Central Ad

Central Ad 4.0 Documentation

Introduction
Comments
Central Ad 4.0

Central Ad Software is proud to offer Central Ad 4.0, our newest flagship product. Central Ad 4.0 is an Ad Management System designed to increase your advertising revenue. Our system performs better and costs significantly less than comparative software applications found in the marketplace.

With Central Ad 4.0's improved scalability, updated interface, and enhanced features, our new C++ based software application is perfect for running advertising on any site of any size.

Technical Support Database

Central Ad has developed a comprehensive technical support database for Central Ad 4.0. If you are unable to answer your question using our technical support database, CONTACT US! Your question will be answered quickly, and the information will be added to our technical support database for other users.

Updating Central Ad 4.x
NOTE: This information ONLY applies to 4.X users -- NOT 3.0 users upgrading to 4.0.

We try to make updating as easy as possible. In short, simply download the proper archive to your system, unzip it, and replace the old binaries with the new ones.

IMPORTANT: Always BACKUP your current binaries before overwriting with the new ones, just in case the new binaries are incompatible with your system (wrong kernel or wrong O/S).

How do you unzip these .tar.gz archives on a unix machine?

FTP the file to your machine and then telnet into the directory where the file is. Simply type:
tar -xf *.tar.gz
gunzip *.gz

WinNT/2000 Installation [part 1]
Installation Supplemental Instructions for Windows NT/2000

Many individuals find that an installation of Central Ad 4.0 on Windows NT (running IIS) is a bit more challenging than UNIX systems.   If you have access to changing access permissions on your directory structure, then this is not the case.   Half the battle is getting all of the directories created with the proper permissions.
Outlined below, is a step-by-step guide to a Windows NT installation RUNNING IIS through FTP or by sitting at the machine.
THE STEPS
1. Decide WHERE the scripts will be installed.
Usually, you will want to put the scripts IN the cgi-bin directory OR a subdirectory called "centralad" or "adserver" (your preference).
2. Upload the .exe files to the install directory
Assuming you are installing into the cgi-bin directly and have unzipped the distribution, upload the .exe files into the cgi-bin via FTP. If you are sitting at the machine, copy the executables there.
3.   Choose the "banners" directory
Create a directory called "banners" off the root of your domain file structure. For example, if your site's root is at "c:inetpubwwwroot", then create a directory "c:inetpubwwwrootanners".   Upload/copy all the the ".gif" files into that directory.
4. Upload the files "header.txt" and "footer.txt"
Upload/copy these two files to your document root. In the preceding example, it would be in"c:inetpubwwwroot"
5. Create a logs directory
Although this directory can be ANYWHERE on your server, we usually like to keep it simple. Create a subdirectory called "logs" within the cgi-bin directory (or wherever you uploaded the scripts). For example:   "c:inetpubwwwrootcgi-binlogs"
6.   Set Permissions
a. Through FTP
Unforturtunately, this cannot be done. You'll need to contact your ISP and ask them to follow the instructions of section 6b.
b. While sitting at the machine
Go to windows explorer and then browse to the directory
"c:inetpubwwwrootcgi-bin"
Right click on the "logs" directory and select "PROPERTIES". Then, click on the SECURITY tab.
Click the check-box for FULL CONTROL.   Click OK
Now, browse windows explorer to
"c:inetpub"
Right click on the "wwwroot" directory (or wherever your document root is) and select "PROPERTIES". Then, click on the SECURITY tab.
Click the check-box for FULL CONTROL.   Click OK.
CONTINUE -->
WinNT/2000 Installation [part 2]

7. Running Setup
The Central Ad 4.0 setup utility is not the standard windows installation wizard.   It is a CGI script.   As a result, you will need to access CaSetup.exe through your browser via a URL.
If you're sitting AT the machine:
http://localhost/cgi-bin/CaSetup.exe
If you're working through FTP (or even if you're sitting at the machine),
http://www.yourdomain.com/cgi-bin/CaSetup.exe
Follow the Instructions. Please read through step 8 below if you have questions about the variables.
8. SPECIAL NOTES ON INFORMATION YOU'RE ENTERING
a. LOGS DIRECTORY PATH
This can be either two forms: a virtual path or an absolute system path. IT IS NOT A URL.    For a virtual path, use the document root (c:inetpubwwwroot) as your base. For example, in our continuing example, it would be "cgi-bin/logs/" (no leading slash).   For an absolute path (and ONLY use this if you KNOW FOR CERTAIN), it would be: "c:inetpubwwwrootcgi-binlogs"
NOTE: For some strange reason, when the scripts are executed on IIS/Windows NT, they THINK they're running in the wwwroot directory instead of the cgi-bin. This is why the virtual path to the logs directory is "cgi-bin/logs/" and not just "logs/". Other NT webservers (Website, Netscape Server...etc.) will probably need you to enter the sensible "logs/" for a virtual path.
b. BANNERS SYSTEM PATH
Like the logs directory, you can use a virtual path or an absolute path. IT IS NOT A URL. Remember it is relative to the wwwroot directory, so an example virtual path would be "banners/". An absolute path (ONLY IF YOU KNOW IT FOR CERTAIN) would be "c:inetpubwwwrootanners"
9. Setup Completed
If CaSetup.exe gave you a default admin password, then you have successfully installed Central Ad !   If you received an error, then see the notes below.   If you are concerned about the full access permissions on the wwwroot folder, then see the notes below.

ERROR MESSAGES
"Cannot create database file "CaDbASC.dat"
This means that these two things could be wrong:
1. Logs directory path is incorrect.   Double-check that your virtual or absolute directory path to the LOGS directory is correct. Otherwise, CA will not know WHERE it can store its database information
2. The "logs" directory does NOT have the proper permissions. Make sure that it has FULL ACCESS permissions.
"Cannot create file "CaDirLogs.dat"
This is a file that gets created in the wwwroot directory, so this error usually means that the wwwroot directory does not have the proper permissions to allow the creation of the file. As a work-around, you can create a zero-byte file called "CaDirLogs.dat" and place it in your document root directory ("c:inetpubwwwrootCaDirLogsdat").   SET THE FILE PERMISSIONS TO "FULL ACCESS", so CaSetup can modify it next time you run through CaSetup.

Getting Started
What's new in version 4.0
Central Ad 4.0 is a complete redesign of the ad-serving engine previously called Central Ad PRO 3.0. Thanks to many, many insightful recommendations and feature requests, we tailored an even better product to meet YOUR needs. Some of the new features are outlined below:

Ad-serving scaleability
Increased stability
Region, Campaign, Account and Banner heirarchy
Full support for text banners (HTML, CGI, Java...etc.)
Robust reporting
Administrative interface redesign
Backward-compatible conversion routine

Files included
The following scripts are included in the package:
CaAdmin.cgi
CaReport.cgi
CaConvert30.cgi
getimage.cgi
redirect.cgi
ssirand.cgi

The following images are used in the Administration center:
CAbutton.gif
CAbutton2.gif
CaAdminButtonDelete.gif
CaAdminButtonEdit.gif
CaAdminButtonMinus.gif
CaAdminButtonNew.gif
CaAdminButtonPlus.gif
CaAdminButtonView.gif
CaAdminTopCellBackground.gif
CaAdminTopCellLeftCA.gif
CaAdminTopCellRightClosure.gif

The following files are also included with the distribution:
header.txt
footer.txt
CaBanner1.gif
CaBanner2.gif
Cabanner3.gif
ExampleHTMLad.txt

Resources used by application
The Central Ad 4.0 scripts total approximately 1 Meg in executables. Depending on the quantity of banners you serve, you may want to have 10-25 megs of available log space.
CGI-BIN setup
On your web server, you should have a cgi-enabled directory already configured. Because our customers install the product on such a wide variety of servers, we cannot support the web server configuration directly. You may need to consult your web hosting company or server documentation to get this setup properly.

Installation
Uncompressing the file
If you're operating Windows, you should use a quality zip-management product like a href="http://www.WinZip.com">Winzip. By using this application, you will be able to unzip the contents of the archive to your PC from which you can then upload to your server.

UNIX USERS
If you donwloaded one of the different UNIX versions, simply upload the archive itself to your cgi-enabled directory (be certain to FTP in BINARY mode), and then type:
gunzip *.gz
tar -xf *.tar

Uploading files to server
Using a standard FTP client, upload the files contained in the downloaded archive file to your cgi-bin directory. We recommend using a quality client such as CuteFTP.

