Re: PERL CGI: 2 POST methods using same parameters

>-----Original Message-----  From:   www-talk-request@w3.org 
>[SMTP:www-talk-request@w3.org] On Behalf Of Ariadna Font 
>Llitjos  Sent:   Thursday, January 22, 2004 8:07 
>AM  To:     www-talk@w3.org  Cc:     aria+@cs.cmu.edu  Subject: 
>PERL CGI: 2 POST methods using same parameters
>
>Hi,
>
>I'm trying to create an html page (with a cgi script) which after 
>allowing  the user to pick among a few choices (by checking on the 
>appropriate  check-box), it asks the user to pick between two actions, 
>namely two  different POST methods which take them to different cgi 
>scripts, but which  need to have access to the same set of values.


There is a problem with what you are seeking to do.

The user is lured into disclosing user information when it is unclear who
is getting the information.

The technique you propose would  be an open invitation to abuse.  We have
enough scams on the Internet with emails arriving daily offering you a bogus
place to update your eBay data or a bogus patch from Microsoft.

You can do what you want to do with HTML4 and HTTP in either of two ways.

One clean way is to move the choice of action ahead of the data entry and
include redundant data fields in two html4:form elements, each with its
hard-coded html:form.action, and make the choice of action be a set of
internal hyperlinks that put you in the appropriate form.

Another is to integrate the logic to take all the actions that should be
within the user's reach from the common data, and put that in one CGI on the
server side.  Make sufficient discriminants to drive the action choices
_data_ in the form returned to the _one_ CGI and get on with life.  Clearly
you can still abuse the user's trust behind the CGI interface, but at least
for the path from the browser to the HTTP server it is clear who is abusing
them if you do.

The html4:form container element offers the use some integrity in terms of
who they are talking to when they impart information to the draft form.  Of
course this can be abrogated with scripting, but that is not the highest and
best trust relationship with the user.

You owe the user a clear explanation of what you are going to do with the data
before you collect it.  Even across the UI into the draft form in the browser.

If the action choices vary with the user data, then you need to implement a
multiphase-commit (see good checkout systems for B2C eCommerce) in which the
user is clearly reminded of what they are about to do with what information
at the point that you are ready for them to commit to a known action via 
one of
the CGIs.

Al

At 08:41 PM 2004-01-25, Calvin, Lee Kai Chuen wrote:

>Hi,
>
>you may need to use javascript here...
>
>e.g. html segment:
>
><form id="yourform" name="yourform" method="post">
>         <!-- some form elements go here -->
>         <!-- some form elements go here -->
>         <!-- some form elements go here -->
>         <!-- some form elements go here -->
>         <input
>                 value="post to action_1.cgi"
>                 type="submit"
>                 onclick="action(this.form,'action_1.cgi')"
>                 onkeypress="action(this.form,'action_1.cgi')"
>         />
>         <input
>                 value="post to action_2.cgi"
>                 type="submit"
>                 onclick="action(this.form,'action_2.cgi')"
>                 onkeypress="action(this.form,'action_2.cgi')"
>         />
></form>
>
>you may need some javascript like this (put them in <head> part):
>
><script type="text/javascript">
><!--
>
>function action(frm,url) {
>         frm.action = url;               // this is the meat
>}
>
>//-->
></script>
>
>onclick event & onkeypress event drive to set up the targeted cgi url.
>
>Regards,
>Calvin
>
>-----Original Message-----  From:   www-talk-request@w3.org 
>[SMTP:www-talk-request@w3.org] On Behalf Of Ariadna Font 
>Llitjos  Sent:   Thursday, January 22, 2004 8:07 
>AM  To:     www-talk@w3.org  Cc:     aria+@cs.cmu.edu  Subject: 
>PERL CGI: 2 POST methods using same parameters
>
>Hi,
>
>I'm trying to create an html page (with a cgi script) which after 
>allowing  the user to pick among a few choices (by checking on the 
>appropriate  check-box), it asks the user to pick between two actions, 
>namely two  different POST methods which take them to different cgi 
>scripts, but which  need to have access to the same set of values.
>
>The problem I am having right now is that if the user picks the 
>second  action by clicking on the second submit button, the values only 
>get stored  in the first form (ie. when clicking on the first button), and 
>I don't seem  to have access to them from the second form.
>
>Is there a way to share the values between two html forms containing 
>POST  methods pointing to different cgi scripts?  If not, what would be 
>the best way to share user choices between to scripts  that can be called 
>from the same html page?
>
>thanks,
>
>Ariadna Font Llitjos  aria@cs.cmu.edu

Received on Monday, 26 January 2004 11:36:32 UTC