new entry function

[sourceuno]

I've written a search script that displays search results as links to certain sites. I want to be able check if the site exists after the user clicks the link. I've used the following entry function to redirect the user, but it isn't accepting the URL parameter.

<A NAME=redirect someurl PUBLIC>
<fetch $someurl>
<if $ret ne "">
<header NAME="Location" VALUE=$someurl>
<exit>
<else>
Site doesn't exist.
</if>
</A>

<a name=main public>
<a href="$url/redirect.html?someurl=www.somesite.com/subdir/somefile.htm">Click here.</a>
</a>

What's wrong with this script?

[bart]

The problem is that you're not really passing the parameter, it's coming from the CGI environment. Rewrite the function declaration like this and it will work as
expected:

<A NAME=redirect PUBLIC>
...
</a>

In your program above the "more-local" variable is overriding the value coming from the CGI environment.

[Kai]

Actually, that URL syntax is ok, since parameters to entry functions are initialized from global (therefore CGI) variables if no default value is given.

There are two problems. One is that your URL isn't fully-qualified, which <fetch> and the Location header expect; it should be http://www.somesite.com/subdir/somefile.htm. Also, the scope qualifier PUBLIC must come before any parameters:

<A NAME=redirect PUBLIC someurl>

otherwise it's taken as a parameter name. So your function was really PRIVATE (undeclared functions are PRIVATE if they have parameters), so using it as the entry function would just enter at <main> instead.

[bart]

Oops.. I guess I better RTM.