All ".cgi" and ".gif" files (".exe" for NT users) MUST be FTPed in BINARY mode.
All other files (.txt) should be transferred in ASCII mode.

WHERE TO PUT THE FILES

We recommend that you create a directory called "banners" and place all of the ".gifs" in it. Also, upload "ExampleHTMLad.txt" to the banners directory. "header.txt" and "footer.txt" should be placed IN the CGI-BIN directory.
Creating logs directory
Before installing Central Ad 4.0, you must select a directory in which all the logs will reside -- including your banner account information and statistical data. The recommended directory is a subdirectory of the cgi-bin called "logs". You can make the directory in your FTP client or at the telnet prompt by typing:
mkdir logs
Changing permissions
SCRIPTS
In order for the scripts to run properly, you need to give them the proper permissions in the cgi-bin directory. In UNIX, it is recommended that you give the files at least 755 permission. This is done by typing:
chmod 755 *.cgi
With NT, you will need to ask your server administrator to setup the cgi-bin directory with the proper permissions.

LOGS DIRECTORY
As expected, the logs directory must be writeable, else the scripts won't be able to create data files within it. We recommend setting-up the directory with 777 permissions in UNIX and FULL ACCESS PERMISSIONS in NT (again, consult your server administrator).
chmod 777 logs

Running setup
After you have successfully done the following items, you can proceed with CaSetup:

Uploaded the .cgi scripts in BINARY mode
Set the proper permissions on the cgi-bin AND logs directory
Uploaded the administrative images
Created and assigned a specific "banners" directory to hold the banner images

Simply run the CaSetup.cgi [CaSetup.exe for NT users] in your browser by typing in the FULL URL to the script. This would be something like:

http://mydomain.com/cgi-bin/CaSetup.cgi http://localhost/cgi-bin/CaSetup.exe
CaSetup will walk you through the configuration of the application.

If you receive an error at the end of setup, then you should follow the instructions presented to you.

Conversion routine (3.0 Upgrades only)
For 3.0 users upgrading to Central Ad 4.0, you need to run the CaSetup.cgi utility included in the Central Ad 4.0 package you've received. CaSetup.cgi will recognize the 3.0 files and automatically run CaConvert30.cgi. This utility executes the following tasks:

Converts your "GROUPS" into "REGIONS"

Creates 4.0 Campaigns configured to run in REGIONS

Allows you to create 4.0 ACCOUNTS, and groups your 3.0 banners under your new ACCOUNTS (see below)

Converts all your statistics to the new 4.0 format

Running The Utility [Read carefully and PRINT this information to review during your conversion!]
During the first few steps, you need to hit NEXT and watch the utility convert your data into the new 4.0 format. BEFORE clicking NEXT, pay attention to which application is processing.
NOTE: Periodically, this utility may appear "stalled," but it is probably processing large amounts of data. DO NOT STOP THE PROCESS! If you prematurely quit this utility, inadvertent problems may be created with your new 4.0 setup.
ACCOUNT/BANNER Configuration Form
At this stage of the conversion, you will be presented with an all-in-one form to create new 4.0 accounts and add your 3.0 banners to these accounts. NOW, take your time because you are going to configure multiple banners under a single advertiser account.
The idea is to create as few accounts as possible, and then to group your 3.0 banners in these newly created accounts. For example, you may have ten 3.0 banners configured:
ms_banner1
ms_banner2
ms_banner3
ns_banner1
ns_banner2
aol_banner1
aol_banner2
aol_banner3
aol_banner4
zdnet_banner1
In Central Ad 3.0, these banners are set up as separate accounts. With Central Ad 4.0, you can create a few main ACCOUNTS, and then set up the multiple banner records under each ACCOUNT. With the example banners above, you can create FOUR new 4.0 accounts:
Microsoft
Netscape
AOL
ZdNet

Creating ACCOUNTS
To create the accounts in the CaConvert30cgi utility, check the radio button selection "Create Account," and then enter the account name in the text box below. Select "Do Action," and repeat the process until you have created all of your new accounts. Be certain to click the radio button selection "Create Account" EACH time the window refreshes.
Adding Banners
Now, you'll need to assign the 3.0 banners to the newly-created 4.0 accounts.   To do this, first highlight the account you want to work with. In our example above, we would first highlight "Microsoft".   Then, highlight ALL of the banners that you want to add to that account (hold the SHIFT key to select multiple banners).   In our example above, we would highlight ms_banner1, ms_banner2, ms_banner3. CLICK the radio button selection entitled "Add Banner".   Hit "Do Action".       Repeat until you've assigned ALL of the 3.0 banners to new 4.0 accounts.   Be sure to click the radio button selection "Add Banner" each time the window refreshes.
Finishing Up
Once you have added all of your banners to an appropriate 4.0 account, click NEXT at the bottom of the page. This utility will then convert all of your statistical files to the 4.0 format. THIS MAY TAKE SEVERAL MINUTES, so do not stop this utility prematurely!
When this utility says, "Conversion Complete," enter your Central Ad 4.0 Administration Center (CaAdmin.cgi) and confirm your data has been successfully converted.
USERS of SSI CMD METHOD

With 3.0, you had to copy the file global.dat throughout your website. With 4.0, the file is called "CaDirLogs.dat". To avoid having to do this, you'll have to switch all of your SSI code to the more versitile "#include virtual=" method as descibed on the general usage pages.
Moving Servers
As we've all experienced, sometimes an entire system must be moved to a new ISP. Although not a trivial task, it should be relatively straight-forward to move your Central Ad 4 system to another server. Below, we've outlined exactly how to do the move.
1. DOWNLOAD LATEST CA4 BINARIES.
If your new server is running a different operating system than the old one, you'll need to download the proper binaries from the Central Ad website.
2. CREATE CGI-BIN and LOGS DIRECTORY
On the new server, make sure there is a valid cgi-bin directory setup. Create a subdirectory called logs.
3. UPLOAD NEW CGI/EXE SCRIPTS
FTP the newest .cgi (or exe on WinNT) scripts to the new server. Be sure to transfer via BINARY mode.
4. PERMISSIONS
Change the .cgi scripts to 755 permissions, the logs directory to 777, and the cgi-bin to 755.
chmod 777 logs
chmod 755 *.cgi
chmod 755 ../cgi-bin
NOTE: NT users need to set all of the above directories to FULL ACCESS PERMISSIONS.
5. TAR, ZIP, and/or GZIP LOGS DIRECTORY
On your old system, zip up the entire contents of the logs directory for transport to the new server. In UNIX, this can easily be done while in the cgi-bin directory:
tar -cf logs.tar logs
gzip logs.tar
On WinNT, use your favorite zip utility.
6. TRANSFER AND EXTRACT ZIP ON NEW SERVER
FTP the archive to the new server and unzip the logs into the logs directory. On UNIX, put logs.tar.gz IN THE CGI-BIN directly and then type:
gunzip logs.tar.gz
tar -xf logs.tar
On WinNT, use your favorite unzip utility
7. CREATE "CaDirLogs.dat" in the CGI-BIN
Manually create an ascii file named "CaDirLogs.dat" in the cgi-bin. On the first line of the file, put the full system path to the logs directory. For example, it might have "/usr/home/httpd/cgi-bin/logs/" or "logs/" or "cgi-bin/logs"...etc., depending on the lay-out of your server.
GIVE THE FILE FULL PERMISSIONS: 777 or full access.
8. CHMOD 777 ALL LOGS FILES
Because permissions and ownerships can get screwed-up across servers, we recomment that you issue the command:
chmod -R 777 logs
from within the CGI-BIN directory.
In NT, the files within the logs directory should inherit the logs directory settings.
9. MANUALLY EDIT "CaDbASC.dat" in the LOGS DIRECTORY
In a simple ascii editor (notepad or vi), edit CaDbASC.dat.   Change the entry for "CGI-BIN-URL" to reflect the URL for the NEW server.
10. ACCESS CaAdmin
In theory, your system should be up and running now. Try accessing CaAdmin and make sure everything is OK.   You should be able to run reports...etc..

