-<!DOCTYPE article PUBLIC "-//OASIS//DTD DocBook V3.1//EN">
+<!DOCTYPE article PUBLIC "-//OASIS//DTD DocBook V3.1//EN" [
+<!entity % dummy "INCLUDE">
+<!entity supported SYSTEM "supported.sgml">
+<!entity newfeatures SYSTEM "newfeatures.sgml">
+<!entity p-intro SYSTEM "privoxy.sgml">
+<!entity seealso SYSTEM "seealso.sgml">
+]>
<!--
File : $Source: /cvsroot/ijbswa/current/doc/source/user-manual.sgml,v $
This file belongs into
ijbswa.sourceforge.net:/home/groups/i/ij/ijbswa/htdocs/
- $Id: user-manual.sgml,v 1.54 2002/03/24 15:46:20 swa Exp $
+ $Id: user-manual.sgml,v 1.64 2002/04/03 03:53:43 hal9 Exp $
Written by and Copyright (C) 2001 the SourceForge
- Privoxy team. http://ijbswa.sourceforge.net
+ Privoxy team. http://www.privoxy.org/
Based on the Internet Junkbuster originally written
by and Copyright (C) 1997 Anonymous Coders and
<artheader>
<title>Privoxy User Manual</title>
-<pubdate>$Id: user-manual.sgml,v 1.54 2002/03/24 15:46:20 swa Exp $</pubdate>
+<pubdate>$Id: user-manual.sgml,v 1.64 2002/04/03 03:53:43 hal9 Exp $</pubdate>
<authorgroup>
<author>
</authorgroup>
<abstract>
+<![%dummy;[
+ <para>
+ <comment>
+ This is here to keep vim syntax file from breaking :/
+ If I knew enough to fix it, I would.
+ PLEASE DO NOT REMOVE! HB: hal@foobox.net
+ </comment>
+ </para>
+]]>
+
<para>
The user manual gives users information on how to install, configure and use
<application>Privoxy</application>. <application>Privoxy</application> is a
stand-alone systems and multi-user networks.
</para>
<para>
-You can find the latest version of the user manual at <ulink url="http://ijbswa.sourceforge.net/user-manual/">http://ijbswa.sourceforge.net/user-manual/</ulink>.
+You can find the latest version of the user manual at <ulink url="http://www.privoxy.org/user-manual/">http://www.privoxy.org/user-manual/</ulink>.
</para>
<!-- <para> -->
<!-- ~~~~~ New section ~~~~~ -->
<sect1 id="introduction"><title>Introduction</title>
-<para>
- <application>Privoxy</application> is a web proxy with advanced
- filtering capabilities for protecting privacy, filtering and modifying web
- page content, managing cookies, controlling access, and removing ads,
- banners, pop-ups and other obnoxious Internet Junk.
- <application>Privoxy</application> has a very flexible configuration and
- can be customized to suit individual needs and tastes. <application>Privoxy</application> has application for both stand-alone systems and
- multi-user networks.
-</para>
+<!--
+ Include privoxy.sgml boilerplate:
+-->
+&p-intro;
<para>
This documentation is included with the current BETA version of
</para>
<!--
- The section is in both user-manual and faq. Please keep in sync.
--->
-<para>
- <itemizedlist>
-
- <listitem>
- <para>
- Integrated browser based configuration and control utility (<ulink
- url="http://p.p">http://p.p</ulink>). Browser-based tracing of rule
- and filter effects.
- </para>
- </listitem>
-<!--
- <listitem>
- <para>
- Modularized configuration that will allow for system wide settings, and
- individual user settings. (not implemented yet, probably a 3.1 feature)
- </para>
- </listitem>
+ Include newfeatures.sgml here:
-->
- <listitem>
- <para>
- Blocking of annoying pop-up browser windows.
- </para>
- </listitem>
-
- <listitem>
- <para>
- HTTP/1.1 compliant (most, but not all 1.1 features are supported).
- </para>
- </listitem>
-
- <listitem>
- <para>
- Support for Perl Compatible Regular Expressions in the configuration files, and
- generally a more sophisticated and flexible configuration syntax over
- previous versions.
- </para>
- </listitem>
-
- <listitem>
- <para>
- GIF de-animation.
- </para>
- </listitem>
-
- <listitem>
- <para>
- Web page content filtering (removes banners based on size,
- invisible <quote>web-bugs</quote>, JavaScript, pop-ups, status bar abuse,
- etc.)
- </para>
- </listitem>
-
- <listitem>
- <para>
- Bypass many click-tracking scripts (avoids script redirection).
-
- </para>
- </listitem>
-
- <listitem>
- <para>
- Multi-threaded (POSIX and native threads).
- </para>
- </listitem>
-
- <listitem>
- <para>
- Auto-detection and re-reading of config file changes.
- </para>
- </listitem>
-
- <listitem>
- <para>
- User-customizable HTML templates (e.g. 404 error page).
- </para>
- </listitem>
- <listitem>
- <para>
- Improved cookie management features (e.g. session based cookies).
- </para>
-</listitem>
-
- <listitem>
- <para>
- Builds from source on most UNIX-like systems. Packages available for: Linux
- (RedHat, SuSE, or Debian), Windows, Sun Solaris, Mac OSX, OS/2, HP-UX 11 and AmigaOS.
-
- </para>
- </listitem>
-
- <listitem>
- <para>
- In addition, the configuration is much more powerful and versatile over-all.
