Passing environment variables from an hypertext protocol server application programming interface

In a computer network in which a client browser is connectable to a Netscape-compatible HTTP server, the HTTP server having a plug-in application programming interface (API) and supporting a target CGI program accessible by having a service method of the HTTP server launch a CGI process, a method of enabling a generic plug-in to pass an unmangled environment variable into the CGI process, comprising the steps of:

• (a) configuring the HTTP server to initially override the service method;
• (b) having the generic plug-in insert a name value pair prepended with a marker in a request header parameter block of the HTTP server;
• (c) using the service method to transfer the request header parameter block to the CGI process;
• (d) extracting the name value pair and the marker from the request header parameter block using a given HTTP code and the marker to locate the name value pair;
• and
• (e) stripping the given HTTP code and the marker from a remainder of the string;
• and
• (f) resetting the environment variable in response to the name value pair extracted from the request header parameter block and providing the request header parameter block to to the CGI process.

A computer program product executable in a computer for enabling a generic server plug-in to pass an environment variable into a CGI process, the generic plug-in executable within an HTTP server process, the computer program product comprising:

• a computer-readable substrate;
• and
• program code encoded in the computer-readable substrate and including:
• a service encapsulation program executable in a server process and responsive to an HTTP request for calling a native CGI service method, wherein the service encapsulation program inserts the environment variable into a transmission to the native CGI service method along with a marker;
• and
• a CGI encapsulation program executable in a CGI process and responsive to execution of the native CGI service method for scanning an environment of the CGI process, the CGI encapsulation program extracting the environment variable from the transmission using the marker and resetting an environment variable into the CGI process in an unmangled form.

A method of enabling a generic server plug-in to pass an unmangled environment variable into a CGI process, the generic server plug-in executable within an HTTP server process, comprising the steps of:

• inserting an environment variable and a marker for the environment variable into a message;
• transferring the message using the HTTP server process which normally mangles the environment variable;
• and
• receiving the message at the CGI service method within a first program executable in a CGI process and a second program executable in a server process, the first program including means for extracting the mangled environment variable.

In a computer network in which a client browser is connectable to an HTTP server, the HTTP server having a plug-in application programming interface (API) and including at least one server process that launches a child process, the improvement comprising:

• means for inserting an environment variable and a marker for the environment variable into a message;
• means for transferring the message using the HTTP server that launches the child process which normally mangles the environment variable;
• and
• means for receiving the message at the service method between a first program, executable in the child process, and a second program, executable in the server process, wherein the first program includes means for extracting the mangled environment variable.

A computer, comprising:

• a processor;
• an operating system;
• a Web server program for processing HTTP client requests;
• and
• a mechanism for enabling a generic plug-in to pass an environment variable into a CGI process, comprising:
• a service encapsulation program executable in a server process and responsive to an HTTP request for calling a native CGI service method, the service encapsulation program inserting an environment variable into a message, the service encapsulation program normally mangling the environment variable;
• and
• a CGI encapsulation program executable in the CGI process and responsive to execution of the native CGI service method for scanning message, extracting the environment variable and resetting an environment variable into the CGI process in an unmangled form.