sstark said:
Hi all, thanks for the many replies. To clarify:
Yes I could easily install Apache; however for security reasons my
employer forbids it, or at least requires a lot of security precautions
that I'd rather not deal with. I'm looking at ways to make the script a
standalone that I can give to users so they can run it on their own
machines without installing a server.
Perhaps the mini web server would do the trick, I'll look into that.
What I'm really looking for, though, is simply a wysiwyg interface that
allows users to click on choices and enter text into fields. Perhaps
the browser/CGI solution isn't the only way. I seem to recall seeing
some kind of Perl graphical interface a few years ago, some kind of
"widget" thingie. Anybody know what I'm talking about and if there's a
way to accomplish what I want?
I know it does little good to ask your company to "lighten up," but I'm
always amazed at the things employers want and then tie their employees'
hands behind their backs, usually in the name of "security." My own
company is guilty of this too much to my chagrin sometimes.
Anyway, not that it'll help en totale, but Simon Cozens had a rather
nice article in The Perl Journal (TPJ) recently which spoke of this
delimma of having an app whose presentation layer was a browser running
against a web server installed on the same machine. Again, I know you
said you can't do that, but the article might be worth a look anyway to
see if it can give you some ideas.
Also, with ActiveState Perl, you can install PerlScript on the
*client-side* browser and run Perl in the browser same as Javascript,
BUT... I doubt this will help you much and of course it doesn't provide
a CGI interface. That requires something on the "backend" even if on
the same machine, which is why I simply said "no" to your original
question. Everyone here is presenting HTTP:
aemon and such, and it's
merely a way of "tricking" your employer, which in my mind makes the
forbiding of a real server install ludicrious. Those are still "backend
servers," even if on the same box. You can't get around that. It's
easy to install Apache to answer requests ONLY from the localhost hence
providing you a local server that opens no security holes.
But again, I sympathize. I've actually investigated the HTTP:
aemon
thingy for the exact same reason, so I sympathize. The article however
may provide other ideas or provide a platform for you to justify doing
exactly what he did (which included a full hands-free install approach too.)
-ceo
