• Download bp.zip and unzip the file into a temporary directory on your PC

• Create a directory for your banner exchange. It is recommended that you use the call the directory "bp"

• Create a sub-directory under the above directory. This will contain your members' files. It is recommended that you use the call the directory "ads".

• Upload the following files onto your server:

• All files with the .cgi extension should be placed in your cgi directory

• All files with the .txt extension should be placed in your cgi directory. Do NOT upload bpadmin.txt yet.

• All files with the .htm extension should be placed in the directory you created in step 2 (ie the "bp" directory

• MAKE SURE ALL FILES ARE UPLOADED IN ASCII MODE.

• Modify the .htm files as you wish. index.htm provides the frontend for your banner exchange. In other words, this is what members will see and where they will register as new members or view their details. You will need to change the link information to reflect your server details. So change the link:  http://www.gadnet.com/cgi-bin/bpjoin.cgi?new to http://www.yourserver.com/yourcgidirectory/bpjoin?new. Likewise change all other links to refer to your own server.

• Ensure that all of the scripts are world-executable. Use: chmod 755 scriptname. All the .txt files should be world-writable. Use chmod 777 filename. The bp/ads directory should also be world writable but for security reasons it is highly advisable to make this a password protected directory.

• Make sure that the first lines of each file with the .cgi extension points correctly to the location of Perl on your server. The first lines are currently: #!/usr/local/bin/perl. You may need to change this to #!/usr/local/perl. Failing that, contact your system administrator.

• Now bring up bpadmin.htm in your browser. Click on bpadmin.htm. Now click on System Settings. Ensure that all you path names are correct and set the other defaults according to the instructions.

• Now upload bpadmin.txt to your cgi directory and make sure it is world-readable. Use: chmod 777 bpadmin.txt

• The default administration password is "ecap08". It is important to change this to a password of your choice to prevent unauthorised access.

• That's all there is to it. Your banner exchange should now be up and running.

USER NOTES

Every new member to the exchange must be verified by the administrator: go to the administration page and select the option to list all unverified members. Click on each member in the list, verify the details and then either confirm or delete the member. Note that if the member makes any modification to their details, they will return to the unverified list. The reason for these procedures is to prevent people posting unsuitable banners, or joining the exchange with a site that is not relevant to the theme of the exchange. Members will continue to earn credits while they are on the Unverified list, but their banner will not be displayed on other sites.

The default banner should only appear if something goes wrong. It is there in order to prevent broken links appearing on your members' pages. In you want to advertise your banner exchange, or to display any other banner for yourself, you must set yourself up as a member and give yourself lots of free credits. It is highly advisable that you do this since it ensures that the script will always be able to find a valid banner to display.

No member will display their own banner. If you are testing your exchange you will therefore need to set up a minimum of two members, or three if you want to see any rotation  of the banners. Make sure each member has some credits and has a valid banner URL (one that starts with http://) and that each one has been verified as above.

IMPORTANT COPYRIGHT INFORMATION

v0.9 is being distibuted as freeware. It can be freely downloaded and used. It may be modified as long as the copyright information remains intact. Do not remove the link to BannerPlus in the footer subroutine of bpsubs.cgi.

Any use of this program is entirely at the risk of the user. No liability will be accepted by the author.

This code must not be sold, even in modified form, without the written permission of the author. This code must also not be distributed without the permission of the author.

Use of the software will be taken as acceptance of the above terms.

Email Contact: Drummond Miles