- </para>
-</listitem>
-
- </itemizedlist>
-</para>
+&newfeatures;
</sect2>
<para>
<screen>
- tar xzvf ijb_source_* [.tgz or .tar.gz]
- cd ijb_source_2.9.11_beta
+ tar xzvf privoxy-2.9.13-beta-src* [.tgz or .tar.gz]
+ cd privoxy-2.9.13-beta
</screen>
</para>
<para>
<screen>
- autoheader [suggested for CVS source]
- autoconf [suggested for CVS source]
+ autoheader
+ autoconf
./configure
make redhat-dist
</screen>
<para>
<screen>
- autoheader [suggested for CVS source]
- autoconf [suggested for CVS source]
+ autoheader
+ autoconf
./configure
make suse-dist
</screen>
<application>Privoxy</application> is packaged in a WarpIN self-
installing archive. The self-installing program will be named depending
on the release version, something like:
- <filename>ijbos2_setup_1.2.3.exe</filename>. In order to install it, simply
+ <filename>privoxyos2_setup_1.2.3.exe</filename>. In order to install it, simply
run this executable or double-click on its icon and follow the WarpIN
installation panels. A shadow of the <application>Privoxy</application>
executable will be placed in your startup folder so it will start
<!-- ~ End section ~ -->
+<!-- ~~~~~ New section ~~~~~ -->
+
+<sect1 id="quickstart"><title>Quickstart to Using <application>Privoxy</application></title>
+<para>
+ Before launching <application>Privoxy</application> for the first time, you
+ will want to configure your browser(s) to use <application>Privoxy</application>
+ as a HTTP and HTTPS proxy. The default is localhost for the proxy address,
+ and port 8118 (earlier versions used port 800). This is the one required
+ configuration that must be done!
+</para>
+
+<para>
+ With <application>Netscape</application> (and
+ <application>Mozilla</application>), this can be set under <literal>Edit
+ -> Preferences -> Advanced -> Proxies -> HTTP Proxy</literal>.
+ For <application>Internet Explorer</application>: <literal>Tools ->
+ Internet Properties -> Connections -> LAN Setting</literal>. Then,
+ check <quote>Use Proxy</quote> and fill in the appropriate info (Address:
+ localhost, Port: 8118). Include if HTTPS proxy support too.
+</para>
+
+<para>
+ After doing this, flush your browser's disk and memory caches to force a
+ re-reading of all pages and get rid of any ads that may be cached. You
+ are now ready to start enjoying the benefits of using
+ <application>Privoxy</application>.
+</para>
+
+
+<para>
+ <application>Privoxy</application> is typically started by specifying the
+ main configuration file to be used on the command line. Example Unix startup
+ command:
+</para>
+
+<para>
+ <screen>
+
+ # /usr/sbin/privoxy /etc/privoxy/config
+
+ </screen>
+</para>
+
+<para>
+ An init script is provided for SuSE and Redhat.
+</para>
+
+<para>
+For for SuSE: /etc/rc.d/privoxy start
+</para>
+
+<para>
+For RedHat: /etc/rc.d/init.d/privoxy start
+</para>
+
+
+<para>
+ If no configuration file is specified on the command line,
+ <application>Privoxy</application> will look for a file named
+ <filename>config</filename> in the current directory. Except on Win32 where
+ it will try <filename>config.txt</filename>. If no file is specified on the
+ command line and no default configuration file can be found,
+ <application>Privoxy</application> will fail to start.
+</para>
+
+
+<para>
+ The included default configuration files should give a reasonable starting
+ point, though may be somewhat aggressive in blocking junk. Most of the
+ per site configuration is done in the <quote>actions</quote> files. These
+ are where various cookie actions are defined, ad and banner blocking,
+ and other aspects of <application>Privoxy</application> configuration. There
+ are several such files included, with varying levels of aggressiveness.
+</para>
+
+<para>
+ You will probably want to keep an eye out for sites that require persistent
+ cookies, and add these to <filename>default.action</filename> as needed. By
+ default, most of these will be accepted only during the current browser
+ session, until you add them to the configuration. If you want the browser to
+ handle this instead, you will need to edit
+ <filename>default.action</filename> and disable this feature. If you use more
+ than one browser, it would make more sense to let
+ <application>Privoxy</application> handle this. In which case, the browser(s)
+ should be set to accept all cookies.
+</para>
+
+<para>
+ <application>Privoxy</application> is HTTP/1.1 compliant, but not all 1.1
+ features are as yet implemented. If browsers that support HTTP/1.1 (like
+ <application>Mozilla</application> or recent versions of I.E.) experience
+ problems, you might try to force HTTP/1.0 compatibility. For Mozilla, look
+ under <literal>Edit -> Preferences -> Debug -> Networking</literal>.
+ Or set the <quote>+downgrade</quote> config option in
+ <filename>default.action</filename>.
+</para>
+
+<para>
+ After running <application>Privoxy</application> for a while, you can
+ start to fine tune the configuration to suit your personal, or site,
+ preferences and requirements. There are many, many aspects that can
+ be customized. <quote>Actions</quote> (as specified in <filename>default.action</filename>)
+ can be adjusted by pointing your browser to
+ <ulink url="http://p.p/">http://p.p/</ulink>,
+ and then follow the link to <quote>edit the actions list</quote>.
+ (This is an internal page and does not require Internet access.)
+</para>
+
+<para>
+ In fact, various aspects of <application>Privoxy</application>
+ configuration can be viewed from this page, including
+ current configuration parameters, source code version numbers,
+ the browser's request headers, and <quote>actions</quote> that apply
+ to a given URL. In addition to the <filename>default.action</filename> file
+ editor mentioned above, <application>Privoxy</application> can also
+ be turned <quote>on</quote> and <quote>off</quote> from this page.
+</para>
+
+<para>
+ If you encounter problems, please verify it is a
+ <application>Privoxy</application> bug, by disabling
+ <application>Privoxy</application>, and then trying the same page.
+ Also, try another browser if possible to eliminate browser or site
+ problems. Before reporting it as a bug, see if there is not a configuration
+ option that is enabled that is causing the page not to load. You can then add
+ an exception for that page or site. For instance, try adding it to the
+ <literal>{fragile}</literal> section of <filename>default.action</filename>.
+ This will turn off most actions for this site. For more on troubleshooting
+ problem sites, see the <ulink
+ url="appendix.html#ACTIONSANAT">Appendix</ulink>. If a bug, please report it
+ to the developers (see below).
+</para>
+
+
+<!-- ~~~~~ New section ~~~~~ -->
+
+<sect2>
+<title>Command Line Options</title>
+<para>
+ <application>Privoxy</application> may be invoked with the following
+ command-line options:
+</para>
+
+<para>
+ <itemizedlist>
+
+ <listitem>
+ <para>
+ <emphasis>--version</emphasis>
+ </para>
+ <para>
+ Print version info and exit, Unix only.
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+ <listitem>
+ <para>
+ <emphasis>--help</emphasis>
+ </para>
+ <para>
+ Print a short usage info and exit, Unix only.
