CGI script (just one) works fine in anything *but* IE

Sorry to post this here too, but comp.infosystems.www.authoring.cgi is
lagging by at least 8 hours and I thought someone here might have
some ideas.

I've got a CGI script running on 2 webservers (apache on 1 server,
apache2 on the other), both servers configured for the same
functionality.

The CGI script (which follows) displays a simple form, which when
submitted stores form values in a database and emails them to an email
address from the database. This works fine in any browser including IE
on the apache2 server.

The same script on the apache server (on which all other CGi works)
works perfectly in anything other than IE (tested with mozilla and
links2). In IE, it displays the form OK, but when submitted displays
an IE error page with "Action Cancelled", and doesn't insert a record
into the database or perform any other actions. I've got error
tracking everywhere it makes sense in the script, but nothing is
logged to the apache error log.

So... does anyone have any ideas (while I still have some hair left)

-- start script --

#!/usr/bin/perl

use strict;
use DBI;
use CGI ':all';
use Env qw/REMOTE_ADDR HTTP_COOKIE/;
use CGI::Pretty;
use CGI::Carp qw/fatalsToBrowser/;
use Mail::Sender;

#  get username from cookie  *e*

#***Cookie stuff
my %cookie=(
'username' => "", 'auth' => '0'
);

my @nvpairs=split(/;/, $ENV{'HTTP_COOKIE'});

foreach my $pair (@nvpairs) {
my ($name, $value) = split(/=/, $pair);
$name=~ s/ //;
$cookie{$name} = $value;
}

# read form parameters
my %params = CGI::Vars();
 ########################################
################################
sub list_depts {
# return department list
my $dbh = DBI-> connect('DBI:mysql:database=intranet_mis
;user=root') or die
"Error connecting to database\n", $DBI::errstr;
my $sql = 'SELECT contract_name FROM email_addresses';
my $sth = $dbh->prepare($sql) or die $sql, "\n", $dbh->errstr();
$sth->execute or die $sql, "\n", $sth->errstr();
my @depts;
while (my $name = $sth->fetchrow_array()) {
push @depts, $name;
}
$sth->finish();
# add a blank dept to be default selected, so TL has to select something
unshift(@depts, '');
return \@depts;
}
 ########################################
################################
sub form {
my $msg = shift();

# list of departments
my $depts = list_depts();

# absence types
my @absence_types = ("", "Sickness", "Crisis Day", "Compassionate Leave",
"Bereavement Leave", "Unauthorised Absence", "Other Authorised Absence");

print header,
start_html(-title => 'Request Back To Work Form'),
h2('Request Back To Work Form'),
"To be completed by line manager/designated duty manager";
if ($msg eq 'missing stuff' and not $params{form}) {
print "<font color='#FF0000'>Please fill in all prompts</font>";
}
print start_form(),
table(
Tr([
td(['Payroll Number',
textfield(-name  => 'payroll_number',
-value => $params{payroll_number})]),
]),
Tr([
td(['Surname',
textfield(-name  => 'surname',
-value => $params{surname})]),
]),
Tr([
td(['Forename',
textfield(-name  => 'forename',
-value => $params{forename})]),
]),
Tr([
td(['Department',
popup_menu(-name    => 'department',
-value   => [@$depts],
-labels  => @$depts,
-default => $params{department})]),
]),
Tr([
td(['Room',
textfield(-name  => 'room',
-value => $params{room})]),
]),
Tr([
td(['First Day Of Absence',
textfield(-name  => 'absence_start',
-value => $params{absence_start})]),
]),
Tr([
td(['Date Of Return To Work',
textfield(-name  => 'absence_end',
-value => $params{absence_end})]),
]),
Tr([
td(['Absence Type',
popup_menu(-name    => 'absence_type',
-value   => [@absence_types],
-labels  => @absence_types,
-default => $params{absence_type})]),
]),
Tr([
td(['Line manager email address',
textfield(-name  => 'manager_email',
-value => $params{manager_email})]),
]),
),
hidden(-name => 'form', -value => 'completed'),
submit(-value => 'Post absence'), reset(),
end_form,
end_html;
exit;
}
 ########################################
################################

my $username = $cookie{username};
my $ip = $ENV{REMOTE_ADDR};

unless ( (scalar(keys %params)) >= 10) {
# not completed, redisplay
form();
}

#### form completed, process
my  ($sec,$min,$hour,$mday,$mon,$year,$wday,
$yday,$isdst) = localtime(time);
my $timestr = $year+1900 . '-' . ++$mon . '-' . $mday . ' ' . $hour . ':'
. $min  . ':' . $sec;

