process form WITHOUT output?

[0ddba11]

...this qualifies as a question from an
idiot, perhaps. i want to hack a formmail-type
script to process a form and print(MAIL
*WITHOUT* subsequently writing to a "response"
html page or "redirecting." my hacks all fail
when they don't include a print to file0
or redirect. obvoiusly, i'm missing something
elementary in the way perl interacts with
forms. enlighten me, somebody.

 

[stillflame]

Please show the part of your script that's failing. "If you think you're too small to make a difference, try spending a night in a closed tent with a mosquito."

 

[0ddba11]

thanks... here's the whole thing...comment shows where it fails. when i write to an output file (http) instead of exiting, it works,

++++++++++++++++++++

#!/usr/local/bin/perl -w

read(STDIN, $buffer, $ENV{'CONTENT_LENGTH'});
#read input
@pairs = split(/&/, $buffer);
#split input up
foreach $pair (@pairs) {
($name, $value) = split(/=/, $pair);
$value =~ tr/+/ /;
$value =~ s/%([a-fA-F0-9][a-fA-F0-9])/pack("C", hex($1))/eg;
$FORM{$name} = $value;
}
#input separated

$mailprog = 'bin/sendmail';
#specify mail address

$recipient = 'adam@hermes-grp.com';
#specify email address

$subject = 'Form Submission';
#specify subject
$redirect = '

http://www.mallophaga.com/frames.htm';

#specify URL to go to once mail has been sent

@days = ('Sunday','Monday','Tuesday','Wednesday','Thursday','Friday','Saturday');
@months = ('January','February','March','April','May','June','July',
'August','September','October','November','December');
#create array with months and days for later use in mail

($sec,$min,$hour,$mday,$mon,$year,$wday,$yday,$isdst) = localtime(time);
if ($hour < 10)
{ $hour = &quot;0$hour&quot;; }
if ($min < 10)
{ $min = &quot;0$min&quot;; }
if ($sec < 10)
{ $sec = &quot;0$sec&quot;; }
$date = &quot;$days[$wday], $months[$mon] $mday, 19$year at $hour\:$min\:$sec&quot;;
#specify time and date

open (MAIL, &quot;|$mailprog -t&quot or &amp;dienice(&quot;Can't access $mailprog!\n&quot;
#start email
print MAIL &quot;To: $recipient\n&quot;;
#print recipient
print MAIL &quot;Reply-to: $FORM{'email'} ($FORM{'name'})\n&quot;;
#print reply to information
print MAIL &quot;Subject: $subject\n\n&quot;;
#print subject
print MAIL &quot;\n&quot;;
#print blank line
print MAIL &quot; The following form was sent by: $FORM{'name'}\n&quot;;
#print sent from
print MAIL &quot; on $date\n\n&quot;;
#print date
print MAIL &quot;\n\n&quot;;
#print 2 blank lines

foreach $key (keys(%FORM)) {
print MAIL &quot;$key : $FORM{$key}\n\n&quot;;
}

#fails below, sends mail but yields server config error
close(MAIL);
exit;
#close(send) email

#error handle code:
sub dienice {
($errmsg) = @_;
print &quot;<center><h2>There was an ERROR sending this form</h2></center>\n&quot;;
print &quot;$errmsg<p>\n&quot;;
print &quot;</body></html>\n&quot;;
exit;
}

 

[stillflame]

Oh, i get it, you just want it to perform the function and not return anything to the browser. I have been taught to always return something, or in the least, to redirect to the original page's location.
i don't know if doing so is absolutely necessary, but i don't know of any ways around it. i'll look and ask around here and report if i do find something.
oh wait, you could just have javascript on the original page to execute the cgi script as it's function, but not reload the whole page (maybe). i don't know enough javascript off-hand. like i said, i'll ask, see if anyone knows (as i'd like to know myself). &quot;If you think you're too small to make a difference, try spending a night in a closed tent with a mosquito.&quot;

 

[0ddba11]

...can i do this by opening STDOUT to dev/null?

if so, how?

any help will be appreciated...

 

[stillflame]

No, it's that the browser or webserver (i don't know which, probly the webserver, though) is expecting a return, it doesn't have anything to do with the perl.
Also, noone i knew had an answer better than what i wrote. Maybe someone else here does, but they have yet to post... &quot;If you think you're too small to make a difference, try spending a night in a closed tent with a mosquito.&quot;