TROUBLESHOOTING
*** Oddly enough, on NT systems, CaDirLogs.dat usually needs to reside in the document root of the system. This is often c:inetpubwwwroot
*** Make SURE you uploaded the .cgi or .exe files in BINARY MODE
*** The files in the LOGS directory are a mixture of ASCII and BINARY files.   Be careful that you don't transfer them in the wrong mode if transfering individually:
BINARY FILES:
*.sum
*.tot
CaTag.dat
ASCII FILES:
CaDirLogs.dat
CaDbASC.dat
CaDbASC.dat-Backup
*.log

General Usage
General concepts
REGION
Defined: An area of your site useful to differentiate from other sections. Reasons include advertiser targeting, administrative convenience, etc. Example Regions: SPORTS, HEALTH, VIDEOS, HUMOR, NEWS.

Consider a REGION to be the broadest level of definition your site has. Now, think of your entire site in terms of different content areas, and then define these areas as Central Ad 4.0's REGIONS.
CAMPAIGNS
Defined: A selection of banners scheduled to run over a given time period in specified REGIONS.

Typically, advertisers buy campaigns (similar to traditional media). In Central Ad 4.0, you can setup campaigns to run throughout your site, or in certain regions, by defining which specific banners should run over which specific flight dates. Also, banners are assigned exact percentage weightings and expiration information (maximum views/clicks).
ACCOUNTS
Defined: An advertiser account.

In Central Ad 4.0, account refers to a specific advertiser NOT to the individual banners. They are grouped in each advertiser ACCOUNT. Each account also contains administrative notes, information about the advertiser, and the advertiser's statistical login information.
BANNERS
Defined: A banner record created under an (advertiser) ACCOUNT.

The Banner Record in Central Ad 4.0 is the lowest level of definition as it contains the specific GIF information needed to serve the ad (or redirect to an outside server like an ad network or auditing company).

Banner Records are created as a part or specific ACCOUNT. For example, if a new advertiser sends you 3 banners for a campaign, you should create a new ACCOUNT for this advertiser, and then configure these 3 banners as part of this new ACCOUNT.
SSIs (Server-side Includes)
Using SSIs greatly enhances the functionality of Central Ad 4.0 by allowing you to dynamically insert blocks of HTML into your pages -- on the fly. As a result, Central Ad 4.0 can determine which ad the user will see BEFORE the page is even sent.

Also, other SSI advantages include click-reliability, no cookies needed, HTML-based ad support, and height/width/border support.

Enabling SSIs on your sever may involve contacting your ISP especially if you wish to enable SSIs on all HTML extensions (.shtml, .htm, .html). On typical servers, enabling SSIs does not hinder performance.

Example SSI command for Central Ad 4.0:
    Microsoft_April ----> Microsoft.banner1
                                 |---> Microsoft.banner2
                                 |---> Microsoft.banner3
                                 ----> Microsoft.banner4
When Microsoft renews its campaign in May, you can create a new Microsoft campaign: Microsoft_May -- and then add the same four banners to the new campaign.
Remember, with Central Ad 4.0, banner statistics include not only the banner that displayed, but what REGION and CAMPAIGN it displayed on. This makes it convenient to run a report at the end of the month on the campaign and see how the campaign performed.

Accounts
ACCOUNTS
Central Ad 4.0 defines an account as an Advertiser record in the system.   Examples of typical accounts would be "Microsoft", "Netscape", "Ebay", "ZiffDavis", "Central_Ad", "Amazon"..etc..
At the account level you can assign an account password as well as maintain administrative notes on the advertiser.    You can also setup multiple banners under each account.

Creating Banner Records
BASIC INFORMATION
Banner Reference : The "Name" by which the advertiser refers to the banner. Examples are "banner1", "excite_now", "network_tag"..etc..    It does NOT have to be the actual banner FILENAME.
Banner URL or Filename : The physical banner filename (which has been uploaded to the designated "banners" directory) OR the banner URL (URL to the banner on a remote server, perhaps).   Examples are "ms_banner1.gif", "excite_now.gif", "http://www.banner-network.com/image.cgi", "html_banner.txt" ...etc.
Redirect URL: The click-to URL on the banner.   Examples are "http://advertiser.com", "http://domain.com/index.htm"..etc.
ADVANCED INFORMATION
Alt-text:   The alt-text that should be used when inserting the banner code via SSIRAND
Height:   Banner height
Width:   Banner width
Target: The TARGET= parameter in the <A HREF> tag (for targeting to frames, windows...etc.)
Border: The BORDER= parameter in the <IMG SRC> tag
HTML under the Banner:   Extra HTML that will get inserted under the banner when using SSIRAND
EXTRA TAGS: Gives you the opportunity to insert OnMouseover, OnClick...etc. events IN the <A HREF> or <IMG SRC> code when using SSIRAND
NOTE: Remember, the ADVANCED INFORMATION will ONLY be inserted into your pages if you are rotating via SSIRAND (through the SSI rotation or through the advanced NON-SSI rotation).

Configuration
The Configuration section allows you to tweak the settings of Central Ad 4.0 to meet your needs. Beyond general system path information (as entered during setup), you can configure several items outlined below.

LOGS DIRECTORY: System path to the logs directory. Example: /usr/home/cgi-bin/logs/
BANNER DIRECTORY: System path to the banner directory. Example: /usr/home/htdocs/banners/
CGI-BIN URL: URL to the cgi-bin. Example: http://domain.com/cgi-bin/
ADMIN IMAGES: URL to directory where admin images reside. These images were included in the archive you downloaded. Example: http://domain.com/banners/
SSI HEADER: The header that ssirand will output before sending the SSI text. Most servers require "text/html", but others do not.
COOKIE OPTIONS: In order to click-thru properly on NON-SSI rotation, Central Ad must use some sort of tracking to determine which banner the user just saw. The "COOKIE" feature stores the data in a cookie. The "Fingerprint" features stores the data in a server-side database file. It is recommended that you select "BOTH", which minimizes the likelihood of an incorrect click.
REGISTRATION KEY: When you purchased the software, you received a registration key. The key should appear here.
LOGIN PASSWORD: Change the password for the admin center.
IP RESTRICTIONS: In addition to the password protection, you can add ip access restrictions. Simply ENABLE the features and enter a comma-delimited listing in the format:
192.168.*, 192.169.*
Use the "*" character to denote wildcards.
NON-SSI HTML coding

Code without rotation
NON-SSI STATIC DISPLAY (NO ROTATION)
Central Ad 4.0 also allows you to display a STATIC banner, ie., no rotation will occur.   To do this, you simply stipulate exactly what ACCOUNT.BANNER combination you want to display. For example:
<a href="http://mydomain.com/cgi-bin/redirect.cgi/unique?ACCOUNT=my_account&BANNER=my_banner">
<img src="http://mydomain.com/cgi-bin/getimage.cgi/unique?ACCOUNT=my_account&BANNER=my_banner"></a>
and/or
<a href="http://mydomain.com/cgi-bin/redirect.cgi/unique?REGION=my_region&CAMPAIGN=my_campaign& ACCOUNT=my_account&BANNER=my_banner">
<img src="http://mydomain.com/cgi-bin/getimage.cgi/unique?REGION=my_region&CAMPAIGN=my_campaign& ACCOUNT=my_account&BANNER=my_banner"></a>
NOTE: See the documentation on the "UNIQUE IDENTIFIER" to understand what is meant by "/unique".
The first instance of the code above will simply display the "my_account.my_banner" image -- and record the display as an unknow REGION and CAMPAIGN.
The second instance WILL record the REGION and CAMPAIGN information along with the ACCOUNT.BANNER information.

Code with rotation
NON-SSI Rotation
With Central Ad 4.0, you can utilize the rotational features without the use of SSIs.   There are a few issues that you should be aware of with NON-SSI rotation, however.

Dynamic information like height, width, extra tags, text under the banner...etc will NOT be inserted into your pages. Only the SSI rotation can take advantage of these addiional features.

