# Basic CGI question **URL:** \ **Category:** ruby-talk\ **Created:** [8 November 2002 17:02 UTC](https://rubytalk.org/t/basic-cgi-question/2751 "2002-11-08T17:02:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mark\_Probert2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b2d939/32.png) [@Mark\_Probert2](https://rubytalk.org/u/Mark_Probert2)\ **Post date:** [8 November 2002 17:02 UTC](https://rubytalk.org/t/basic-cgi-question/2751/1 "2002-11-08T17:02:40Z")
Hi, Rubyists. I’m just starting to play with cgi and forms. I have a simple script which runs okay, except that the page changes to 500: Internal Server Error, with the error message “Premature end of script headers” on the script. Search, this seems to be a permissioning problem. Permissions are 755. Ideas? Ruby 1.7.3 (mswin), Apache 2.0.43, Win2k. > cat lform.rb require ‘cgi’ require ‘log4r’ # add some basic logging > **···** > > # > > logger = Log4r::Logger.new(‘lform’) > Log4r::FileOutputter.new(‘logfile’, > :filename=\>‘logs/lform.log’, > :trunc=\>true, > :level=\>Log4r::DEBUG) > logger.add(‘logfile’) > > # cgi > > # > > cgi = CGI.new > cgi.params.each { |key, val| > logger.debug “key=#{key} val=#{val}” > } > > -mark. ---
**Author:** ![Ara.T.Howard1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@Ara.T.Howard1](https://rubytalk.org/u/Ara.T.Howard1)\ **Post date:** [8 November 2002 17:53 UTC](https://rubytalk.org/t/basic-cgi-question/2751/2 "2002-11-08T17:53:33Z")
if the cgi runs from the command line, but does not from the browser, chances are that user nobody (or www or whatever) does not have permission to _write_ to the specified directory. two things which generally help me alot with cgis are - get sudo su nobody permission - run all your scripts from the command line as user nobody (or www, or whatever apache runs as) - when all else fails, make everything 777 (chmod -R 777) and run again, if that works the problem IS a permissions one, track it down and gradually shut permissions down untill it stops working - you found the problem -a > **···** > > On Sat, 9 Nov 2002, Mark Probert wrote: > > > I’m just starting to play with cgi and forms. I have a simple script > > which runs okay, except that the page changes to 500: Internal Server > > Error, with the error message “Premature end of script headers” on > > the script. > > > > Search, this seems to be a permissioning problem. Permissions are 755. > > Ideas? > > – > > ==================================== > > > Ara Howard > > NOAA Forecast Systems Laboratory > > Information and Technology Services > > Data Systems Group > > R/FST 325 Broadway > > Boulder, CO 80305-3328 > > Email: [ahoward@fsl.noaa.gov](mailto:ahoward@fsl.noaa.gov) > > Phone: 303-497-7238 > > Fax: 303-497-7259 > > ==================================== ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Moxam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/bb73d2/32.png) [@Wesley\_Moxam](https://rubytalk.org/u/Wesley_Moxam)\ **Post date:** [8 November 2002 19:11 UTC](https://rubytalk.org/t/basic-cgi-question/2751/3 "2002-11-08T19:11:54Z")
Are you printing an http header? eg: puts “Content-type: text/html\n\n” or, using the cgi object cgi.out { “this is some html text” } – Wes > **···** > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: “Mark Probert” [probertm@nortelnetworks.com](mailto:probertm@nortelnetworks.com) > To: “ruby-talk ML” [ruby-talk@ruby-lang.org](mailto:ruby-talk@ruby-lang.org) > Sent: Friday, November 08, 2002 12:02 PM > Subject: Basic CGI question > > > Hi, Rubyists. > > > > I’m just starting to play with cgi and forms. I have a simple script > > which runs okay, except that the page changes to 500: Internal Server > > Error, with the error message “Premature end of script headers” on > > the script. > > > > Search, this seems to be a permissioning problem. Permissions are 755. > > Ideas? ---
**Author:** ![Mark\_Probert2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b2d939/32.png) [@Mark\_Probert2](https://rubytalk.org/u/Mark_Probert2)\ **Post date:** [8 November 2002 20:10 UTC](https://rubytalk.org/t/basic-cgi-question/2751/4 "2002-11-08T20:10:11Z")
> > Search, this seems to be a permissioning problem. Permissions are 755. > > Ideas? (I tried Ara’s idea of 777 and it doesn’t help… ) > Are you printing an http header? > > eg: > puts “Content-type: text/html\n\n” No, I was just reading the cgi.params. Do I need to write something as well? -mark. > **···** > > At 04:11 AM 11/9/2002 +0900, Weswrote: ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Moxam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/bb73d2/32.png) [@Wesley\_Moxam](https://rubytalk.org/u/Wesley_Moxam)\ **Post date:** [8 November 2002 20:24 UTC](https://rubytalk.org/t/basic-cgi-question/2751/5 "2002-11-08T20:24:24Z")
> > > Search, this seems to be a permissioning problem. Permissions are 1. > > > Ideas? > > (I tried Ara’s idea of 777 and it doesn’t help… ) > > > Are you printing an http header? > > > > eg: > > puts “Content-type: text/html\n\n” > > No, I was just reading the cgi.params. > Do I need to write something as well? Yes, I believe that you do. I don’t think that you can post a form to a cgi without returning _something_ to the client, and anything that you do send _must_ start with the Content-type header. – Wes > **···** > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: “Mark Probert” [probertm@nortelnetworks.com](mailto:probertm@nortelnetworks.com) > To: “ruby-talk ML” [ruby-talk@ruby-lang.org](mailto:ruby-talk@ruby-lang.org) > Sent: Friday, November 08, 2002 3:10 PM > Subject: Re: Basic CGI question > > > At 04:11 AM 11/9/2002 +0900, Weswrote: ---
**Author:** ![Mark\_Probert2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b2d939/32.png) [@Mark\_Probert2](https://rubytalk.org/u/Mark_Probert2)\ **Post date:** [8 November 2002 20:52 UTC](https://rubytalk.org/t/basic-cgi-question/2751/6 "2002-11-08T20:52:58Z")
Hi, Wes. > > No, I was just reading the cgi.params. > > Do I need to write something as well? > > Yes, I believe that you do. I don’t think that you can post a form to a cgi > without returning _something_ to the client, and anything that you do send > _must_ start with the Content-type header. That worked. I included cgi.out { “this is some html text” } And everything worked. Maybe something for the CGI for Beginners FAQ. Thanks for your help. -mark. > **···** > > At 05:24 AM 11/9/2002 +0900, you wrote: