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Bahá'í Communications
International
5712 Deerfoot Trail
Fort Worth, TX 76131
USA
Copyright © 1996-2005 by BCI. BCI is sponsored by the Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Fort Worth, Texas.
Frequently asked questions (FAQ)
How can BCI provide this for free?
Are there any "hidden" charges?
Why do I need to call our home page
"index.html"?
What can I use for filenames?
How often can I update our site?
How can I learn HTML?
Does BCI support CGI scripts?
Can we have our own domain name?
How can I add a page counter?
How can I password-protect our website?
How can I add a form?
Does BCI support PHP, Java, etc?
How can BCI provide this for free?
BCI is supported entirely by voluntary contributions. For more information, see Making contributions to BCI.
Are there any "hidden" charges?
BCI does not charge its members for anything, and there is no obligation to contribute. Depending upon how you decide to develop and manage your website, you may have to pay for software, but BCI does not sell software. Using tools which are available on the internet and with your own operating system, BCI makes it possible to create and publish a website at no cost.
Why do I need to call our home page "index.html"?
You don't technically need to do this. However, if you don't you will have a longer web address since the server assumes that the home page is "index.html" (or alternatively "index.htm") if none is given. For example, if your directory is "/mytown" and you call your home page "myhomepage.html", your web address will be:
www.bci.org/mytown/myhomepage.html
which is more complicated than necessary. If you do call the file "index.html" or "index.htm", the server will assume that this is your home page, so that your readers can use the address:
www.bci.org/mytown
instead. This is easier to read, easier for people to remember, and easier for you to publicize.
Your other files can be named anything you wish within the filename constraints of the Unix operating system (you don't have to use Unix to create your site).
Letter case is important. For example, "MyFile.html" is not the same as "myfile.html". If your html code (or the code which your authoring tools create for you) refers to files that do not match your filenames exactly, the reader will see errors such as "File Not Found". Windows users should pay particular attention to this.
Also, don't use spaces in your filenames (like "calendar for community.htm"). You can use underscores ("calendar_for_community.htm") or dots ("calendar.for.community.htm").
How often can I update our site?
As often as you like. You can upload all your files or only the files which have changed, as you prefer.
There are several guides available on the web itself related to HTML authoring. Books are available at any good bookstore or computer store.
Yes. Let us know, and we will load them into our cgi-bin. For security reasons, we must look over the code first to ensure that it is stable.
Can we have our own domain name?
Yes. You will have to register the domain name (and pay any required fees), but we can assist. We provide you with the two DNS servers that you will require to register your new domain name or move your existing domain name. When you register or transfer the domain name, be sure to let us know so we can make changes on our end. We will require 1 or 2 days advance notice.
The DNS information you need to provide your registering agency is:
Primary DNS Server Hostname: ns0.xname.org
Primary DNS Server IP Number: 195.234.42.1Secondary DNS Server Hostname: ns1.xname.org
Secondary DNS Server IP Number: 87.98.164.164
Detailed statistics about page hits are are available in Traffic Statistics. However, if you would like to add a page counter, BCI has a canned script which you can use. For instructions, see How to add a counter to your web page.
How can I password-protect our website?
You can make your directory (or a subdirectory) accessible only to people you specify through a username/password entry point. See How to secure a web document using HTACCESS.
Create the form using standard HTML. To process the form and receive the input data via email, you may use the mailform.cgi script that we have installed at BCI. Here are detailed instructions about how do do this.
Does BCI support PHP, Java, etc?
Yes, we support PHP (currently version 5, although we can add version 4 support if necessary). We also support Server Side Includes (SSI), Perl (currently 5.8), and CGI. Pages can certainly include javascript/CSS/DHTML since those are handled by the client (browser). We are looking to add support for server-side Java (servlets, JSP) in the near future. MySQL databases are available on request, and we may possibly add PostgreSQL database support in the future. Please contact us with specifics concerning database requirements. We may also provide limited ASP.Net (.aspx) support in the future if enough users demand it, but we will never support old ASP (.asp) pages or the Microsoft SQL Server database except in the unlikely event that we receive support from enough users to get a new server to support those. We are also evaluating several CMS and forum packages to make available to all users, so please email us if you have specific needs or experiences to share. We can currently install Joomla! or phpBB on a per account basis by request.