Click-thru redirection is tracked via a COOKIE and a server-side "fingerprint" database (in the event cookies are disabled on the user's browser). It is still possible that the a click will link to the wrong URL (although considerably unlikely)

You can choose to rotate banners starting at the REGION level or the CAMPAIGN level. In other words, you can start the rotation at either level in the system heirarchy.   The code would be as follows:
<a href="http://mydomain.com/cgi-bin/redirect.cgi/unique">
<img src="http://mydomain.com/cgi-bin/getimage.cgi/unique?REGION=my_region"></a>
and/or
<a href="http://mydomain.com/cgi-bin/redirect.cgi/unique">
<img src="http://mydomain.com/cgi-bin/getimage.cgi/unique?CAMPAIGN=my_campaign"></a>
NOTE: See the documentation on the "UNIQUE IDENTIFIER" to understand what is meant by "/unique".
The "REGION=my_region" code above would react in the following way:

Randomly select a CAMPAIGN assigned to that REGION (based on the % weightings configured in the administration center

From the chosen CAMPAIGN, select a random ACCOUNT.BANNER combination (based on the % weightings configured in the administration center

Display the banner and LOG the display to the REGION.CAMPAIGN.ACCOUNT.BANNER record in the daily database

The "CAMPAIGN=my_campaign" code above would react in the following way:

Randomly select an ACCOUNT.BANNER combination (based on the % weightings configured in the administration center for "my_campaign"

Display the banner and LOG the impression to the CAMPAIGN.ACCOUNT.BANNER record in the daily database. NOTE: the REGION information is recorded as "unknown" since the heirarchy began at the CAMPAIGN level.

In general, if you like to track WHERE each banner has displayed on your site, it's best to setup all of your rotations starting with the REGION= tag
Advanced coding
ADVANCED NON-SSI CODING
As the 4.0 and higher browsers propogate throughout the Internet, you may want to utilize some of the new HTML tags supported by these browsers. With the new tags, you can actually implement Central Ad 4.0 SSI functionality WITHOUT USING SSIs. A word of CAUTION, however: These tags can sometimes cause problems with the design of your site simply due to the buggy nature of these tags on the browsers. Central Ad is happy to provide you with the code below, but you should understand that problems exist WITH THE BROWSERS THEMSELVES that may make it difficult to implement. All potential work-arounds and issues that we are aware of are presented below.
MS Internet Explorer version 3 and higher: <IFRAME>
The <IFRAME> tag has become an officially-sanctioned tag, but is only support on IE 3 and higher. Netscape 6.0 WILL have support for the tag, but versions 4.51 and lower DO NOT support this tag.
The <IFRAME> allows you to embed a frame element into your pages and draw it's content from an external script or page. As a result, you can allow SSIRAND.CGI to generate the content for the IFRAME. The code below gives an example:
<IFRAME SRC="http://mydomain.com/cgi-bin/ssirand.cgi/unique?REGION=my_region"
width=468 height=60>
</IFRAME>
As with the SSI rotation, ssirand.cgi can accept REGION, CAMPAIGN, ACCOUNT and BANNER tags -- and will respond accordingly.
If you want to also insert "text under the banner", be sure to size your IFRAME with enough HEIGHT to accomodate it.
Netscape Navigator version 4.0 and higher: <ILAYER> and/or <LAYER>
Netscape's ILAYER tag is quite similar to Microsoft's <IFRAME> tag, but is a bit "buggy". It does allow you to add a SRC= tag, which will insert ssirand.cgi's output. Example code might be:
<ILAYER SRC="http://mydomain.com/cgi-bin/ssirand.cgi/unique?REGION=my_region"
width=468 height=60>
</ILAYER>
Again, ssirand.cgi will accept all of the standard REGION, CAMPAIGN, ACCOUNT and BANNER tags.
CAUTION: the <ILAYER> tag can be very unpredictable when nested IN a table cell. It will typically work well outside of a table, but when nested inside a table it can cause the browser to incorrectly render the page.
The <LAYER> tag provides much more predicable results on Netscape 4.0+, but it requires you to specify the exact position you want the banner to appear. This can be difficult to do given the large variation in monitor sizes with computers today.
<LAYER SRC="http://mydomain.com/cgi-bin/ssirand.cgi?REGION=my_region"
TOP=30 LEFT=100 width=468 height=60>
</LAYER>
"ALL IN ONE" Solution
Accomodating all browsers can be a challenge, but the following code should work quite well (as long as you accomodate for the <ILAYER> tag bugginess in the design of your site.) It accomodates the IFRAME, ILAYER and the simple NON-SSI code for older browsers.
<IFRAME SRC="http://mydomain.com/cgi-bin/ssirand.cgi/unique?REGION=my_region" width=468 height=60> <ILAYER SRC="http://mydomain.com/cgi-bin/ssirand.cgi/unique?REGION=my_region"       width=468 height=60> </ILAYER> <NOLAYER> <a href="http://mydomain.com/cgi-bin/redirect.cgi/unique"> <img src="http://mydomain.com/cgi-bin/getimage.cgi/unique?REGION=my_region"></a> </NOLAYER> </IFRAME>
For information on the /unique string, read the documentation on the UNIQUE IDENTIFIER.

"ALL IN ONE" w/ JS Cache Busting
<script> x = Math.random(); cgibinUrl = 'http://yd.com/cgi-bin/'; CARegion = 'FP';
document.write('<IFRAME SRC="'+cgibinUrl+'ssirand.cgi/'+x); document.write('?REGION='+CARegion+'" width=468 height=60 SCROLLING=NO '); document.write(' MARGINWIDTH=0 MARGINHEIGHT=0 FRAMEBORDER=0>'); document.write('<ILAYER SRC="'+cgibinUrl+'ssirand.cgi/'+x); document.write('?REGION='+CARegion+'" width=468 height=60>'); document.write('</ILAYER><NOLAYER>'); document.write('<a href="'+cgibinUrl+'redirect.cgi/'+x+'">'); document.write('<img src="'+cgibinUrl+'getimage.cgi/'+x); document.write('?REGION='+CARegion+'" border=0></a>'); document.write('</NOLAYER></IFRAME>'); </script>
SSI Coding

Code with and without rotation
SSI CODING
Central Ad 4.0 includes support for dynamically rotating banner positions on your site using SSI methods. This is done by placing a simple SSI command in your HTML page which activates the Central Ad script -- causing a banner to display on the page.   SSI rotation is very powerfull because:

it allows you to rotate banners on your site WITHOUT the need for cookies or server-side fingerprint tracking.

click-to accuracy is 100%

"text" banners can be dynamically inserted into your pages (.txt files instead of .gif or .jpg)

alt-text, extra tags, height/width, text under the banner...etc. can all be dynamically inserted into your pages at run-time.

NOTE: Not all servers support SSIs or are SSI-enabled. You should consult your ISP or examine your web server documentation for information on enabling the feature on your server.
COMMON CODE
Most web servers will support the following SSI command (Including APACHE):

Note the virtual address to the script ssirand.cgi -- NOT a full URL.   As with getimage.cgi, ssirand.cgi will take all of the same REGION, CAMPAIGN, ACCOUNT and BANNER combinations. The example above will choose a random campaign in the REGION "my_region", choose a random ACCOUNT.BANNER from the resulting CAMPAIGN, and then insert the proper code into your page.
Similar to getimage, the following code combinations are also valid:








If your server will NOT support the <#include virtual=""> method, you can try the following code as well (with the same parameters as above.



Not all servers support the passing of parameters via the #exec command, so you should FIRST try the #include method shown above.

SSIs and Dynamic Pages
Many individuals ask us HOW to integrate SSI functionality into their dynamic pages (ASP, PERL, CFM...etc.). As you might expect, we don't support each of these languages directly, but there are MANY excellent postings in our USER FORUM -- including example code.
HTML / Rich Media Banners
Central Ad 4.0 supports the serving of .txt files in addition to standard GIFS and JPEGS. For an example, see the included "ExampleHTMLad.txt" file included in the application package.

When using the SSI features of Central Ad, the application will be able to insert a block of HTML into your pages. This HTML can either be a snippet of simple code which displays an image or it can be a complex HTML ad which you've setup as a .txt file.

Simply create a .txt file and place it in your official "banners" directory. Then, create a BANNER record for the .txt file (where is says "BANNER FILENAME or URL", put the name of the .txt file.) You should then be able to create an SSI-enabled page -- and see the HTML ad appear in rotation.

NOTE
.TXT banners can NOT be displayed through simple NON-SSI code -- since Central Ad has no way to dynamically insert the .txt code into the page.
Customer/Advertiser Login
For each ACCOUNT you setup in your administration center, you can setup a PASSWORD. This password and account name can be given to your advertisers/customers so that they can login to CaReport and run reports on their associated banners.