# First, insert everything into the database
# this looks odd becaue I'm getting DBI to escape special characters
my $dbh = DBI-> connect('DBI:mysql:database=intranet_mis
;user=root') or die
"Error connecting to database\n", $DBI::errstr;
my $sql_insert = "INSERT INTO back_to_work (payroll_no, surname, forename,
department, room, absence_start,
absence_end, absence_type,
manager_email, ip, form_time, giant_username)
VALUES (?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?)";
my $sth_insert = $dbh->prepare($sql_insert) or die $sql_insert, "\n",
$dbh->errstr();
$sth_insert->execute($params{payroll_number}, $params{surname},
$params{forename}, $params{department}, $params{room},
$params{absence_start}, $params{absence_end},
$params{absence_type},
$params{manager_email}, $ip, $timestr, $username)
or die $sql_insert, "\n", $sth_insert->errstr();

# email form values to line manager and MI address

# get correct MI address for department
my $sql_mis = "SELECT email_address FROM email_addresses WHERE
contract_name = '$params{department}'";
my $sth_mis = $dbh->prepare($sql_mis) or die $sql_mis, "\n", $dbh->errstr();
$sth_mis->execute() or die $sql_mis, "\n", $sth_mis->errstr();
my $email_mis = $sth_mis->fetchrow_array();
$sth_mis->finish();

# prep and send email
my $msg = "
Payroll Number          : $params{payroll_number}
Surname                 : $params{surname}
Forename                : $params{forename}
Department              : $params{department}
Room                    : $params{room}
First Day Of Absence    : $params{absence_start}
Date Of Return To Work  : $params{absence_end}
Absence Type            : $params{absence_type}
Manager's email address : $params{manager_email}";
#foreach my $key (keys %params) {
#    $msg .= "$key = $params{$key}\n";
#}
my $smtp = new Mail::Sender{smtp => '192.168.5.5'};

# thats it, we're out of here  *boom*
# redirect to somewhere useful
print header('text/html'),
"
<HTML>
<HEAD>
</head>
<body bgcolor=\"#FFFFFF\" text=\"#000000\">
<p> </p>
<p align=\"center\"><font size=\"5\">Your Request has been";

$smtp->MailMsg({to      => $email_mis,
from    => $email_mis,
cc      => $params{manager_email},
msg     => $msg,
subject => 'Return To Work Form'});
print " sent.</font></p>
</body>
</html>
";


--
Stephen Patterson http://patter.mine.nu/
steveSPAM@.patter.mine.nu  remove SPAM to reply
Linux Counter No: 142831 GPG Public key: 252B8B37
Caution: breathing may be hazardous to your health.

Stephen Patterson wrote:
>
> The same script on the apache server (on which all other CGi works)
> works perfectly in anything other than IE (tested with mozilla and
> links2). In IE, it displays the form OK, but when submitted displays
> an IE error page with "Action Cancelled", and doesn't insert a record
> into the database or perform any other actions. I've got error
> tracking everywhere it makes sense in the script, but nothing is
> logged to the apache error log.

There is no sign of this logging here.

What does the apache *access_log* say?  Was the form submitted?  What
was the HTTP response code associated with it?

Have you consider using a network sniffer to see what actually gets
sent across the wire?


> use Env qw/REMOTE_ADDR HTTP_COOKIE/;

Not the problem, but you don't need this line. You are accessing them
using the %ENV hash anyway. *That* line is creating $REMOTE_ADDR and
$HTTP_COOKIE in your main namespace as aliases.


--
-*-    Just because I've written it here doesn't    -*-
-*-    mean that you should, or I do, believe it.   -*-