Test URLs for BIRCH web site


The URL builder helps you to build URLs by minimizing the amount of typing necessary to enter a full URL. At any point, you can check whether or not a URL works by clicking on the "Test" button.

Two URLs must be created in order to access the BIRCH web site through a web server:

How to enter a URL

A URL is built from the following components:

http://
 prefix
  .
 second-level domain
  .
top-level domain
  /
directory character
 userid or dir


http:// - Fixed.

prefix - www, home, none, or blank (enter your own prefix). If prefix is "none", there will be no period before the second-level domain

second-level domain - The part of the domain that is specific to your host. For example, if your BIRCH host was birch.myuniv.ac.uk, then the second-level domain would be "birch.myuniv.ac".

top-level domain - There are a large number of top-level domains, and the pull-down list will have many of the common ones, such as .edu, .org, .com, .gov, .ca, .us, .uk etc. Choose from a list, or type in your domain. For example, if your BIRCH host was birch.myuniv.ac.uk, then your top-level domain is "uk".

directory character - This is either none or tilda ( ~ ). The tilda is used for Apache web servers on which the tilda is followed by a userid, meaning that the $HOME/public_html directory for that user is the location of the web site.

userid or dir - This is either the userid of the BIRCH administrator, or the directory path corresponding to $BIRCH/public_html.

If you don't have a domain name, type the IP address in the second-level domain field, and leave the top-level domain empty.

How to test a URL

You can test a URL as often as you wish by clicking the "Test" button. This will either bring up the web page in a Java help window, or print an error message. Note: Java help windows are limited in features they can display. Just about anything in standard HTML will work, but beyond that (JavaScript, Flash animation, MS-Windows extensions) will not be rendered. The purpose of the test window is solely to prove that you can reach a web page.


WARNING! The best that the Test procedure can do is to verify that there is a web page at the chosen URL. You still need to check by inspection that this is the correct page, rather than something that has been automatically forwarded, or a page displaying an error message.

How to Apply your changes


The changes made in the URLBuilder window will not be applied until you press the Apply button. Apply will not be permitted if any of the URL fields have been changed without testing.