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+ <listitem>
+ <para>
+ <emphasis>--no-daemon</emphasis>
+ </para>
+ <para>
+ Don't become a daemon, i.e. don't fork and become process group
+ leader, don't detach from controlling tty. Unix only.
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+ <listitem>
+ <para>
+ <emphasis>--pidfile FILE</emphasis>
+
+ </para>
+ <para>
+ On startup, write the process ID to <emphasis>FILE</emphasis>. Delete the
+ <emphasis>FILE</emphasis> on exit. Failiure to create or delete the
+ <emphasis>FILE</emphasis> is non-fatal. If no <emphasis>FILE</emphasis>
+ option is given, no PID file will be used. Unix only.
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+ <listitem>
+ <para>
+ <emphasis>--user USER[.GROUP]</emphasis>
+
+ </para>
+ <para>
+ After (optionally) writing the PID file, assume the user ID of
+ <emphasis>USER</emphasis>, and if included the GID of GROUP. Exit if the
+ privileges are not sufficient to do so. Unix only.
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+ <listitem>
+ <para>
+ <emphasis>configfile</emphasis>
+ </para>
+ <para>
+ If no <emphasis>configfile</emphasis> is included on the command line,
+ <application>Privoxy</application> will look for a file named
+ <quote>config</quote> in the current directory (except on Win32
+ where it will look for <quote>config.txt</quote> instead). Specify
+ full path to avoid confusion.
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+
+ </itemizedlist>
+</para>
+
+</sect2>
+
+</sect1>
+
+<!-- ~ End section ~ -->
+
+
<!-- ~~~~~ New section ~~~~~ -->
<sect1 id="configuration"><title><application>Privoxy</application> Configuration</title>
<para>
- All <application>Privoxy</application> configuration is kept
+ All <application>Privoxy</application> configuration is stored
in text files. These files can be edited with a text editor.
Many important aspects of <application>Privoxy</application> can
also be controlled easily with a web browser.
<para>
<application>Privoxy</application> can be reached by the special
URL <ulink url="http://p.p/">http://p.p/</ulink> (or alternately
- <ulink url="http://ijbswa.sourceforge.net/config/">http://ijbswa.sourceforge.net/config/</ulink>),
+ <ulink url="http://config.privoxy.org/">http://config.privoxy.org/</ulink>),
which is an internal page. You will see the following section:
</para>
file that can be accessed via <ulink
url="http://p.p">http://p.p</ulink>. (Other actions
files are included as well with differing levels of filtering
- and blocking, e.g. <filename>ijb-basic.action</filename>.)
+ and blocking, e.g. <filename>basic.action</filename>.)
</para>
</listitem>
<para>
<application>Privoxy</application> can use a number of other files to tell it
- what ads to block, what cookies to accept, etc. This section of the
- configuration file tells <application>Privoxy</application> where to find
- all those other files.
+ what ads to block, what cookies to accept, and perform other functions. This
+ section of the configuration file tells <application>Privoxy</application>
+ where to find all those other files.
</para>
<para>
<literal>
<msgtext>
<literallayout>
- <emphasis>trust-info-url http://www.your-site.com/why_we_block.html</emphasis>
- <emphasis>trust-info-url http://www.your-site.com/what_we_allow.html</emphasis>
+ <emphasis>trust-info-url http://www.example.com/why_we_block.html</emphasis>
+ <emphasis>trust-info-url http://www.example.com/what_we_allow.html</emphasis>
</literallayout>
</msgtext>
</literal>
<literal>
<msgtext>
<literallayout>
- <emphasis>proxy-info-url http://www.your-site.com/proxy.html</emphasis>
+ <emphasis>proxy-info-url http://www.example.com/proxy.html</emphasis>
</literallayout>
</msgtext>
</literal>
<!-- ~~~~~ New section ~~~~~ -->
-<sect3>
+<sect3 id="forwarding">
<title>Forwarding</title>
<para>
</para>
<para>
- Your squid configuration could then look like this:
+Your squid configuration could then look like this (assuming that the IP
+address of the box is <literal>192.168.0.1</literal> ):
</para>
<para>
<!-- per feedback from user...
cache_peer 127.0.0.1 8118 parent 0 no-query
-->
- cache_peer 127.0.0.1 parent 8118 0 no-query
+ cache_peer 192.168.0.1 parent 8118 0 no-query
+
+ # don't listen to the whole world
+ http_port 192.168.0.1:3128
+
+ # define the local lan
+ acl mylocallan src 192.168.0.1-192.168.0.5/255.255.255.255
+
+ # grant access for http to local lan
+ http_access allow mylocallan
# Define ACL for protocol FTP
acl FTP proto FTP
<para>
The <quote>default.action</quote> file (formerly
- <filename>actionsfile</filename>) is used to define what actions
- <application>Privoxy</application> takes, and thus determines how images,
- cookies and various other aspects of HTTP content and transactions are
- handled. Images can be anything you want, including ads, banners, or just
- some obnoxious URL that you would rather not see. Cookies can be accepted
- or rejected, or accepted only during the current browser session (i.e.
- not written to disk). Changes to <filename>default.action</filename> should
- be immediately visible to <application>Privoxy</application> without
- the need to restart.
+ <filename>actionsfile</filename> or <filename>ijb.action</filename>) is used
+ to define what actions <application>Privoxy</application> takes, and thus
+ determines how ad images, cookies and various other aspects of HTTP content
+ and transactions are handled. These can be accepted or rejected for all
+ sites, or just those sites you choose. See below for a complete list of
+ actions.
+</para>
+<para>
+ Anything you want can blocked, including ads, banners, or just some obnoxious
+ URL that you would rather not see. Cookies can be accepted or rejected, or
+ accepted only during the current browser session (i.e. not written to disk).
+ Changes to <filename>default.action</filename> should be immediately visible
+ to <application>Privoxy</application> without the need to restart.
+</para>
+
+<para>
+ Note that some sites may misbehave, or possibly not work at all with some
+ actions. This may require some tinkering with the rules to get the most
+ mileage of <application>Privoxy's</application> features, and still be
+ able to see and enjoy just what you want to. There is no general rule of
+ thumb on these things. There just are too many variables, and sites are
+ always changing.
