A Web file with the suffix of ".shtml" (rather
than the usual ".asp") indicates a file that includes some information
that will be added "on the fly" by the server before it is sent
to you. A typical use is to include a "Last modified" date at
the bottom of the page.
This Hypertext Transfer Protocol facility is referred to as a server-side
include. (Although rarely done, the server administrator can identify
some other file name suffix than ".shtml" as a server-side include
file.) You can think of a server-side include as a limited form of common
gateway interface application. In fact, the CGI is not used. The server
simply searches the server-side include file for CGI environment variables,
and inserts the variable information in the places in the file where the
"include" statements have been inserted.
When creating a Web site, a good idea is to ask your server administrator
which environment variables can be used and whether the administrator
can arrange to set the server up so that these can be handled. Your server
administrator should usually be able to help you insert the necessary
include statements in an HTML file.
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