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     18 July 1998               Jeffrey Baker <jeff@godzilla.tamu.edu>

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DESCRIPTION
-----------

This is Apache::Session 0.14.

These modules are used to keep persistent user data across http requests.
Apache::Session was designed for use with Apache and mod_perl.

Four storage systems are defined: DBI-compliant database, Win32 shared 
memory, IPC shared memory, and flat files.  

Apache::Session is Copyright(c) 1998 Jeffrey William Baker
<jeff@godzilla.tamu.edu>.  Distribute under the Artistic License.

PREREQUISITES
-------------

Build and install Perl (pref. 5.004_04), Apache (pref. 1.3.0) and mod_perl
(pref. 1.14).  To use Apache::Session at all, you must have the MD5 module,
available on CPAN (http://www.perl.com/CPAN).

Apache::Session::DBI needs DBI and at least one DBD, plus FreezeThaw, 
available on CPAN.

Apache::Session::Win32 requires that you be using a Win32 operating system
(e.g. Windows NT).

Apache::Session::IPC requires the IPC::Shareable module and a SysV IPC
compliant operating system.

Apache::Session::File requires the Storable module and a writeable file-
system.

INSTALLATION
------------

tar -xvzf Apache-Session-0.14.tar.gz
cd Apache-Session-0.14
perl Makefile.PL
make
make test
make install

Substitute "nmake" for "make" above if you are using Windows.

Consult the pod for the storage mechanism that you plan on using.

EXAMPLE
-------

use Apache;
use Apache::Constants;
use Apache::Session::Win32;

my $r = Apache->request();
$r->content_type("text/html");
$r->status(200);
$r->send_http_header;

my $session_id = $r->path_info(); # storing session id in the URL
$session_id =~ s/^\///;

my $session = Apache::Session::Win32->open(
                $session_id, { autocommit => 0, 
                               lifetime   => 3600 }
                                          ) ||
                                          
              Apache::Session::Win32->new(
                             { autocommit => 0,
                               lifetime   => 3600 }
                                         );

$session_id = $session->{'_ID'};
$session->{'username'} = {'John Doe'};
$session->store();

print "Your name is ".$session->{'username'};

AUTHORS
-------

Jeffrey Baker is the author of Apache::Session.

Randy Harmon <rjharmon@uptimecomputers.com> created storage independence
through subclassing, with useful comments, suggestions, and source code
from:

  Bavo De Ridder <bavo@ace.ulyssis.student.kuleuven.ac.be>
  Jules Bean <jmlb2@hermes.cam.ac.uk>
  Lincoln Stein <lstein@cshl.org>
  
Doug MacEachern wrote mod_perl.

Larry Wall wrote perl.

This README format is shamelessly stolen from Edmund Mergl 
<E.Mergl@bawue.de>


FURTHER INFORMATION:
--------------------

Apache   by Apache Group    comp.infosystems.www.servers.unix
                            http://www.apache.org/
                            
mod_perl by Doug MacEachern modperl@apache.org
                            http://perl.apache.org/