+
</para>
<para>
- The easiest way to edit <quote>actions</quote> file is with a browser by
+ The easiest way to edit the <quote>actions</quote> file is with a browser by
loading <ulink url="http://p.p/">http://p.p/</ulink>, and then select
<quote>Edit Actions List</quote>. A text editor can also be used.
</para>
</para>
<para>
- <emphasis>/index.html</emphasis> - matches the document <quote>/index.html</quote>, regardless of
- the domain.
+ <emphasis>/index.html</emphasis> - matches the document <quote>/index.html</quote>,
+ regardless of the domain. So would match any page named <quote>index.html</quote>
+ on any site.
</para>
<para>
</para>
<para>
- <emphasis>.example.com</emphasis> - matches any domain that <emphasis>ENDS</emphasis> in
- <quote>.example.com</quote>.
+ <emphasis>.example.com</emphasis> - matches any domain or sub-domain that
+ <emphasis>ENDS</emphasis> in <quote>.example.com</quote>.
</para>
<para>
<para>
If <application>Privoxy</application> was compiled with
- <quote>pcre</quote> support (default), Perl compatible regular expressions
- can be used. See the <filename>pcre/docs/</filename> directory or <quote>man
+ <quote>pcre</quote> support (the default), Perl compatible regular expressions
+ can be used. These are more flexible and powerful than other types
+ of <quote>regular expressions</quote>. See the <filename>pcre/docs/</filename> directory or <quote>man
perlre</quote> (also available on <ulink
url="http://www.perldoc.com/perl5.6/pod/perlre.html">http://www.perldoc.com/perl5.6/pod/perlre.html</ulink>)
for details. A brief discussion of regular expressions is in the
</para>
<para>
- Later defined actions always over-ride earlier ones. For multi-valued
- actions, the actions are applied in the order they are specified.
+ Later defined actions always over-ride earlier ones. So exceptions
+ to any rules you make, should come in the latter part of the file. For
+ multi-valued actions, the actions are applied in the order they are
+ specified.
</para>
<para>
<para>
Block this URL totally. In a default installation, a <quote>blocked</quote>
URL will result in bright red banner that says <quote>BLOCKED</quote>,
- with a reason why it is being blocked.
+ with a reason why it is being blocked, and an option to see it anyway.
+ The page displayed for this is the <quote>blocked</quote> template
+ file.
</para>
<para>
<literal>
</para>
<para>
The <quote>+fast-redirects</quote> option enables interception of these
- requests by <application>Privoxy</application>, who will cut off all but
- the last valid URL in the request and send a local redirect back to your
- browser without contacting the remote site.
+ types of requests by <application>Privoxy</application>, who will cut off
+ all but the last valid URL in the request and send a local redirect back to
+ your browser without contacting the intermediate site(s).
</para>
<para>
<literal>
Apply the filters in the <literal>section_header</literal>
section of the <filename>default.filter</filename> file to the site(s).
<filename>default.filter</filename> sections are grouped according to like
- functionality.
+ functionality. <application>Filters</application> can be used to
+ re-write any of the raw page content. This is a potentially a
+ very powerful feature!
</para>
<para>
Don't send the <quote>Referer:</quote> (sic) header to the web site. You
can block it, forge a URL to the same server as the request (which is
preferred because some sites will not send images otherwise) or set it to a
- constant string of your choice.
+ constant, user defined string of your choice.
</para>
<para>
<literal>
See <quote>+image-blocker{}</quote> below for the control over what is actually sent.
If you want <emphasis>invisible</emphasis> ads, they should be defined as
<emphasis>images</emphasis> and <emphasis>blocked</emphasis>. And also,
- <quote>image-blocker</quote> should be set to <quote>blank</quote>.
+ <quote>image-blocker</quote> should be set to <quote>blank</quote>. Note you
+ cannot treat HTML pages as images in most cases. For instance, frames
+ require an HTML page to display. Forcing an <quote>image</quote> in this
+ situation just will not work.
</para>
<para>
<literal>
<application>Privoxy</application>, since <quote>+filter</quote>,
<quote>+no-popup</quote> and <quote>+gif-deanimate</quote> will not work on
compressed data. This will slow down connections to those websites,
- though. Default is <quote>nocompression</quote> is turned on.
+ though. Default is <quote>no-compression</quote> is turned on.
</para>
<para>
</para>
<para>
- Now some URLs that we want <quote>blocked</quote>, ie we won't see them.
- Many of these use regular expressions that will expand to match multiple
- URLs:
+ Now some URLs that we want <quote>blocked</quote> (normally generates
+ the <quote>blocked</quote> banner). Many of these use regular expressions
+ that will expand to match multiple URLs:
</para>
<para>
<quote>z</quote>, <quote>0</quote>-<quote>9</quote>, <quote>+</quote>, and
<quote>-</quote>. Alias names are not case sensitive, and
<emphasis>must be defined before anything</emphasis> else in the
- <filename>default.action</filename>file ! And there can only be one set of
+ <filename>default.action</filename>file! And there can only be one set of
<quote>aliases</quote> defined.
</para>
</literal>
</para>
+<para>
+ The <quote>shop</quote> and <quote>fragile</quote> aliases are often used for
+ <quote>problem</quote> sites that require most actions to be disabled
+ in order to function properly.
+
+</para>
+
</sect3>
</sect2>
<filename>default.filter</filename>, located in the config directory.
</para>
+<para>
+ This is potentially a very powerful feature, and requires knowledge of both
+ <quote>regular expression</quote> and HTML in order create custom
+ filters. But, there are a number of useful filters included with
+ <application>Privoxy</application> for many common situations.
+</para>
+
<para>
The included example file is divided into sections. Each section begins
with the <literal>FILTER</literal> keyword, followed by the identifier
for that section, e.g. <quote>FILTER: webbugs</quote>. Each section performs
a similar type of filtering, such as <quote>html-annoyances</quote>.
