Dansie Traffic Counter & Visitor Monitor 2.0 ReadMe
By Dansie Website Design
Version 2.0 Copyright  February 26, 2008
Version 1.0 Copyright  April 5, 2000
http://www.dansie.net


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DISCLAIMER AND LEGAL STUFF:
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# COPYRIGHT NOTICE AND SOFTWARE LICENSE AGREEMENT
# This script may only be used under license from www.dansie.net. If you
# feel you may have received an unlicensed or pirated copy, please contact
# piracy@dansie.net. 
# Use of the Dansie Traffic Counter software is subject to the terms of the license
# agreement. By using this software you signify that you have read the license
# agreement and accept its terms. Your purchase of a Dansie Traffic Counter software
# license entitles you to one (1) working copy of the script per license. You
# may NOT copy, reproduce, resell, or give away copies of the script in any way
# shape or form. A license is nontransferable from person to person. You may
# make one back up copy should something happen to the working copy on your
# host. You may not make any modifications to the Dansie Traffic Counter script
# except as instructed in the ReadMe. The text links, graphic links, logos and
# copyright credit to http://www.dansie.net must remain in the script free of
# modification and appear on the various pages of Dansie Traffic Counter script.
# Violation of this license agreement may void your right to technical support
# and subject you to legal action.

Do not modify the script except for the $vars variable near the top of the script.

Modifying the script is a violation of the software license agreement and copyrights and may subject you to legal action.

If you believe you may have received an unlicensed copy of this script or you have information about someone conducting piracy, please contact us at: piracy@dansie.net or http://www.dansie.net/question.html

Dansie Website Design will not be held responsible for any type of damage or loss of time that may occur as a result of using this script. This includes but is not limited to the corruption or loss of data on your server. (Not that we intentionally put anything in it that will cause any problems on your server, we just have to say this to cover ourselves.) Customer assumes full responsibility for any damages or loss of time that may occur.

Refund Policy:

Make sure that your web host allows you to run CGI Perl scripts on your website before you order. 30 day money back guarantee from the date of purchase if the Dansie Traffic Counter does not run on your website as advertised. For any and all other reasons, all software license sales are final and are non-refundable. If necessary, we will FTP in and get it running for you.

Please read all instructions below carefully.


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CONTENTS OF ZIP FILE:
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counter.pl (The script)
counter_vars.txt (variables)
ReadMe.txt   (Instructions)


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IMPORTANT RULES OF THUMB:
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You must know how to use an FTP (File Transfer Protocol) program to install this script. You don't have to know anything about Perl or HTML. Always upload the Perl script in ASCII format and chmod 755.

Cookies must be enabled in your browser. This program utilizes JavaScript. For best results, be sure to use a late version of either Netscape or Microsoft Internet Explorer. Other browsers may not be supported.


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INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS:
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1. UPLOAD: Upload the counter.pl script in ASCII format (not binary) to your cgi-bin and chmod it 755. What is chmod? See: http://wsftp.stormerhosting.com.

2. SET VARIABLES: Open counter_vars.txt in a plain text editor such as Notepad and set all the "Required Variables". Follow the instructions carefully next to each variable. In most cases, you will only need to set 3 variables to install the script.

3. DATA FILENAME ADVISORY: The counter.pl script will automatically create and write to the following filenames in your cgi-bin: count.txt, counter_access_log.txt, counter_latest_visit.txt, counter_ip_log.txt. Be sure that you don't currently have files in your cgi-bin with the same names used by another program. If so, you can change the name that counter.pl uses for these files in the System Path Variables section of the counter_vars.txt file.

4. UPLOAD VARIABLES: Upload counter_vars.txt to your cgi-bin in ASCII format. Chmod is not necessary.

5. TEST SCRIPT: Point your browser at the script and see if it's configured properly.
http://www.YourName.com/cgi-bin/counter.pl?display
You should see a number "1" as the first visitor. Now point your browser here:
http://www.YourName.com/cgi-bin/counter.pl?login
and enter the password you set in "pw" in your counter_vars.txt file. You will now see the Visitor Monitor program, yet without much information yet.

