Server-Side Includes
This page provides instructions on how to use server-side includes
in your web documents. Server side includes (SSI) can help you control
the look of a large web site. IT User Services use SSI's on its
public information pages to ensure that the end of each document contains
the same navigation bar. Because we use server side includes for
the navigation bar, when it needs to be updated, we only need to
change 1 file.
When a browser such as Netscape requests a web page with a server side
include command, the web server adds the file specified in the SSI command
into the web document being served. It is then displayed as one document
on the browser.
If you wish to use SSI's, please note that you need to be familiar with
HTML codes and Unix. Most web editors do not have a feature for adding
SSI's. After you create your page you will need to add
the SSI commands by editing the HTML code through a text editor.
Please refrain from using server-side includes in your documents
if at all possible. They can result in performance penalties when the NCSA
HTTPD server is heavily loaded.
Web Page Setup
To use server-side includes in your web documents you must do two things:
-
The server-side include tag needs to be placed in the document at the appropriate
location. Remember, server-side includes instruct the server to include
information in the document "on-the-fly". In other words, at the point
where the server-side include is tagged.
-
The execution bit of the HTML document containing the server-side include
needs to be set for the owner of the document. If the execution bit of
the document is not set accordingly, the server will not parse and execute
the server-side include tag. To set the execution bit on your web
document issue the following command from the telnet prompt:
chmod u+x filename.html
Simple Example
The following lines illustrate how server-side include tags may be used
in your web documents:
<p>Last Modified: <!--#echo var="LAST_MODIFIED"--></em>
<!--#include virtual="/IT/user-serv/footerinclude.html"-->
This code adds a last modified date to the document and then appends the
file /IT/user-serv/footerinclude.html to the document.
More information about Server Side includes is available at Mark
West's Server Side Includes page. Please note that on web.indstate.edu
and isu.indstate.edu .htaccess and the .shtml extension is not needed.
Please refer to this page only for instructions on using server side includes
commands in your web documents.
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