-
</para>
<para>
s/industry-leading|cutting-edge|award-winning/<font color=red><b>BINGO!</b></font>/ig
</literallayout>
</msgtext>
- </literal>
-</para>
-
-<para>
- Kill those pesky little web-bugs:
-</para>
-
-<para>
- <literal>
- <msgtext>
- <literallayout>
- # webbugs: Squish WebBugs (1x1 invisible GIFs used for user tracking)
- FILTER: webbugs
-
- s/<img\s+[^>]*?(width|height)\s*=\s*['"]?1\D[^>]*?(width|height)\s*=\s*['"]?1(\D[^>]*?)?>/<!-- Squished WebBug -->/sig
- </literallayout>
- </msgtext>
- </literal>
-</para>
-
-</sect2>
-
-<!-- ~ End section ~ -->
-
-
-
-<!-- ~~~~~ New section ~~~~~ -->
-
-<sect2>
-<title>Templates</title>
-<para>
- When <application>Privoxy</application> displays one of its internal
- pages, such as a 404 Not Found error page, it uses the appropriate template.
- On Linux, BSD, and Unix, these are located in
- <filename>/etc/privoxy/templates</filename> by default. These may be
- customized, if desired.
-
-</para>
-</sect2>
-
-</sect1>
-
-<!-- ~ End section ~ -->
-
-
-
-<!-- ~~~~~ New section ~~~~~ -->
-<sect1 id="quickstart"><title>Quickstart to Using <application>Privoxy</application></title>
-<para>
- Install package, then run and enjoy! <application>Privoxy</application>
- is typically started by specifying the main configuration file to be
- used on the command line. Example Unix startup command:
-</para>
-
-<para>
- <screen>
-
- # /usr/sbin/privoxy /etc/privoxy/config
-
- </screen>
-</para>
-
-<para>
- An init script is provided for SuSE and Redhat.
-</para>
-
-<para>
-For for SuSE: /etc/rc.d/privoxy start
-</para>
-
-<para>
-For RedHat: /etc/rc.d/init.d/privoxy start
-</para>
-
-
-<para>
- If no configuration file is specified on the command line,
- <application>Privoxy</application> will look for a file named
- <filename>config</filename> in the current directory. Except on Win32 where
- it will try <filename>config.txt</filename>. If no file is specified on the
- command line and no default configuration file can be found,
- <application>Privoxy</application> will fail to start.
-</para>
-
-<para>
- Be sure your browser is set to use the proxy which is by default at
- localhost, port 8118. With <application>Netscape</application> (and
- <application>Mozilla</application>), this can be set under <literal>Edit
- -> Preferences -> Advanced -> Proxies -> HTTP Proxy</literal>.
- For <application>Internet Explorer</application>: <literal>Tools >
- Internet Properties -> Connections -> LAN Setting</literal>. Then,
- check <quote>Use Proxy</quote> and fill in the appropriate info (Address:
- localhost, Port: 8118). Include if HTTPS proxy support too.
-</para>
-
-<para>
- The included default configuration files should give a reasonable starting
- point, though may be somewhat aggressive in blocking junk. You will probably
- want to keep an eye out for sites that require persistent cookies, and add these to
- <filename>default.action</filename> as needed. By default, most of these will
- be accepted only during the current browser session, until you add them to
- the configuration. If you want the browser to handle this instead, you will
- need to edit <filename>default.action</filename> and disable this feature. If you
- use more than one browser, it would make more sense to let
- <application>Privoxy</application> handle this. In which case, the
- browser(s) should be set to accept all cookies.
+ </literal>
</para>
<para>
- If a particular site shows problems loading properly, try adding it
- to the <literal>{fragile}</literal> section of
- <filename>default.action</filename>. This will turn off most actions for
- this site.
+ Kill those pesky little web-bugs:
</para>
<para>
- <application>Privoxy</application> is HTTP/1.1 compliant, but not all 1.1
- features are as yet implemented. If browsers that support HTTP/1.1 (like
- <application>Mozilla</application> or recent versions of I.E.) experience
- problems, you might try to force HTTP/1.0 compatibility. For Mozilla, look
- under <literal>Edit -> Preferences -> Debug -> Networking</literal>.
- Or set the <quote>+downgrade</quote> config option in
- <filename>default.action</filename>.
-</para>
+ <literal>
+ <msgtext>
+ <literallayout>
+ # webbugs: Squish WebBugs (1x1 invisible GIFs used for user tracking)
+ FILTER: webbugs
-<para>
- After running <application>Privoxy</application> for a while, you can
- start to fine tune the configuration to suit your personal, or site,
- preferences and requirements. There are many, many aspects that can
- be customized. <quote>Actions</quote> (as specified in <filename>default.action</filename>)
- can be adjusted by pointing your browser to
- <ulink url="http://p.p/">http://p.p/</ulink>,
- and then follow the link to <quote>edit the actions list</quote>.
- (This is an internal page and does not require Internet access.)
+ s/<img\s+[^>]*?(width|height)\s*=\s*['"]?1\D[^>]*?(width|height)\s*=\s*['"]?1(\D[^>]*?)?>/<!-- Squished WebBug -->/sig
+ </literallayout>
+ </msgtext>
+ </literal>
</para>
-<para>
- In fact, various aspects of <application>Privoxy</application>
- configuration can be viewed from this page, including
- current configuration parameters, source code version numbers,
- the browser's request headers, and <quote>actions</quote> that apply
- to a given URL. In addition to the <filename>default.action</filename> file
- editor mentioned above, <application>Privoxy</application> can also
- be turned <quote>on</quote> and <quote>off</quote> from this page.
-</para>
+</sect2>
-<para>
- If you encounter problems, please verify it is a
- <application>Privoxy</application> bug, by disabling
- <application>Privoxy</application>, and then trying the same page.
- Also, try another browser if possible to eliminate browser or site
- problems. Before reporting it as a bug, see if there is not a configuration
- option that is enabled that is causing the page not to load. You can
- then add an exception for that page or site. If a bug, please report it to
- the developers (see below).
-</para>
+<!-- ~ End section ~ -->
<!-- ~~~~~ New section ~~~~~ -->
<sect2>
-<title>Command Line Options</title>
+<title>Templates</title>
<para>
- <application>Privoxy</application> may be invoked with the following
- command-line options:
+ When <application>Privoxy</application> displays one of its internal
+ pages, such as a 404 Not Found error page, it uses the appropriate template.
