TABLE
OF
CONTENTS
 





Master Syndicator V4

MANUAL
Requirements

List of Files

Getting Started

Using Master Syndicator V4

Creating Content for Syndication

Technical Support



Requirements

To install and use Master Syndicator V4, these requirements must be met:

  1. Your domain server must have Perl version 5+ installed.
     
  2. To install Master Syndicator V4, you must have and be able to use an FTP program for uploading files, creating directories, and changing permissions.

    CuteFTP and WS_FTP for Windows, and Transmit for Macintosh, are among the many FTP programs that allow you to CHMOD (change directory and file permissions). These are all available for download at http://tucows.com/



List of Files

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Here is a list of the files you should have received when you generated Master Syndicator V4. Depending on how you generated your copy of Master Syndicator V4, the files with .cgi extensions may have .pl extensions instead.

LicenseAgreement.html
MasterSyndicatorV4.cgi
MSv4manual.html
README.txt

Here are the files by category:

Manuals Program File
LicenseAgreement.html
MSv4manual.html
README.txt		 MasterSyndicatorV4.cgi

If you did not receive all of the above files, please write to us at programmer@willmaster.com — include a list of the files you did receive and the domain name Master Syndicator V4 was generated for.



Getting Started

Master Syndicator V4 must be installed in a directory that can run Perl CGI programs. This is often a directory named "cgi-bin" (or subdirectory thereof), but which might be named "cgi," "cgi-local," or something else altogether.

If you are upgrading —

If you are upgrading, go to the Master Syndicator V4 support area and download a copy of MasterSyndicatorConvertV4.cgi. (The MasterSyndicatorConvertV4.cgi script will be used to convert the old version Master Syndicator database format to the new Master Syndicator V4.)

Upload both MasterSyndicatorV4.cgi and MasterSyndicatorConvertV4.cgi scripts into the same directory where the old version of Master Syndicator is installed.

Instruct your FTP program to upload as plain text files (not as binary files). Then give both files 755 permissions to complete the installation.

Once installed, type the URL of MasterSyndicatorConvertV4.cgi into your browser to convert the database from the old Master Syndicator format to the new Master Syndicator V4 format.

If you are not upgrading —

It may be prudent to create a subdirectory within your "cgi-bin" to install Master Syndicator V4. This will allow Master Syndicator V4 to keep itself and its databases separate from other CGI programs installed or to be installed in the future. For example, you might name that subdirectory: ms

This is how the directory structure might look: 

cgi-bin |
        | ms

Upload script MasterSyndicatorV4.cgi into the directory where you want it installed at. (MasterSyndicatorConvertV4.cgi doesn't need to be installed because it is used only to convert databases from a prior version.)

Instruct your FTP program to upload MasterSyndicatorV4.cgi as aplain text file (not as a binary file). Then give the file 755 permissions to complete the installation.

Trouble shooting —

If you get an Internal Server Error or have other problems with installation, consult the installation FAQ. If the FAQ doesn't solve the problem, see Technical Support for technical support.

If you would like us to install Master Syndicator V4 for you, see our professional installation services page.

When installed —

To use Master Syndicator V4, type the URL of MasterSyndicatorV4.cgi into your browser. Example:
http://example.com/cgi-bin/ms/MasterSyndicatorV4.cgi

Master Syndicator V4 will create and maintain the directories and databases it needs to operate. Because servers are all individually configured, it's possible that a few will prevent Master Syndicator V4 from creating directories. If yours happens to be one of those, click the "Tech Support" link in the control panel or see the "Support" link at the Master Syndicator V4 product page



Using Master Syndicator V4

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When you first type the URL of MasterSyndicatorV4.cgi into your browser, you will be asked to provide a password. What you type here will be your password for future access to the Control Panel.

If Master Syndicator V4 won't let you proceed past this first screen:

Verify that your browser has cookies enabled.

If cookies are enabled, use your FTP program to see if Master Syndicator V4 was able to create a data directory. You may need to refresh the file listing.

If no data directory was created, click the "Tech Support" link in the control panel to see about creating the data directory manually.

Each of the control panel's functions are described below:

  1. Create a Channel — Before you can syndicate content, you must have at least one channel available within which to publish. You may create as many channels as you wish.

    When you click the "Create a Channel" link, you'll see a form on the next page asking for the fillowing information:

    1. Title/Description. Type a label for your identification of this channel.

    2. Content Location. When Master Syndicator V4 creates a JavaScript-encoded file for syndication, the file has to in a publicly accessible directory. This would be a subdirectory from your document directory. (The document directory is the directory where your default index page is located, the page that loads when you type http://example.com/ into your browser.)

      The directory name will be part of the URL in the JavaScript used to publish this channel on web pages. Example:
      http://example.com/location/text.js
      If you change your mind, you can edit the channel record to specify a different subdirectory.
       
      Note:    If other webmasters already have your syndication JavaScript with the old URL on their web pages, and you wish to edit the channel record to specify a different subdirectory, uncheck the "Move ... channel content to the new location" checkbox. Otherwise, the URLs in their JavaScript will break.

      When you've decided where the channel's formatted syndication content file will be stored, type the location. Example:
      content
      You can specify a subdirectory path to the subdirectory, if you wish. Example:
      syndication/main/content
      Subdirectories will be created as necessary.

    3. Channel Identifier. This is an optional field.

      The identifier is a sequence of alphanumeric characters.

      If you do not provide an identifier, Master Syndicator V4 will create one for you. However, because the identifier will be part of the URL in the JavaScript used to publish this channel on web pages, you may wish to provide your own.