NOTE: They can ONLY run reports on banners setup within that ACCOUNT

To SEE how this works, setup an ACCOUNT with a password. Then, CLOSE ALL BROWSERS to flush the CaAdmin password cookie from your system. Then, point your browser DIRECTLY to CaReport.cgi and you'll see a login prompt. Enter the ACCOUNT/password information and you'll experience what the advertisers will see. Notice how the ACCOUNT and BANNER drop down report boxes are filtered.

If you wish to customize the reports (ie., suppress the REGION and CAMPAIGN information from advertisers), check-out the documentation on "Report Customization."

Advanced Features
Macro substitutions
With MACRO Substitutions, strings can be dynamically inserted into the REDIRECT URL, IMAGE URL, or HTML-AD.txt file.

Some ad serving networks like BURST!Media, 24/7, DoubleClick, and Flycast have cache-busting mechanisms built into their code. This cache-busting minimizes the caching on a surfer's browser thus maximizing your inventory as your site gains more original impressions as surfers move back and forth through your pages.

Central Ad 4.0 supports two Macro Substitutions which minimize caching to third-party systems:

@@UI@@
@@REDIRECT@@

@@UI@@

This Macro Substitution replaces run-time with the "UNIQUE IDENTIFIER" string present in your code. Here's how it works:
http://www.burstmedia.com/cgi-bin/ads/ad999a.cgi/@@UI@@
is typed in the BANNER configuration area of Central Ad 4.0. Then, at run-time, Central Ad 4.0 will search-and-replace this string, and insert the unique identifier in.

Next, Central Ad 4.0's code will look like:
getimage.cgi/bb36754?ACCOUNT=burst&BANNER=a_code
Finally, since "bb36754" is the unique identifier, this will cause the new ACTUAL banner call to be:
http://www.burstmedia.com/cgi-bin/ads/ad999a.cgi/bb36754

NOTE
If you're using the SSI Rotation, unique identifiers are AUTOMATICALLY inserted into the HTML code by ssirand.cgi. However, you still need to setup the @@UI@@ Macro in the Banner configuration screen.

@@REDIRECT@@

Central Ad 4.0's @@Redirect@@ MACRO Substitution dynamically inserts a linking URL into an existing .txt banner by placing HTML as follows:
Enter
<a href="@@REDIRECT@@">CLICK ON THIS</a>
in your .txt file, and you can then TRACK the clicks on this link.

This example HTML would be output at run-time like this:
<a href="redirect.cgi?REGION=region1&CAMPAIGN=campaign1&ACCOUNT=ms&BANNER=html_ad">CLICK ON THIS</a>

Report Customization
As with previous versions, you can customize the CaReport.cgi interface by editing the files "header.txt" and "footer.txt" -- which should be located in your cgi-bin directory and were distributed with the application.

NOTE: For some NT machines, it is necessary to place header.txt and footer.txt one directory UP from the cgi-bin directory. CaReport.exe attempts to look in the CWD (current working directory).

NEW in Central Ad 4.01!

You can now customize WHAT report information advertisers can view. In some cases, you may not want to allow advertisers to see REGION or CAMPAIGN breakdowns for their ads. In other cases, you may want to suppress the REGION and CAMPAIGN form drop-downs and default them to NONE or ALL (in a HIDDEN form field). This can be done if you have downloaded and installed the Central Ad 4.01 update.

Although the front-end interface is not yet built, you can manually edit the ASCII database file in the logs directory.

BEFORE YOU EDIT ANYTHING, (1) Install the 4.01 updated scripts and (2) EDIT and SAVE something in the new 4.01 administration center. By doing this, your database file will automatically be updated with the new tags.

At the end of the database file ("CaDbASC.dat"), you will see a new entry:

REPORT-BEGIN
OPTION-CAMPAIGN=None
OPTION-REGION=None
SELECT-CAMPAIGN=TRUE
SELECT-REGION=TRUE
REPORT-END

Field Descriptions

SELECT-REGION: Toggles whether or not the REGION drop-down box is visible for advertisers that login. Values: TRUE or FALSE (all capitals!!!!!)
SELECT-CAMPAIGN: Toggles whether or not the CAMPAIGN drop-down box is visible for advertisers that login. Values: TRUE or FALSE (all capitals!!!!!)
OPTION-REGION: If SELECT-REGION is defined as false (ie, the REGION drop-down is suppressed), OPTION-REGION is what you want the hidden field to default to. Values: All or None
OPTION-REGION: If SELECT-CAMPAIGN is defined as false (ie, the CAMPAIGN drop-down is suppressed), OPTION-CAMPAIGN is what you want the hidden field to default to. Values: All or None

For example,
REPORT-BEGIN
OPTION-CAMPAIGN=All
OPTION-REGION=All
SELECT-CAMPAIGN=FALSE
SELECT-REGION=FALSE
REPORT-END

Would display only the ACCOUNT and BANNER drop-down boxes, but when the advertiser runs the report, he/she WILL see REGION and CAMPAIGN detail.
REPORT-BEGIN
OPTION-CAMPAIGN=None
OPTION-REGION=None
SELECT-CAMPAIGN=FALSE
SELECT-REGION=FALSE
REPORT-END

Would display only the ACCOUNT and BANNER drop-down boxes, and when the advertiser runs the report, he/she will NOT see REGION and CAMPAIGN detail.
Timed Rotation
NOTE: We do not suggest the use of timed rotation, as it will de-value your advertising space (in our opinion). The code below is provided AS-IS and is not supported via Central Ad technical support.
-----

A lot of customers inquire about setting-up a TIMED ROTATION, so we've decided to post some popular solutions. In addition to this information, there are several excellent threads in our USER FORUM regarding this subject.

JAVASCRIPT REFRESH
A very NICE way to achieve a timed rotation is through the use of Javascript. The code below uses the setInterval() function to swap in a new image (and link) every 10 seconds.

<html>
<head>
<script>

</script>
</head>
<body>
<a href="http://www.CentralAd.com/cgi-ed/redirect.cgi/1254235235" name=CAhref>
<img width=468 height=60 src="http://www.CentralAd.com/cgi-ed/getimage.cgi/1254235235?REGION=Front_page" name=CAimage></a>
<p>
<form><input type=button onclick="clearInterval(ID);" value="STOP!"></form>
<script>

</script>
</body>
</html>

In action, the code reacts like the banner shown below.

HOW IT WORKS

The key is that the Javascript code dynamically CHANGES THE UNIQUE IDENTIFIER on BOTH HALVES of the code. It choose a new random number each 10 seconds, and changes the Image.src and Link.href to reflect the new unique identifier.

IMPORTANT: The link MUST be changed along with the image, otherwise the UI's (unique identifiers) will no longer match, which is extremely important. You'll need to adjust the links[0] value in the code so that the banner link index is reflected. IE., if the banner is the 4th link on the page, then you'll need to code the javascript as links[3] (since links[0] is link 1, links[1] is link 2, and so on).

META-REFRESH

The easiest way to setup a timed rotation is to use the SSI code within a small frame (500x70 pixels or so), which can be refreshed on a timed bases. On that html page, the code:

