to
WWW search engines. Currently WWW::Search includes back-ends for
variations of AltaVista, Dejanews, Excite, HotBot, Infoseek, and
Lycos. We include two applications built from this library:
AutoSearch (an program to automate tracking of search results over
time), a small demonstration program to drive the library.
Back-ends for other search engines and more sophisticated clients are
currently under development.
WHAT IS AutoSearch?
-------------------
WWW::Search's primary client is AutoSearch. AutoSearch performs a
web-based search and puts the results set in a web page. It
periodically updates this web page, indicating how the search changes
over time. Sample output from WWW::Search can be found at
<
http://www.isi.edu/lsam/autosearch/>. Output format is configurable.
See the man page for AutoSearch details, or Demonstration section
below for the quick-start instructions.
REQUIREMENTS
------------
WWW::Search requires Perl5 and libwww-perl.
For information on Perl5, see <
http://www.perl.com>.
For libwww-perl, see <
http://www.sn.no/libwww-perl/>.
Both are also available from the Comprehensive Perl Archive
Network (CPAN). Visit <
http://www.perl.com/CPAN/> to find a CPAN
site near you.
At this time WWW::Search has been tested with Perl versions 5.002 and
5.003.
AVAILABILITY
------------
The latest version of WWW::Search should always be available from
<
http://www.isi.edu/lsam/tools/WWW_SEARCH/>.
WWW::Search is also available as part of CPAN. Visit
<
http://www.perl.com/CPAN/> to find a CPAN site near you.
Feedback about WWW::Search is encouraged. If you're using it for a
neat application, please let us know. If you'd like to (or have)
implemented a new back-end for WWW::Search, let us know so we don't
duplicate work.
