<tr><th><a href="module-dict.html#SourceFile">Source File:</a></th><td>mod_usertrack.c</td></tr></table>
<h3>Summary</h3>
- <p>Previous releases of Apache have included a module which
- generates a 'clickstream' log of user activity on a site using
- cookies. This was called the "cookies" module, mod_cookies. In
- Apache 1.2 and later this module has been renamed the "user
- tracking" module, mod_usertrack. This module has been
- simplified and new directives added.</p>
+ <p>Provides tracking of a user through your website via browser
+ cookies.</p>
</div>
<div id="quickview"><h3 class="directives">Directives</h3>
<ul id="toc">
<h3>Topics</h3>
<ul id="topics">
<li><img alt="" src="../images/down.gif" /> <a href="#logging">Logging</a></li>
-<li><img alt="" src="../images/down.gif" /> <a href="#cookiedate">2-digit or 4-digit dates for cookies?</a></li>
</ul></div>
<div class="top"><a href="#page-header"><img alt="top" src="../images/up.gif" /></a></div>
<div class="section">
<h2><a name="logging" id="logging">Logging</a></h2>
- <p>Previously, the cookies module (now the user tracking
- module) did its own logging, using the <code class="directive">CookieLog</code>
- directive. In this release, this module does no logging at all.
- Instead, a configurable log format file should be used to log
- user click-streams. This is possible because the logging module
- now allows multiple log files. The cookie itself is logged by
- using the text <code>%{cookie}n</code> in the log file format. For
- example:</p>
-<div class="example"><p><code>
-CustomLog logs/clickstream "%{cookie}n %r %t"
-</code></p></div>
-
- <p>For backward compatibility the configurable log module
- implements the old <code class="directive"><a href="../mod/mod_log_config.html#cookielog">CookieLog</a></code> directive, but this
- should be upgraded to the above <code class="directive"><a href="../mod/mod_log_config.html#customlog">CustomLog</a></code> directive. </p>
-</div><div class="top"><a href="#page-header"><img alt="top" src="../images/up.gif" /></a></div>
-<div class="section">
-<h2><a name="cookiedate" id="cookiedate">2-digit or 4-digit dates for cookies?</a></h2>
-
-
- <p>(the following is from message
- <022701bda43d$9d32bbb0$1201a8c0@christian.office.sane.com>
- in the new-httpd archives) </p>
-<pre>
-From: "Christian Allen" <christian@sane.com>
-Subject: Re: Apache Y2K bug in mod_usertrack.c
-Date: Tue, 30 Jun 1998 11:41:56 -0400
-
-Did some work with cookies and dug up some info that might be useful.
-
-True, Netscape claims that the correct format NOW is four digit dates, and
-four digit dates do in fact work... for Netscape 4.x (Communicator), that
-is. However, 3.x and below do NOT accept them. It seems that Netscape
-originally had a 2-digit standard, and then with all of the Y2K hype and
-probably a few complaints, changed to a four digit date for Communicator.
-Fortunately, 4.x also understands the 2-digit format, and so the best way to
-ensure that your expiration date is legible to the client's browser is to
-use 2-digit dates.
-
-However, this does not limit expiration dates to the year 2000; if you use
-an expiration year of "13", for example, it is interpreted as 2013, NOT
-1913! In fact, you can use an expiration year of up to "37", and it will be
-understood as "2037" by both MSIE and Netscape versions 3.x and up (not sure
-about versions previous to those). Not sure why Netscape used that
-particular year as its cut-off point, but my guess is that it was in respect
-to UNIX's 2038 problem. Netscape/MSIE 4.x seem to be able to understand
-2-digit years beyond that, at least until "50" for sure (I think they
-understand up until about "70", but not for sure).
-
-Summary: Mozilla 3.x and up understands two digit dates up until "37"
-(2037). Mozilla 4.x understands up until at least "50" (2050) in 2-digit
-form, but also understands 4-digit years, which can probably reach up until
-9999. Your best bet for sending a long-life cookie is to send it for some
-time late in the year "37".
-</pre>
+ <p><code class="module"><a href="../mod/mod_usertrack.html">mod_usertrack</a></code> sets a cookie which can be logged
+ via <code class="module"><a href="../mod/mod_log_config.html">mod_log_config</a></code> configurable logging formats:</p>
+
+ <div class="example"><p><code>
+ LogFormat "%{Apache}n %r %t" usertrack<br />
+ CustomLog logs/clickstream.log usertrack
+ </code></p></div>
</div>
<div class="top"><a href="#page-header"><img alt="top" src="../images/up.gif" /></a></div>
<p>The domain string <strong>must</strong> begin with a dot, and
<strong>must</strong> include at least one embedded dot. That is,
- <code>.example.com</code> is legal, but <code>foo.example.com</code> and
+ <code>.example.com</code> is legal, but <code>www.example.com</code> and
<code>.com</code> are not.</p>
<div class="note">Most browsers in use today will not allow cookies to be set
<code>.com</code>, and allowing such cookies may be a security
risk. Thus, if you are under a two-part top level domain, you
should still use your actual domain, as you would with any other top
- level domain (for example <code>.foo.co.uk</code>).