content="X;URL=http://www.website.com/index.html"> Note: X indicates delay in seconds URL indicates the URL to redirect to
Instructions on using the META-REFRESH tag can be found HERE.
Cache Busting Techniques As expected, you would like to be sure that Central Ad counts the full number of banner displays on your website -- without the interference of browser cache.   This can be done by simply RANDOMIZING THE UNIQUE IDENTIFIER.   Below, is a snippet of NON-SSI-enhanced code that uses Javascript to place a random number in the UI position: <html> <body bgcolor="#FFFFFF">    <script>    x = Math.random();    document.write('<a href="/cgi-bin/redirect.cgi/'+x+'">');    document.write('<img src="/cgi-bin/getimage.cgi/'+x+'?REGION=region_name" ');    document.write(' width="468" height="60" border="0"></a>');    </script> </body> </html> NOTE: If you're scripts are NOT in /cgi-bin/, then you'll need to adjust the code above accordingly. Remember, the SSI ROTATION method already automatically inserts a hexadecimal number in the unique identifier position -- on each ad display.   As a result, caching is reduced. OTHER METHODS Many customers integrate NON-SSI code into their dynamic pages (ASP, Cold Fusion, PERL, Forums....etc). On these pages, you may want to write your OWN CODE -- in the language of your scripting -- to handle the random UI.   The above Javascript solution, however, is nice because it can be swapped in anywhere -- and work nicely.
Getimage Bypass New in 4.03 New Feature in 4.03 With previous builds, ssirand.cgi would output html code that includes a link through redirect.cgi and an IMG-SRC pointing to getimage.cgi. Now, you can bypass the getimage.cgi call (ONLY if you're using SSIs or advanced NON-SSI IFRAME tags) and ssirand.cgi will insert the direct url to the .gif or .jpg and log the display appropriately. This should give impressive server load gains for those of you using SSIs, since each banner call now only requires the execution of ONE cgi script. By default, this feature is DISABLED. To enable it, go to your CaAdmin --> CONFIGURATION screen. Update the "Getimage Bypass" parameter to be ENABLED. Also, edit the "Banner Dir URL" field to include the URL that ssirand should use to reference the .gif or .jpg files. For example, if your banners directory is at /home/httpd/html/banners/ and /home/httpd/html is the ROOT of your server, then you'd put: Banner Dir URL http://yourdomain.com/banners/ When ssirand.cgi executes, it will append the FILENAME to that string in the following [obvious] manner: http://yourdomain.com/banners/banner_filename.gif In the event that your filename is a banner URL (ie, a 3rd party server or ad network), getimage bypass will still work properly. Ssirand will simply insert the full remote URL to the IMG-SRC portion of the output. So, to RECAP, with getimage-bypass DISABLED, ssirand would output the following code: <a href="http://foo.com/cgi-bin/redirect.cgi?REGION=reg&CAMPAIGN=camp&ACCOUNT=acct&BANNER=bnnr_name"> <img src="http://foo.com/cgi-bin/getimage.cgi?REGION=reg&CAMPAIGN=camp&ACCOUNT=acct&BANNER=bnnr_name"></a> BUT, if you ENABLE getimage-bypass, the ssirand output would be: <a href="http://foo.com/cgi-bin/redirect.cgi?REGION=reg&CAMPAIGN=camp&ACCOUNT=acct&BANNER=bnnr_name"> <img src="http://foo.com/banners/bnnr_filename.gif"></a> Both methods will result in one display logged, and the click logged appropriately as well.
Added Security Option New in 4.03 New Feature in 4.03 Some users have asked for the ability to MOVE CaAdmin.cgi and/or CaReport.cgi to a secure directory (or at least a different directory than the getimage, ssirand, and redirect scripts are. Now, that is possible. Here's how: Simply move the CaAdmin.cgi and/or CaReport.cgi files to the desired directory on your machine. You also need to COPY (NOT MOVE!) CaDirLogs.dat to that directory as well. CaDirLogs.dat is where the scripts locate the system path to the logs directory. You may need to manually edit the COPY of the CaDirLogs.dat file, so that CaAdmin.cgi and CaReport.cgi can find the logs. For example, your current setup might look like: /home/httpd/cgi-bin/CaAdmin.cgi /home/httpd/cgi-bin/CaReport.cgi /home/httpd/cgi-bin/getimage.cgi /home/httpd/cgi-bin/redirect.cgi /home/httpd/cgi-bin/ssirand.cgi /home/httpd/cgi-bin/CaDirLogs.dat /home/httpd/cgi-bin/logs/* You might want to move CaAdmin and CaReport to a subdirectory called "admin", and use http security protocols in addition to the CA admin passwords. So, you change things as follows: /home/httpd/cgi-bin/admin/CaAdmin.cgi /home/httpd/cgi-bin/admin/CaReport.cgi /home/httpd/cgi-bin/admin/CaDirLogs.dat [Copy of Original] /home/httpd/cgi-bin/getimage.cgi /home/httpd/cgi-bin/redirect.cgi /home/httpd/cgi-bin/ssirand.cgi /home/httpd/cgi-bin/CaDirLogs.dat /home/httpd/cgi-bin/logs/* The CaDirLogs.dat file contains one line: the system path to the logs directory /home/httpd/cgi-bin/logs/ or maybe a relative path: logs/ If it is a relative path, then you will probably need to edit the file and place a FULL path, or a modified relative path. In our case the CaDirLogs.dat in the "admin" subdirectory could have the following contents: ../logs/ If you want to remove the Central Ad password scheme, and ONLY use your .htaccess or other password access, simply set your password to nothing (NOT the word nothing, but delete the entire contents of the form field "Password" on the CONFIGURATION page of CaAdmin). Then, CaAdmin will simply let anyone in that access CaAdmin.cgi. NOTE: If you remove the password protection and you give your advertisers access to CaReport, they could enter CaAdmin as well (if CaAdmin is in the same directory and has the same htaccess protection). The suggestion scenario is to leave a copy of CaReport.cgi in the cgi-bin and point the advertisers to THAT version. Then, place CaAdmin and another copy of CaReport in a password protected "admin" folder.
Updates
Version Management
How do you know whether you have the most recent version?

Simply access any of your scripts with the parameter: ?VERSION and it will output it's version information. For example, access the URL:

yourdomain.com/cgi-bin/CaAdmin.cgi?VERSION
You can then compare that information to the current version information shown at the Central Ad download area: http://CentralAd.com/downloads.html If your version or build number is less than the current version, you should re-download the product and replace your current scripts with the updated ones.

If your script does NOT output version information, then you need updating. This feature was introduced in Central Ad 4.01 Build 1.
Backing-up Data
New with version 4.02 is an automatic BACKUP version of your important Central Ad database file: CaDbASC.dat. The backup file is: CaDbASC.dat-Backup and is located in your logs directory.
Each SAVE you make in the admin center places your OLD (previous to the save) DB file in the CaDbASC.dat-Backup location. As a result, this file always contains the information from ONE SAVE BACK in the admin center.
If, for some reason, you need to revert back, simply rename CaDbASC.dat and swap in the backup file instead.
NOTE: Although this is useful for immediate problems (corrupted DB file and such), it WILL NOT protect you from a machine crash or an accidental delete of the logs directory. For these situations, you should get in the habit of backing-up AT LEAST your CaDbASC.dat file each month.
One easy way to backup your entire logs directory is to TAR it up (UNIX):
tar -cf logs_backup.tar logs gzip logs_backup.tar
Then, FTP that logs_backup.tar.gz file to your PC or to another server for safe keeping.
Updating Your Script Version
How do you swap in the new updated version of 4.0x? We always make sure that our binaries can simply be swapped in place over your existing cgi files -- making the process relatively painless for you.
Some helpful hints:
1. Swap the files in place whenever your machine is relatively "quiet". For most folks, this is first thing in the morning.
2. Backup all of your current version .cgi files JUST IN CASE you need to revert back.
3. If you want to be extra careful, you can backup your logs directory by TARing the directory up.
tar -cf logs_backup.tar logs gzip logs_backup.tar
Override Redirect URL with 'URL=' 4.03 Update!
New Feature for 4.03
Now, you can specify a redirect URL in the redirect.cgi call which OVERRIDES the one setup in the Administration Center. Why would you want to do this? Many rich media ads (html, text...etc.) have multiple links embedded in them -- and they all point to different URLS. Now, you can run all of those links through redirect.cgi and still redirect the user to the proper URL. This concept is probably best described through an example.
HTML_AD_TEXT.txt
<table width=460 height=60 border=1 bgcolor=beige><TR><FORM><TD>Make a selection!   <select> <option value="@@REDIRECT@@&URL=http://Games.Domain.com">Games <option value="@@REDIRECT@@&URL=http://News.Domain.com">News <option value="@@REDIRECT@@&URL=http://Politics.Domain.com">Politics <option value="@@REDIRECT@@&URL=http://Entertainment.Domain.com">Entertainment <option value="@@REDIRECT@@&URL=http://Help.Domain.com">Help </select> </TD></TR></form></TABLE>

Which will look like:

Make a selection!

Assume that this html banner is setup under the account name "SAMPLE" and banner name "SAMPLE_HTML". Therefore, the following URL would result in displaying the ad.

http://domain.com/cgi-bin/ssirand.cgi?ACCOUNT=SAMPLE&BANNER=SAMPLE_HTML
Generates the following HTML code (notice the @@REDIRECT@@ macro result!)