  2. Tech Support — Click this link when you need technical support beyond what's covered in this manual.

  3. Change Password — This link allows you to change your control panel password.

  4. Log Off — Use this link to log off when you're done with the control panel, unless you want to come right back without logging back in.

    When the "Log Off" link is clicked, the control panel cookie is disabled. Otherwise, the log in cookie will be alive until the browser is shut down.

After a channel has been created, another section will appear in the Main Menu of the control panel. This section will have a dropdown list from which you can select a channel name. The buttons below the dropdown list relate to your selection:

  1. Publish Content — You can publish anything from plain text to elaborate HTML coded content. You can publish images, forms, and sounds. CSS and JavaScript can both be utilized in your content. For more information on creating content for syndication through Master Syndicator V4, see Creating Content for Syndication

    When you click the "Publish Content" button, you'll see a form on the next page:

    1. Five checkboxes give you the option of directing Master Syndicator V4 to:

      1. Insert HTML paragraph tags around blocks of text. Blank lines separate paragraphs.

      2. Make http://__________ and https://__________ words into clickable URLs.

      3. Make www.__________ words into clickable URLs.

      4. Make mailto:__________ words into clickable email addresses.

      5. Make _____@_____ words into clickable email addresses.

    2. A textarea field is provided for the content you are publishing. (If you have previously published to this channel, that content will be available for editing — provided the content is less than 32k.)

      Most browsers have a 32k limit for the amount of text you can submit with a form. If the content you are publishing is larger than the limit (or even if it isn't), you can use the upload link to publish the content.

      The five checkboxes mentioned above apply to the content being published whether it's published through the textarea field or uploaded.

  2. Generate JavaScript — This button will generate the JavaScript code for remote syndication sites to use. Where they put the JavaScript code is where your content will be displayed.

  3. Edit Channel — This button allows you to change the channel's title/description and the content location.

    When the content location is changed, you have the option of telling Master Syndicator V4 to move any published channel content to the new location and, if the old location directories if they are empty

    Note:    If you change the content location, the syndication JavaScript URL will also change. Use the "Generate JavaScript" button to obtain the new JavaScript code.

  4. Delete Channel — When you click the "Delete Channel" button, you'll see another page asking for verification that you actually want to delete the channel.



Creating Content for Syndication

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Master Syndicator V4 will publish plain text just as happily as sophisticated HTML and JavaScript.

When you syndicate content, you're probably supplying only part of a remote site's web page. Therefore, your content should not contain tags such as HEAD, BASE, TITLE, META, or BODY.

Here is a list of things you can include in your syndicated content:

  1. Any standard HTML tags that would normally go into the BODY section of a web page. This includes

    1. Sounds

    2. Images

    3. Forms

    4. Tables

    5. headers

    6. Plain text

    7. Links

    Notes:    i.   All URLs in your content (including HREF=..., SRC=..., and ACTION=... URLs) must be complete http://... URLs. This is because your content will be on remote servers, and those servers would be unable to correctly resolve relative URLs.

    Notes:    ii.   If you use forms or other links to CGI programs, make sure those programs allow input from domains other than your own.

  2. You can use most all of the available JavaScript language, including

    1. Popup windows

    2. Date and time presentations

    3. JavaScript generated hidden form field values

    4. Browser detection code

    5. Your own custom functions

    6. SCRIPT tags to import JavaScript from external files. (If you import the same channel that contains the import JavaScript, you'll have created an infinite loop — the web page fstops loading only when the user's browser hangs or the computer crashes.)

    We haven't tested all JavaScript built-in functions in all browsers. So far, we haven't found any limitations that don't also exist when JavaScript is used directly on a static web page.

  3. Cascading Style Sheets, when your CSS definitions are embedded in your content or retrieved from an external file.

  4. Hit counters and other links to CGI programs on your or other people's servers.

Here are two things you should not include in your syndicated content:

  1. Flash, PHP, and other technology that requires the syndicating site's server to run specific software. If you know that all your syndicating sites are on compatible servers, then go ahead and include the technology. But if you don't know, it is best not to include it.

  2. JavaScript cookie code. It's not that you can't set cookies, but the cookie would be set for the syndicating site's domain name — the domain where the content is being viewed — and not for your domain name.

Here are one thing you can not include in your syndicated content:

  1. Server Side Includes. SSI can only include files and launch programs that are on the same server as the web page; SSI tags on syndicating site's servers can't reach your server.

As you can see, there are few restrictions. Just about anything goes.

When preparing content, be aware that your content may appear on web sites with widely diverse page styles.

You may omit CSS as much as possible so as to fit within any page style. Or, you may use CSS to format some or all of your content.

If you specify CSS classes for your content (as opposed to inline CSS), be considerate and don't specify formatting for standard HTML tags. Instead, create your own class names. Although browsers are supposed to apply CSS styles only within the block where the CSS was defined, most browsers I've tested apply the latest CSS definitions to the entire web page. Changing their page styles could make webmasters mad.

JavaScript that creates popups or interruptive content layers should be omitted unless its use is disclosed to syndicating web sites. Some webmasters are sensitive to their site user's sensibilities and would not appreciate popups or other possibly objectionable techniques being used.



Technical Support

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Technical support is available at http://willmaster.com/master/syndicator/support/. When time is of the essence, our email addresses and telephone number are listed at http://willmaster.com/contact.html

If you desire to have us install Master Syndicator V4 for you, professional installation services information can be found at http://willmaster.com/master/installation.shtml



Thank you for your purchase of Master Syndicator V4.



Copyright 2000,2001 William Bontrager
Copyright 2002,2004 Bontrager Connection, LLC