Aardvark FAQ

To decide which version of Aardvark is most appropriate for you, or if you have setup concerns, simply browse this list of frequently asked questions or email us and we'll email you back within 24 hrs. We look forward to hearing from you and answering any questions you might have.

1. How soon can I download Aardvark after I buy it, and how do I do it?
2. How can I tell if I'll need help setting up Aardvark before I buy it?
3. What if I need help setting up Aardvark ?
4. Will Aardvark work on NT servers too, or just Unix?
5. Can Aardvark allow a user to update several areas on a single webpage?
6. Can Aardvark allow a user to update several pages on a single website?
7. What exactly is Aardvark ? Is it a webpage, is it a script, or is it both? How does it work?
8. I'm a webmaster and would like to use Aardvark on several sites. Can I buy a single site licence to check out how Aardvark works and then upgrade if I like it?
9. Can I remove the Copyright notice from Aardvark webpages and from the Updater as well?
10. Can I alter Aardvark to suit my needs?
11. How do I password protect Aardvark to keep the public from changing my pages?
12. How do I get tech support if something goes wrong and what does it cost?
13. Can Aardvark be used to replace images?

1. How soon can I download Aardvark after I buy it, and how do I do it?

Immediately after you submit your credit card payment on-line you will be given the link to download the Aardvark zip file, which contains all the files and instructions you'll need to set up and run Aardvark on any webpage. The Aardvark zip file is under 10K and will download in just moments on any system.

2. How can I tell if I'll need help setting up Aardvark before I buy it?

The instructions for setting up Aardvark are included with the Aardvark download. They are reprinted below to help you decide if you will be able to set up Aardvark by yourself. If you can follow these intructions then you'll have no problem setting up Aardvark on your own. If you can't, you'll probably need a little help.

Aardvark Setup Instructions:

1. From your website, download the page you wish to make updatable into your TEMP directory using an FTP client or the File Save option of your browser. Keep a copy safe somewhere in case the original on the website gets damaged during setup or in use.

2. Open the file using Notepad or other text editor capable of saving .txt files. Add the following line to the bottom of the file, just above the </BODY> tag: <p align=center>This page is <a href="aardvark.htm"><img src="weeaardvark.gif" align=absmiddle border=0></a> updatable. Resave the file.

3. Again, using Notepad, open the file aardvark.cgi, which is included in the aardvark.zip file which you purchased and downloaded, and alter the variables in it as directed. Resave the file. Instructions for changing these variables can be found in the file aardvark.cgi itself. If you have any doubts about the values you will be asked to supply for these variables please contact your ISP or webhosting tech support. Aardvark will not work unless these values are correct.

4. Cut and paste the HTML text of the page you want to make updatable in its entirety (including the line you were asked to add in point 2) into the appropriate place in aardvark.cgi as directed in that file. Also as directed in aardvark.cgi, place the variable $value in the desired location within aardvark.cgi. Resave aardvark.cgi.

5. Upload aardvark.cgi to your website's cgi-bin in ASCII mode using an FTP program and CHMOD it 755. Your FTP program should offer a way to do this.

6. Using Notepad or your favourite HTML editor, open the file updater.htm and alter the line <form method="post" action="http://yoursite.com/cgi-bin/aardvark.cgi"> to point to the copy of aardvark.cgi you uploaded to your site's cgi-bin, and resave it.

7. Using your FTP program, upload updater.htm, along with aardvark.htm & weeaardvark.gif, to your website into the same directory as the file you want to make updatable.

8. You're done! Your page should now be updatable. Simply click on the Aardvark icon at the bottom of the page - or enter the URL to aardvark.htm directly into the location bar of your browser, eg. www.yoursite.com/aardvark.htm - and enter the text you want to add to your updatable page.

9. Email us if you have any problems or even if you don't, and we'll add your site to our portfolio. Thanks for choosing Aardvark !

3. What if I need help setting up Aardvark ?

If you've purchased the single site licence for $79.99, simply email us and we will be glad to give you any assistance you need. Be prepared, however, to supply us with your user name and password for your current ISP so we can access your webpages via FTP. We recommend changing your password temporarily while we set up Aardvark on your system, and then change it back again when we are done. You can call your ISP and ask them to change your password anytime.