<table width=460 height=60 border=1 bgcolor=beige><TR><FORM><TD>Make a selection!   <select> <option value="http://domain.com/cgi-bin/redirect.cgi?ACCOUNT=SAMPLE&BANNER=SAMPLE_HTML&URL=http://Games.Domain.com">Games <option value="http://domain.com/cgi-bin/redirect.cgi?ACCOUNT=SAMPLE&BANNER=SAMPLE_HTML&URL=http://News.Domain.com">News <option value="http://domain.com/cgi-bin/redirect.cgi?ACCOUNT=SAMPLE&BANNER=SAMPLE_HTML&URL=http://Politics.Domain.com">Politics <option value="http://domain.com/cgi-bin/redirect.cgi?ACCOUNT=SAMPLE&BANNER=SAMPLE_HTML&URL=http://Entertainment.Domain.com">Entertainment <option value="http://domain.com/cgi-bin/redirect.cgi?ACCOUNT=SAMPLE&BANNER=SAMPLE_HTML&URL=http://Help.Domain.com">Help </select> </TD></TR></form></TABLE>

Assuming that you add some Javascript in to launch the browser to the "VALUE" of the <SELECT> portion, redirect.cgi would respond by logging the click to the SAMPLE.SAMPLE_HTML account.banner pair and redirecting the user to the stated URL (as opposed to redirecting the user to the REDIRECT_URL setup for that banner in CaAdmin).

This added twist to redirect.cgi really opens-up a lot of possibilities for logging clicks.

Troubleshooting
Commonly asked questions

Does Central Ad 4.0 support the 3.0 tags that I've placed on my pages?
In short, YES. We have designed the 4.0 scripts to accomodate the 3.0 tags placed throughout your site.

Specifically in 4.0 terms, the REGION object is treated the same as the 3.0 "group" object.   Thus, the "REGION=" tag is the same as the "GROUP=" tag.    The 3.0 tag "AD=banner_name" is the same as having a "ACCOUNT=account_name&BANNER=banner_name" coded on your pages.   When faced with an "AD=" tag, getimage will simply search-thru all of the BANNER objects until it finds a match.   It will record the display under the appropriate ACCOUNT.BANNER record in 4.0.     This process is a bit inefficient, so we HIGHLY recommend that you convert all "AD=" calls to the ACCOUNT/BANNER static notation instead.
Does Central Ad 4.0 support my banner network code (BURST, Flycast..etc.)?
Yes. Central Ad 4.0 is fully compatible with the popular network code. If you're using the SSI functionality of Central Ad 4.0, you can even serve IFRAMES and other rich-media network code.

Central Ad 4.0 also supports some of the advanced cache-busting techniques found in the popular network code. Check-out the HELP section on MACRO SUBSTITUTIONS.
What is the UNIQUE IDENTIFIER?
The UNIQUE IDENTIFIER is the string of alpha-numeric chararacters that is placed after the getimage.cgi and redirect.cgi portions of the NON-SSI code.   For example,
<a href="http://domain.com/cgi-bin/redirect.cgi/a_string_5"> <img src="http://domain.com/cgi-bin/getimage.cgi/a_string_5?REGION=Front_page"></a>
where /a_string_5 is what we refer to as the "UNIQUE IDENTIFIER".
It is important to use a DIFFERENT unique identifier on each instance of the code (ie, every code location on your site should have it's OWN unique identifier).   The reasons for this are:

1. The unique identifier (if randomized throughout your site) will minimize caching.
2. The unique identifier allows redirect.cgi to determine WHICH banner was shown by getimage.cgi -- and click-thru properly.

CAUTION: Whatever string you use, the SAME "unique identifier" STRING should be placed on both halves of the code. If they do NOT match, the click-thru will NOT work properly.
Why aren't my banners clicking-thru properly?
If you are using the "REGION=" or "CAMPAIGN=" NON-SSI rotation, then you MUST be sure that the unique identifiers MATCH on both halves of the code. Otherwise, redirect.cgi won't be able to determine which banner the user has clicked on. If you have any questions about how the unique identifiers work, read through the "unique identifier" area of the FAQ.
Why can't I enter the administration center?
The administration center stores your password in the browser cookie. As a result, you MUST have cookies enabled.

If you still can't get in, then contact our staff and they will help gain access to the ad center.
Why won't the setup script run?
If you're receiving the error: INTERNAL SERVER ERROR, then the permissions on the scripts may be incorrect. You should set them to 755 first (chmod 755 *.cgi). If that doesn't work, try 777 (chmod 777 *.cgi).

You may have downloaded the wrong binaries. Double-check that you downloaded the proper version of Central Ad 4.0 (linux, solaris, nt...etc.) because it's very important that the binaries are native to the operating system. Contact Central Ad Software support if you think you may have the wrong binaries.
Will the 3.0 to 4.0 conversion routine lose any data?
We have taken every precaution necessary to properly convert your 3.0 data files to the new, more efficient 4.0 format. During the actual conversion process, it is important to note two things:

1. When the conversion occurs (the last step), do NOT stop the browser. The converter is tabulating ALL of your daily statistic files from 3.0 to create the new 4.0 database, so this may take several minutes. If it does get stopped, you should be able to re-run the conversion routine to convert the remaining statistics.

2. The conversion routine will NOT actually delete ANY of your 3.0 files. This process is done in the administration center 3.0 clean-up utility. It is NOT recommended to run this clean-up routine until you have verified that the data converted into the 4.0 format (including statistics from when you first installed 3.0).

Again, you can re-run the conversion process, but it will still have to TRY to convert all of your logs (and it will recognize potential duplicate entries). It will take as long as the first run.

Why can't setup write to the logs directory?
If setup cannot write to the logs directory then one of two things is incorrect:

Logs directory path is incorrect
Logs directory PERMISSIONS are incorrect.
Remember, you should use a FULL SYSTEM PATH for your logs directory AND the logs directory should have at least 755 permissions.
What is the difference between a Central Ad 4.0 ACCOUNT and BANNER?
An ACCOUNT is the configuration of an advertiser in the system. Each advertiser that you deal with will have their own ACCOUNT. Additionally, each advertiser will give you BANNERS, which are configured as a part of the advertiser's ACCOUNT. With the introduction of Central Ad 4.0, advertiser ACCOUNTS can have multiple BANNERS associated with them.
Why isn't the TEXT UNDER THE BANNER appearing?
Dynamic information such as text under the banner, height, width, extra tags, border...etc. can ONLY be inserted through the SSI rotation. With the NON-SSI rotation, the only item that will dynamically change is the IMAGE on the page -- NOT the surrounding text.
Why is Central Ad 4.0 priced higher than 3.0 was?
Central Ad 4.0 is an inexpensive Ad Management Solution compared to its competition in the marketplace. 4.0 is priced higher than previous editions because of the greater development cost and commitment in producing a markedly more versatile and dynamic product to meet your Ad Management needs.

Check out what Central Ad 4.0 has to offer you!

Central Ad is home of the affordable, high quality Ad Management System.

Why do my banners get set DISABLED?
Remember, the software has scheduling and monitoring features. As a result, Central Ad 4.0 will disable accounts if they move beyond their maximum clicks, views or end date (as defined in the campaign). Double-check all of this configuration.
Why do I get a small, blue underscore to the right of my banner?
You have placed a RETURN after the <img src> but before the </a> tag. They need to be on the same line, else the small blue underscore (which is basically a hyperlinked SPACE), will appear.
How can I minimize caching of banners?
If you are using the SSI rotation, Central Ad 4.0 will automatically minimize caching without any extra effort on your part. With the NON-SSI implementation, it is VERY important that you place a different "unique identifier" on each instance of the code. This will trick the browser into loading new images on each page that contains a different unique identifier.
Can I use SSIs on dynamically generated pages?
Not using standard SSI commands. The web server will not 'parse' dynamically generated pages for SSI commands. As a result, you'll need to either integrate system() calls IN your script to SSIRAND.CGI, or stick to the NON-SSI rotation exclusively. We do not offer any code for making system() calls within your scripts.
Can I customize the Statistics Reports?
Yes. Included in your copy of Central Ad 4.0 are files "header.txt" and "footer.txt". These files are automatically used when sending the statistic reports to the browser. As noted by there names, the header.txt file is included at the TOP and the footer.txt file is appended at the end of the output. You are welcome to customize these pages to fit the design of your website.