+ level domain (for example <code>.example.co.uk</code>).
</div>
</div>
<p>Not all clients can understand all of these formats, but you
should use the newest one that is generally acceptable to your
- users' browsers. At the time of writing, most browsers only fully
- support <code>CookieStyle Netscape</code>.</p>
+ users' browsers. At the time of writing, most browsers support all
+ three of these formats, with <code>Cookie2</code> being the
+ preferred format.</p>
</div>
<div class="top"><a href="#page-header"><img alt="top" src="../images/up.gif" /></a></div>
<identifier>usertrack_module</identifier>
<summary>
- <p>Previous releases of Apache have included a module which
- generates a 'clickstream' log of user activity on a site using
- cookies. This was called the "cookies" module, mod_cookies. In
- Apache 1.2 and later this module has been renamed the "user
- tracking" module, mod_usertrack. This module has been
- simplified and new directives added.</p>
+ <p>Provides tracking of a user through your website via browser
+ cookies.</p>
</summary>
<section id="logging">
<title>Logging</title>
- <p>Previously, the cookies module (now the user tracking
- module) did its own logging, using the <directive>CookieLog</directive>
- directive. In this release, this module does no logging at all.
- Instead, a configurable log format file should be used to log
- user click-streams. This is possible because the logging module
- now allows multiple log files. The cookie itself is logged by
- using the text <code>%{cookie}n</code> in the log file format. For
- example:</p>
-<example>
-CustomLog logs/clickstream "%{cookie}n %r %t"
-</example>
-
- <p>For backward compatibility the configurable log module
- implements the old <directive
- module="mod_log_config">CookieLog</directive> directive, but this
- should be upgraded to the above <directive
- module="mod_log_config">CustomLog</directive> directive. </p>
-</section>
+ <p><module>mod_usertrack</module> sets a cookie which can be logged
+ via <module>mod_log_config</module> configurable logging formats:</p>
-<section id="cookiedate">
-<title>2-digit or 4-digit dates for cookies?</title>
-
- <p>(the following is from message
- <022701bda43d$9d32bbb0$1201a8c0@christian.office.sane.com>
- in the new-httpd archives) </p>
-<pre>
-From: "Christian Allen" <christian@sane.com>
-Subject: Re: Apache Y2K bug in mod_usertrack.c
-Date: Tue, 30 Jun 1998 11:41:56 -0400
-
-Did some work with cookies and dug up some info that might be useful.
-
-True, Netscape claims that the correct format NOW is four digit dates, and
-four digit dates do in fact work... for Netscape 4.x (Communicator), that
-is. However, 3.x and below do NOT accept them. It seems that Netscape
-originally had a 2-digit standard, and then with all of the Y2K hype and
-probably a few complaints, changed to a four digit date for Communicator.
-Fortunately, 4.x also understands the 2-digit format, and so the best way to
-ensure that your expiration date is legible to the client's browser is to
-use 2-digit dates.
-
-However, this does not limit expiration dates to the year 2000; if you use
-an expiration year of "13", for example, it is interpreted as 2013, NOT
-1913! In fact, you can use an expiration year of up to "37", and it will be
-understood as "2037" by both MSIE and Netscape versions 3.x and up (not sure
-about versions previous to those). Not sure why Netscape used that
-particular year as its cut-off point, but my guess is that it was in respect
-to UNIX's 2038 problem. Netscape/MSIE 4.x seem to be able to understand
-2-digit years beyond that, at least until "50" for sure (I think they
-understand up until about "70", but not for sure).
-
-Summary: Mozilla 3.x and up understands two digit dates up until "37"
-(2037). Mozilla 4.x understands up until at least "50" (2050) in 2-digit
-form, but also understands 4-digit years, which can probably reach up until
-9999. Your best bet for sending a long-life cookie is to send it for some
-time late in the year "37".
-</pre>
+ <example>
+ LogFormat "%{Apache}n %r %t" usertrack<br />
+ CustomLog logs/clickstream.log usertrack
+ </example>
</section>
<p>The domain string <strong>must</strong> begin with a dot, and
<strong>must</strong> include at least one embedded dot. That is,
- <code>.example.com</code> is legal, but <code>foo.example.com</code> and
+ <code>.example.com</code> is legal, but <code>www.example.com</code> and
<code>.com</code> are not.</p>
<note>Most browsers in use today will not allow cookies to be set
<code>.com</code>, and allowing such cookies may be a security
risk. Thus, if you are under a two-part top level domain, you
should still use your actual domain, as you would with any other top
- level domain (for example <code>.foo.co.uk</code>).
+ level domain (for example <code>.example.co.uk</code>).
</note>
</usage>
</directivesynopsis>
<p>Not all clients can understand all of these formats, but you
should use the newest one that is generally acceptable to your
- users' browsers. At the time of writing, most browsers only fully
- support <code>CookieStyle Netscape</code>.</p>
+ users' browsers. At the time of writing, most browsers support all
+ three of these formats, with <code>Cookie2</code> being the
+ preferred format.</p>
</usage>
</directivesynopsis>
projects / apache / commitdiff