If you've purchased a single site licence for $29.99 we will be glad to upgrade you to the $79.99 licence which entitles you to our setup services. Simply email us and tell us what has happened and we will upgrade your licence for you.

4. Will Aardvark work on NT servers too, or just Unix?

As of today Aardvark has been setup and tested successfully on Unix servers only, and while there is no reason to our knowledge that it can't work on NT servers it has not yet been tested on them. If you are very familiar with setting file permissions on the NT system you will probably be able to get Aardvark to work on one. Unfortunately we cannot offer tech support for Aardvark on NT servers since it was not designed for use on them. Aardvark was designed for use on Unix systems only.

5. Can Aardvark allow a user to update several areas on a single webpage?

The current version of Aardvark is meant to be as simple and straightforward as possible for the average person to use, so we have allowed for only one continuous area on any single page to be updated. However, the area which is to be updatable could be the entire page, so if you are a webmaster and are familiar with HTML, or even the various scripting and DHTML commands, you could use Aardvark to rewrite or replace the code of a Aardvark page with altered or completely new code, thus rendering the entire page updatable.

6. Can Aardvark allow a user to update several pages on a single website?

Yes. However, the current version of Aardvark is meant to allow webmasters to offer their clients a single updatable webpage on their sites as a perk for using their services. Their clients will be able to keep an Upcoming Events page, President's Message page, or Price List page current without having to pay someone to change the page for them. Aardvark is not really set up to allow webmasters easy access and editing abilities to all of the pages on one of their websites. Aardvark can be set up to make as many pages on a site updatable as the webmaster likes, but he or she will have to set up a separate instance of Aardvark for every page that is to be updatable. No extra licences need be purchased for these separate instances. You may use Aardvark for as many pages as your licence permits. (For more info on licences see the Price section of this site.)

7. What exactly is Aardvark ? Is it a webpage, is it a script, or is it both? How does it work?

Aardvark is a tiny Perl script that goes in the cgi-bin of a website and has a copy of a webpage stored inside it. When a user wishes to update that page Aardvark inserts the user's changes into the stored copy of the page and resaves the webpage in the proper place on the website's server making it available to web surfers all over the world.

8. I'm a webmaster and would like to use Aardvark on several sites. Can I buy a single site licence to check out how Aardvark works and then upgrade if I like it?

Sure.

9. Can I remove the Copyright notice from the Aardvark script or updater?

No, sorry. We ask that you respect our copyright. We do not ask out of an excess of egoism but for legal reasons. If we do not actively protect our copyright it may be seen as a lack of intent to do so by the courts in the event that someone tries to steal our product.

10. Can I alter Aardvark to suit my needs?

If you have purchased any one of the Aardvark licences you are free to alter or customize Aardvark as you like to suit your own individual needs, as long as you use your amended versions of Aardvark within the limits as specified by your licence, and as long as you do not try to resell your amended versions as your own product. (For more info on licences see the Price section of this site.)

11. How do I password protect Aardvark to keep the public from changing my pages?

We suggest that everyone who sets up Aardvark on their website password protect the page updater which is called 'updater.htm' in order to keep unauthorized websurfers from using Aardvark to alter your updatable page(s). To do this simply place the updater file in a separate folder on your website and password protect that folder. If your website has an online site administration interface you can password protect the folder through that. Otherwise you will have to call your ISP or webhost and have them password protect it for you.

12. How do I get tech support if something goes wrong and what does it cost?

Everyone who purchases a Aardvark licence is automatically entitled to email tech support free for life. Simply email us with any problems or concerns you might have and we will be happy to help. We guarantee you will get a working copy of Aardvark set up on your site, or your money back.

13. Can Aardvark be used to replace images?

Yes! Insert, into the updater box, the html code to display any image already online and it will automatically appear on your updated page. For example, if you insert the following html code into the updater box in our demo, the image of the Aardvark himself will appear. Try it! <img src="http://72.232.74.195/aardvark/aardvarkmain.gif">