6. SET SSI (Server Side Includes) TAGS: Put them into the bottom of your exisiting html documents. Example:
To show counter:
<!--#include virtual="/cgi-bin/counter.pl?display"-->
To hide counter yet still track visits to that page:
<!--#include virtual="/cgi-bin/counter.pl"-->
All html documents that have the SSI tag, counter.pl will be able to monitor visitor traffic.
Can also track hits to other scripts using "script_hit.lib". Inquire if you are interested.

7. TEST SSI TAGS: Point your browser at your website's pages and see if the counter is showing (if you chose for it to show), then login to the Visitor Monitor program again and see if it tracked your movement through your website.
http://www.YourName.com/cgi-bin/counter.pl?login
If you chose for the counter not to show, right click on the web page and select "View Source". Near the bottom of the HTML source of the page you should see the counter in a comment tag like so:
<!-- Visitor count: 1 -->


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TROUBLE SHOOTING INSTALLATION:
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Most common problems:

1. You didn't upload the script in ASCII format.
2. You didn't chmod the script 755.
3. Your host doesn't have your site properly configured to run Perl scripts.
4. Your server may not have all the required Perl modules required for this script to run.
5. If the script executes, but it yields an error message about not being able to find the system path, you may need to set the $vars variable near the top of the script.
6. Is your site configured to parse your .html docuemnts for SSI tags? Your host can assist you with that.

If you still can't get it working, send us your FTP address, login name and password. We will be happy to go in and get it running for you. Send it to us securely here:
https://secure.stormer.us/~dansie/ftp_secure.html


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TROUBLE SHOOTING OTHER COMMON PROBLEMS:
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1. The Visitor Monitor login has a security feature that will block people from trying to guess your password. If you guessed your password wrong 5 times, it will shut you out and deny you access to your Visitor Monitor program. Login via FTP and delete the "counter_ip_log.txt" file in your cgi-bin and you will be able to login again. Be sure to enter your correct password next time.

2. If your server's timezone is different from your timezone, we have a way to fix that for you. Just ask.

If a problem persists, send us an email with a description of the problem and the URL to the script and your login password if necessary. We'd be happy to help.
http://www.dansie.net/question.html
Or https:
https://secure.stormer.us/~dansie/ftp_secure.html


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UPGRADE HISTORY:
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# Dansie Traffic Counter & Visitor Monitor
# Version 2.0
# By Craig Dansie
# www.dansie.net
# 4/5/00
# Added log to append IP addresses
# 5/5/02
# Prevented more than one hit per IP address per day.
# 4/19/2004
# Track by cookies instead of IP addresses
# 6/4/2004
# print_javascript_cookie subroutine upgraded with "path" so it's always set to "/".
# 12/14/2005
# print_javascript_cookie subroutine tries to set the "user_name" cookie a second time IF it doesn't exist
# in the visitors browser.
# 5/8/2006
# Automatically deletes oldest half of log when it reaches maximum size limit.
# Can use graphical digits.
# Updated cookie code.
# 2/24/2008
# Added Visual Traceroute
# 2/25/2008
# Added counter_vars.txt feature so script can be updated easily with variables in a separate file!
# 2/26/2008
# Added IP Log and deny access feature for added security.
# Will not allow you to login to Visitor Monitor unless password is set first.



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TELL A FRIEND AND RECEIVE A FREE UPGRADE:
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We are always upgrading our scripts to make them easier to install, easier for your customers to use, and to give you more customizing abilities. If you refer someone else who purchases Dansie Traffic Counter, we will send you an upgrade... free. To receive the upgrade, have the person you referred send us an email after they purchase telling us it was you that referred them to us. Your free upgrade can be collected anytime within one year of the referral. So tell a fellow webmaster about Dansie Traffic Counter.


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UPGRADE INSTRUCTIONS:
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You can purchase an upgrade here:
http://www.dansie.net/upgrade_payment.html

How to install an upgrade:
1. If you had to set the "$vars" variable near the top of the script before, you will need to do so again. If not, don't set it.
2. Upload the new counter.pl script in ASCII format to the cgi-bin on your website overwriting the old one.
3. Keep your old counter_vars.txt file. Open the new counter_vars.txt file that came with the zip package and locate any new variables that are NOT in your old counter_vars.txt file. Copy them from the new file and paste them into your old file. If you don't copy the new variables over and use them, counter.pl will set some default values for you until you decide to take advantage of the new variable settings.