+ On Linux, BSD, and Unix, these are located in
+ <filename>/etc/privoxy/templates</filename> by default. These may be
+ customized, if desired.
</para>
-
<para>
- <itemizedlist>
-
- <listitem>
- <para>
- <emphasis>--version</emphasis>
- </para>
- <para>
- Print version info and exit, Unix only.
- </para>
- </listitem>
- <listitem>
- <para>
- <emphasis>--help</emphasis>
- </para>
- <para>
- Print a short usage info and exit, Unix only.
- </para>
- </listitem>
- <listitem>
- <para>
- <emphasis>--no-daemon</emphasis>
- </para>
- <para>
- Don't become a daemon, i.e. don't fork and become process group
- leader, don't detach from controlling tty. Unix only.
- </para>
- </listitem>
- <listitem>
- <para>
- <emphasis>--pidfile FILE</emphasis>
-
- </para>
- <para>
- On startup, write the process ID to <emphasis>FILE</emphasis>. Delete the
- <emphasis>FILE</emphasis> on exit. Failiure to create or delete the
- <emphasis>FILE</emphasis> is non-fatal. If no <emphasis>FILE</emphasis>
- option is given, no PID file will be used. Unix only.
- </para>
- </listitem>
- <listitem>
- <para>
- <emphasis>--user USER[.GROUP]</emphasis>
-
- </para>
- <para>
- After (optionally) writing the PID file, assume the user ID of
- <emphasis>USER</emphasis>, and if included the GID of GROUP. Exit if the
- privileges are not sufficient to do so. Unix only.
- </para>
- </listitem>
- <listitem>
- <para>
- <emphasis>configfile</emphasis>
- </para>
- <para>
- If no <emphasis>configfile</emphasis> is included on the command line,
- <application>Privoxy</application> will look for a file named
- <quote>config</quote> in the current directory (except on Win32
- where it will look for <quote>config.txt</quote> instead). Specify
- full path to avoid confusion.
- </para>
- </listitem>
+ The default <quote>Blocked</quote> banner page with the bright red top
+ banner, is called just <quote><filename>blocked</filename></quote>. This
+ may be customized or replaced with something else if desired.
- </itemizedlist>
</para>
-
</sect2>
</sect1>
<listitem><para>Submit bugs only thru our <ulink url="http://sourceforge.net/tracker/?group_id=11118&atid=111118">Sourceforge bug
forum</ulink>.
-Make sure that the bug has not already been submitted. Please try to
-verify that it is a <application>Privoxy</application> bug, and not
-a browser or site bug first. If you are using your own custom configuration,
-please try the stock configs to see if the problem is a configuration
-related bug. And if not using the latest development snapshot, please
-try the latest one. Or even better, CVS sources.</para>
-</listitem>
-
+ </para>
+ <para>
+ Make sure that the bug has not already been submitted. Please try to
+ verify that it is a <application>Privoxy</application> bug, and not a
+ browser or site bug first. If you are using your own custom configuration,
+ please try the stock configs to see if the problem is a configuration
+ related bug. And if not using the latest development snapshot, please try
+ the latest one. Or even better, CVS sources. Please be sure to include the
+ <application>Privoxy</application>/<application>Junkbuster</application>
+ version, platform, browser, any pertinent log data, any other relevant
+ details (please be specific) and, if possible, some way to reproduce the
+ bug.
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
<listitem><para>Submit feature requests only thru our <ulink
url="http://sourceforge.net/tracker/?atid=361118&group_id=11118&func=browse">Sourceforge feature request forum</ulink>.</para></listitem>
<para>
<application>Privoxy</application> is free software; you can
redistribute it and/or modify it under the terms of the GNU General Public
+<!--
+ <informalfigure float="0">
+ <mediaobject>
+ <imageobject>
+ <imagedata fileref="gnu.jpg" format="jpg">
+ </imageobject>
+ <textobject>
+ <phrase>GNU's Pet GNU</phrase>
+ </textobject>
+ </mediaobject>
+ </informalfigure>
+-->
License as published by the Free Software Foundation; either version 2 of the
License, or (at your option) any later version.
</para>
+
<para>
This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but WITHOUT
ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS
FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the GNU General Public License for more
- details, which is available from <ulink
- url="http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/gpl.html">the Free Software Foundation,
- Inc</ulink>, 59 Temple Place - Suite 330, Boston, MA 02111-1307, USA.
+ details, which is available from the Free Software Foundation,
+ Inc, 59 Temple Place - Suite 330, Boston, MA 02111-1307, USA.
+</para>
+
+<para>
+ You should have received a copy of the <ulink
+ url="http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/gpl.html">GNU General Public License</ulink>
+ along with this program; if not, write to the Free Software Foundation, Inc.,
+ 59 Temple Place, Suite 330, Boston, MA 02111-1307 USA.
</para>
</sect2>
<!-- ~~~~~ New section ~~~~~ -->
-<sect2>
+<sect2 id="history">
<title>History</title>
+<para>
+ <application>Privoxy</application> is evolved, and derived from,
+ <application>the Internet Junkbuster</application>, with many
+ improvments and enhancements over the original.
+</para>
+
<para>
<application>Junkbuster</application> was originally written by Anonymous
Coders and <ulink
- url="http://www.junkbusters.com/ht/en/ijbfaq.html">Junkbuster's
+ url="http://www.junkbusters.com">Junkbuster's
Corporation</ulink>, and was released as free open-source software under the
GNU GPL. <ulink url="http://www.waldherr.org/junkbuster/">Stefan
Waldherr</ulink> made many improvements, and started the <ulink
url="http://sourceforge.net/projects/ijbswa/">SourceForge project
Privoxy</ulink> to rekindle development. There are now several active
- developers contributing. The last stable release was v2.0.2, which has now
+ developers contributing. The last stable release of
+ <application>Junkbuster</application> was v2.0.2, which has now
grown whiskers ;-).
