Writing Apache Modules with Perl and C By:   Lincoln Stein and Doug MacEachern Published:   O'Reilly & Associates, Inc.  - March 1999 Copyright © 1999 by O'Reilly & Associates, Inc.

Chapter 4 - Content Handlers

In this section...

Introduction Content Handlers as File Processors Virtual Documents Redirection Processing Input Apache::Registry Handling Errors Chaining Content Handlers Method Handlers

Introduction

In this Chapter

• Content Handlers as File Processors
• Virtual Documents
• Redirection
• Processing Input
• Apache::Registry
• Handling Errors
• Chaining Content Handlers
• Method Handlers

This chapter is about writing content handlers for the Apache response phase, when the contents of the page are actually produced. In this chapter you'll learn how to produce dynamic pages from thin air, how to modify real documents on the fly to produce effects like server-side includes, and how Apache interacts with the MIME-typing system to select which handler to invoke.

Starting with this chapter we shift to using the Apache Perl API exclusively for code examples and function prototypes. The Perl API covers the majority of what C programmers need to use the C-language API. What's missing are various memory management functions that are essential to C programmers but irrelevant in Perl. If you are a C programmer, just have patience and the missing pieces will be filled in eventually. In the meantime, follow along with the Perl examples and enjoy yourself. Maybe you'll even become a convert.