[MacPerl] File reading and writing (CGI)

["Mark Hunt" <Mark_Hunt@latgqmg.sps.mot.com>]

                      Subject:                              Time:  9:44 AM
  OFFICE MEMO         File reading and writing (CGI)        Date:  7/21/97

I have run into a small problem with a series of CGI scripts I am running on
my Mac server.  I have a series of three scripts that allow the user to change
form data.  The first script prompts the user for a product name.  The second
opens up the text file where the data is stored and allows for changing the
data.  And the third script writes the changes to disk.  This is all done with
HTML forms.

My problem is that if two people are using the page at the same, data can be
lost.  The difference in the time that people submit the forms could cause a
loss of data.  

Let's say that two people open a form.  To view this data they both have to
run the script that reads a text file.  The forms are both waiting to be
submitted.  The first person writes his changes to disk and the file contents
are based on the old text file.  Then the second person writes to disk and
this is also based on the old text file because the first user wrote to the
file after the second guy read it.

I was wondering if any of you have a solution to this problem or have faced
this problem.  Any replies would be more than welcome. 

Mark Hunt
Mark_Hunt@latgqmg.sps.mot.com




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