</para>
</sect1>
<!-- ~~~~~ New section ~~~~~ -->
-<sect1 id="seealso"><title>See also</title>
-<para>
-
- <simplelist>
- <member>
- <ulink url="http://sourceforge.net/projects/ijbswa">http://sourceforge.net/projects/ijbswa</ulink>
- </member>
- </simplelist>
- <simplelist>
- <member>
- <ulink url="http://ijbswa.sourceforge.net/">http://ijbswa.sourceforge.net/</ulink>
- </member>
- </simplelist>
- <simplelist>
- <member>
- <ulink url="http://p.p/">http://p.p/</ulink>
- </member>
- </simplelist>
- <simplelist>
- <member>
- <ulink url="http://www.junkbusters.com/ht/en/cookies.html">http://www.junkbusters.com/ht/en/cookies.html</ulink>
- </member>
- </simplelist>
- <simplelist>
- <member>
- <ulink url="http://www.waldherr.org/junkbuster/">http://www.waldherr.org/junkbuster/</ulink>
- </member>
- </simplelist>
- <simplelist>
- <member>
- <ulink url="http://privacy.net/analyze/">http://privacy.net/analyze/</ulink>
- </member>
- </simplelist>
- <simplelist>
- <member>
- <ulink url="http://www.squid-cache.org/">http://www.squid-cache.org/</ulink>
- </member>
- </simplelist>
+<sect1 id="seealso"><title>See Also</title>
+<!--
+ Include seealso.sgml:
+-->
+&seealso;
-</para>
</sect1>
<para>
Since <application>Privoxy</application> proxies each requested
web page, it is easy for <application>Privoxy</application> to
- trap certain URLs. In this way, we can talk directly to
+ trap certain special URLs. In this way, we can talk directly to
<application>Privoxy</application>, and see how it is
configured, see how our rules are being applied, change these
rules and other configuration options, and even turn
</para>
<blockquote>
<para>
- <ulink url="http://ijbswa.sourceforge.net/config/">http://ijbswa.sourceforge.net/config/</ulink>
+ <ulink url="http://config.privoxy.org/">http://config.privoxy.org/</ulink>
</para>
</blockquote>
<para>
</para>
<blockquote>
<para>
- <ulink url="http://ijbswa.sourceforge.net/config/show-status">http://ijbswa.sourceforge.net/config/show-status</ulink>
+ <ulink url="http://config.privoxy.org/show-status">http://config.privoxy.org/show-status</ulink>
</para>
</blockquote>
</listitem>
</para>
<blockquote>
<para>
- <ulink url="http://ijbswa.sourceforge.net/config/show-version">http://ijbswa.sourceforge.net/config/show-version</ulink>
+ <ulink url="http://config.privoxy.org/show-version">http://config.privoxy.org/show-version</ulink>
</para>
</blockquote>
</listitem>
</para>
<blockquote>
<para>
- <ulink url="http://ijbswa.sourceforge.net/config/show-request">http://ijbswa.sourceforge.net/config/show-request</ulink>
+ <ulink url="http://config.privoxy.org/show-request">http://config.privoxy.org/show-request</ulink>
</para>
</blockquote>
</listitem>
</para>
<blockquote>
<para>
- <ulink url="http://ijbswa.sourceforge.net/config/show-url-info">http://ijbswa.sourceforge.net/config/show-url-info</ulink>
+ <ulink url="http://config.privoxy.org/show-url-info">http://config.privoxy.org/show-url-info</ulink>
</para>
</blockquote>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
- Toggle Privoxy on or off:
+ Toggle Privoxy on or off. In this case, <quote>Privoxy</quote> continues
+ to run, but only as a pass-through proxy, with no actions taking place:
</para>
<blockquote>
<para>
- <ulink url="http://ijbswa.sourceforge.net/config/toggle">http://ijbswa.sourceforge.net/config/toggle</ulink>
+ <ulink url="http://config.privoxy.org/toggle">http://config.privoxy.org/toggle</ulink>
</para>
</blockquote>
<para>
</para>
<blockquote>
<para>
- <ulink url="http://ijbswa.sourceforge.net/config/toggle?set=disable">http://ijbswa.sourceforge.net/config/toggle?set=disable</ulink>
+ <ulink url="http://config.privoxy.org/toggle?set=disable">http://config.privoxy.org/toggle?set=disable</ulink>
</para>
</blockquote>
<blockquote>
<para>
- <ulink url="http://ijbswa.sourceforge.net/config/toggle?set=enable">http://ijbswa.sourceforge.net/config/toggle?set=enable</ulink>
+ <ulink url="http://config.privoxy.org/toggle?set=enable">http://config.privoxy.org/toggle?set=enable</ulink>
</para>
</blockquote>
</listitem>
</para>
<blockquote>
<para>
- <ulink url="http://ijbswa.sourceforge.net/config/edit-actions">http://ijbswa.sourceforge.net/config/edit-actions</ulink>
+ <ulink url="http://config.privoxy.org/edit-actions">http://config.privoxy.org/edit-actions</ulink>
</para>
</blockquote>
</listitem>
</para>
+<sect3 id="bookmarklets">
+<title>Bookmarklets</title>
+<para>
+ Here are some bookmarklets to allow you to easily access a
+ <quote>mini</quote> version of this page. They are designed for MS Internet
+ Explorer, but should work equally well in Netscape, Mozilla, and other
+ browsers which support JavaScript. They are designed to run directly from
+ your bookmarks - not by clicking the links below (although that will work for
+ testing).
+</para>
+<para>
+ To save them, right-click the link and choose <quote>Add to Favorites</quote>
+ (IE) or <quote>Add Bookmark</quote> (Netscape). You will get a warning that
+ the bookmark <quote>may not be safe</quote> - just click OK. Then you can run the
+ Bookmarklet directly from your favourites/bookmarks. For even faster access,
+ you can put them on the <quote>Links</quote> bar (IE) or the <quote>Personal
+ Toolbar</quote> (Netscape), and run them with a single click.