NOTE: For some NT machines, it is necessary to place header.txt and footer.txt one directory UP from the cgi-bin directory. CaReport.exe attempts to look in the CWD (current working directory).
I have misplaced my version of Central Ad. Who can I contact?
Simply send an email to support@centralad.com and we will send you a fresh copy. PLEASE include the original purchaser's name, approximate date of purchase, and which version you need (NT, Solaris...etc.).
How do the percentage weightings (%) work?
Central Ad 4.0 uses a random rotation to determine the ad that will display. The percentages that you enter in the admin center help determine the probability that the ad will show in any given ad request.

For example, if you code a page with a getimage.cgi?CAMPAIGN=campaign_name tag, and "campaign_name" is configured as follows:

30% Account1.banner1 10% Account1.banner2 30% Account1.banner3 30% Account1.banner3

then there is a 1 in 10 probability that Account1.banner2 will display, and a 3 in 10 probability that the other banners will display.

An even more sophisticated setup is a getimage.cgi?REGION=Region_name tag, which will draw a banner from a random campaign configured to run in "Region_name". For example, if "Region_name" is configured as follows:

40% campaign_name 60% other_campaign

then, there is a 4 in 10 probability that "campaign_name" will be selected. IF that occurs, then there is a 1 in 10 probability that Account1.banner2 (from above) will be displayed. Net result: Account1.banner2 has a 10% X 40% = 4% probability of getting displayed with a "REGION=Region_name" tag.

LICENSING: How does it work?
Each individual Central Ad 4.0 License entitles you to only ONE installation to a cgi-enabled directory on your server. From this single installation, you can serve banners to an UNLIMITIED number of domains.

In your purchase of Central Ad 4.0, a license KEY is issued to you. This key unlocks the features of Central Ad 4.0.

To install Central Ad 4.0 on multiple cgi-bin's, you need to purchase multiple licenses (and keys). Contact Central Ad for information on bulk purchasing:

Is Central Ad 4.0 compatible with MS ASP pages?
Central Ad 4.0 is a collection of standard CGI scripts which WILL function properly on all NT-based machines. One incompatibility issue with NT is the loss of SSI functionality.

Since ASP pages are not parsed for the #exec command, you cannot enter a simple #exec SSI command into your ASP pages. We have heard of some third-party objects which allow the shell-execution of outside scripts, which is something you might want to look into. In short, you need to find a way to shell-execute ssirand.exe and then insert its output into your ASP output.

I've lost my Admin Center password?
Please contact our staff at support@centralad.com and we will help reset your Administration Center password.

How do I enable SSIs on my server?
The best resource for enabling SSIs on your server is your server administrator. Because each webserver is different, we cannot begin to support the SSI configuration of every "make and model" of web server. However, to help you, we've added some suggestions below:
UNIX

You may need to create a file in your root directory called ".htaccess" that has a line:

AddType text/x-server-parsed-html .shtml .html .htm

You may also want to edit your srm.conf file (Apache) and add the .html and .htm extension to the server-parsed Handler:

AddHandler server-parsed .shtml .htm .html

This will tell your server to PARSE ALL files ending with .shtml,.htm, and/or .html
NT
NT is a bit more challenging than UNIX, but it can be done. We recommend that you speak to your server administrator about taking care of this.

NT FACT 1: To run SSI you MUST be running NT 4.0 IIS 3.0 and Support Pack 3. Only then will SSI's feature work!

NT FACT 2: SSI's must be pre-configured and associated within REGEDIT32 - pointing to the SSINC.DLL for .stm or .htm files. (The full FAQ is on www.dejanews.com)

(COURTEOUSY OF BRIAN BALCH)

IIS3 supports the SSI #include command, but that's it, and from what I've found out, this command can pose a security risk (this would explain why administrators are hesitant to enable it). In order to get the #exec command to work, service pak 3 includes a .dll to filter files through that acts like SSI.

My Platform:

Windows NT 4.0 Service Pak 3 installed Microsoft Internet Information Server 3.0 Microsoft Frontpage 97

Step By Step:

Open up the Registry and add this value:

hkey_local_machine /system /currentcontrolset /services /w3svc /parameters /scriptmap .stm: REG_SZ: c:winntsystem32inetsrvssinc.dll

Restart the computer.

Change the extension to .stm on all the files where you want to use SSI commands, and move them into a directory with execute permission.

Follow the directions included in these FAQ pages to call ssirand.exe using#exec.
If you want some other type of file SSI-enabled, just substitute that extension for .stm in the above sequence. Beware of using an extension like .htm, though as this will cause all .htm files to be filtered, which can bog down your server.

Unfortunately, this does not work for results pages from database queries, such as .htx files. You need to use a non-ssi banner call for that.
In order to use SSIs, do I HAVE to rename all files with the .shtml extension?
No -- you should be able to configure the server to parse ALL htm, html, and shtml files. To do this, talk to your server administrator, ISP or consult your web server documentation.
I need to install Central Ad on a second server, do I need another KEY?
Yes. In order to install the application into a new CGI-BIN, you must purchase another license. Each KEY that we provide you is only valid for one installation.
Can I run multiple banners on a given page?
Yes. Running multiple banners is quite straightforward -- especially with the Central Ad 4.0 REGION concept. You can setup different banner locations (and even different sizes) on any page on your site. Simply setup each banner location with a separate REGION and then target the proper ads to the region.
How does the registration KEY work?
The registration key you receive upon purchasing unlocks all the features of Central Ad 4.0. The KEY is tied to the cgi-bin directory in which the application is installed (thus, the reason its required when ordering). The 4.0 key uses that variable to make sure customers only install the application in ONE cgi-bin directory per KEY.

If your cgi-bin is accessed from multiple URLS (like virtual hosts), then you simply need to provide one of the valid URLS -- accessing from the other urls will still work. For example, you could setup a server with 10 virtual hosts -- all of which have a shared cgi-bin containing the CA4 installation. You would pick one of the 10 domains for KEY purposes, but you could still access the scripts by any of the other 9 virtual hosts.
What is the file CaDirLogs.dat?
CaDirLogs.dat is a file that resides in the cgi-bin directory that contains the FULL SYSTEM PATH (Ex: /home/httpd/cgi-bin/logs/) to the logs directory. When the scripts initially execute, they open-up that file in order to learn WHERE the logs are stored.

If you are an upgrade user who upgraded from Central Ad PRO 3.0, you may be using the CMD method of SSIs. If this is the case, then you will need to copy CaDirLogs.dat throughout your site, just like you did for global.dat.
My ISP changed my LOGS path. What do I do?
Manually edit the file "CaDirLogs.dat" in the CGI-BIN directory. The file contains only one thing: the path to the logs directory. Simply edit the file with the new, corrected logs path.
Error: Cannot open CaDirLogs.dat?
CaDirLogs.dat is the file that contains the path to the logs directory (just like global.dat in version 3.0). As a result, if you are using the 3.0J EXEC CMD method of SSIs, you MUST copy CaDirLogs.dat throughout your site -- just like you did global.dat. Otherwise, the error "Cannot open CaDirLogs.dat" will appear throughout your site.

You may want to convert your pages to the #include virtual= method outlined on the SSI usage pages. If your web server supports it, it does NOT require the copying of files throughout your site.

Central Ad 4.0 is showing CaExpired.gif exclusively?!?
When the application sees an invalid or expired KEY, then the application will begin showing an ad that says "Software is Expired".
Probable reasons and solutions:
REASON: Application installed into CGI_BIN-URL other than what you provided on the order form
SOLUTION: Write us and we will generate you a modified REGISTRATION KEY for the new URL.
REASON: Application has expired (30 days).
SOLUTION: Purchase the full-version of the software at our on-line purchase center.

Admin Center will not accept password.
The password for the admin center is stored in a cookie. Make certain that your browser is setup to accept cookies.

If it is an you're still having problems, try flushing your browser cache and deleting your cookie file (after shutting down your browser). Then re-enter and give it a try again.
Content-type Problems
If you're having Content-type problems with SSIRAND, you can add a parameter to FORCE the Content-type one way or another. For example,

ssirand.cgi?REGION=my_region&CONTENT_TYPE=TRUE

So, the parameters are:

CONTENT_TYPE [all caps and an UNDERSCORE] Valid arguments: TRUE or FALSE [all caps]