+</para>
+
+<para>
+ <itemizedlist>
+
+ <listitem>
+ <para>
+ <ulink url="javascript:void(window.open('http://config.privoxy.org/toggle?mini=y&set=enabled','ijbstatus','width=250,height=100,resizable=yes,scrollbars=no,toolbar=no,location=no,directories=no,status=no,menubar=no,copyhistory=no').focus());">Enable Privoxy</ulink>
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+
+ <listitem>
+ <para>
+ <ulink url="javascript:void(window.open('http://config.privoxy.org/toggle?mini=y&set=disabled','ijbstatus','width=250,height=100,resizable=yes,scrollbars=no,toolbar=no,location=no,directories=no,status=no,menubar=no,copyhistory=no').focus());">Disable Privoxy</ulink>
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+
+ <listitem>
+ <para>
+ <ulink url="javascript:void(window.open('http://config.privoxy.org/toggle?mini=y&set=toggle','ijbstatus','width=250,height=100,resizable=yes,scrollbars=no,toolbar=no,location=no,directories=no,status=no,menubar=no,copyhistory=no').focus());">Toggle Privoxy</ulink> (Toggles between enabled and disabled)
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+
+ <listitem>
+ <para>
+ <ulink url="javascript:void(window.open('http://config.privoxy.org/toggle?mini=y','ijbstatus','width=250,height=2,resizable=yes,scrollbars=no,toolbar=no,location=no,directories=no,status=no,menubar=no,copyhistory=no').focus());">View Privoxy Status</ulink>
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+
+ </itemizedlist>
+</para>
+
+<para>
+ Credit: The site which gave me the general idea for these bookmarklets is
+ <ulink url="http://www.bookmarklets.com">www.bookmarklets.com</ulink>. They
+ have more information about bookmarklets.
+</para>
+
+
+</sect3>
+
</sect2>
<para>
The way <application>Privoxy</application> applies <quote>actions</quote>
- to any given URL can be complex, and not always so easy to understand what
- is happening. And sometimes we need to be able to <emphasis>see</emphasis>
- just what <application>Privoxy</application> is doing. Especially,
- if something <application>Privoxy</application> is doing is causing
- us a problem inadvertantly. It can be a little daunting to look at
- the actions files themselves, since they tend to be filled with
+ and <quote>filters</quote> to any given URL can be complex, and not always so
+ easy to understand what is happening. And sometimes we need to be able to
+ <emphasis>see</emphasis> just what <application>Privoxy</application> is
+ doing. Especially, if something <application>Privoxy</application> is doing
+ is causing us a problem inadvertantly. It can be a little daunting to look at
+ the actions and filters files themselves, since they tend to be filled with
<quote>regular expressions</quote> whose consequences are not always
so obvious. <application>Privoxy</application> provides the
- <ulink url="http://ijbswa.sourceforge.net/config/show-url-info">http://ijbswa.sourceforge.net/config/show-url-info</ulink>
+ <ulink url="http://config.privoxy.org/show-url-info">http://config.privoxy.org/show-url-info</ulink>
page that can show us very specifically how <application>actions</application>
are being applied to any given URL. This is a big help for troubleshooting.
</para>
<para>
First, enter one URL (or partial URL) at the prompt, and then
<application>Privoxy</application> will tell us
- how current configuration will handle it. This will not
- help with filtering effects from the <filename>default.filter</filename>! It
+ how the current configuration will handle it. This will not
+ help with filtering effects from the <filename>default.filter</filename> file! It
also will not tell you about any other URLs that may be embedded within the
URL you are testing. For instance, images such as ads are expressed as URLs
within the raw page source of HTML pages. So you will only get info for the
</para>
<para>
- Now the page displays ;-)
+ Now the page displays ;-) Be sure to flush your browser's caches when
+ making such changes. Or, try using <literal>Shift+Reload</literal>.
+
+</para>
+
+<para>
+ But now what about a situation where we get no explicit matches like
+ we did with:
+
+</para>
+
+<para>
+ <screen>
+
+ { -block }
+ /adsl
+
+ </screen>
+</para>
+
+<para>
+ That actually was very telling and pointed us quickly to where the problem
+ was. If you don't get this kind of match, then it means one of the default
+ rules in the first section is causing the problem. This would require some
+ guesswork, and maybe a little trial and error to isolate the offending rule.
+ One likely cause would be one of the <quote>{+filter}</quote> actions. Try
+ adding the URL for the site to one of aliases that turn off <quote>+filter</quote>:
+</para>
+
+<para>
+ <screen>
+
+ {shop}
+ .quietpc.com
+ .worldpay.com # for quietpc.com
+ .jungle.com
+ .scan.co.uk
+ .forbes.com
+
+ </screen>
+</para>
+
+<para>
+ <quote>{shop}</quote> is an <quote>alias</quote> that expands to
+ <quote>{ -filter -no-cookies -no-cookies-keep }</quote>. Or you could do
+ your own exception to negate filtering:
+
+</para>
+
+<para>
+ <screen>
+ {-filter}
+ .forbes.com
+
+ </screen>
+</para>
+
+<para>
+ <quote>{fragile}</quote> is an alias that disables most actions. This can be
+ used as a last resort for problem sites. Remember to flush caches! If this
+ still does not work, you will have to go through the remaining actions one by
+ one to find which one(s) is causing the problem.
</para>
</sect2>
Temple Place - Suite 330, Boston, MA 02111-1307, USA.
$Log: user-manual.sgml,v $
+ Revision 1.64 2002/04/03 03:53:43 hal9
+ A few minor bug fixes, and touch ups. Ready for review.
+
+ Revision 1.63 2002/04/01 16:24:49 hal9
+ Define entities to include boilerplate text. See doc/source/*.
+
+ Revision 1.62 2002/03/30 04:15:53 hal9
+ - Fix privoxy.org/config links.
+ - Paste in Bookmarklets from Toggle page.
+ - Move Quickstart nearer top, and minor rework.
+
+ Revision 1.61 2002/03/29 01:31:08 hal9
+ Minor update.
+
+ Revision 1.60 2002/03/27 01:57:34 hal9
+ Added more to Anatomy section.
+
+ Revision 1.59 2002/03/27 00:54:33 hal9
+ Touch up intro for new name.
+
+ Revision 1.58 2002/03/26 22:29:55 swa
+ we have a new homepage!
+
+ Revision 1.57 2002/03/24 20:33:30 hal9
+ A few minor catch ups with name change.
+
+ Revision 1.56 2002/03/24 16:17:06 swa
+ configure needs to be generated.
+
+ Revision 1.55 2002/03/24 16:08:08 swa
+ we are too lazy to make a block-built
+ privoxy logo. hence removed the option.
+
Revision 1.54 2002/03/24 15:46:20 swa
name change related issue.