X-Git-Url: http://www.privoxy.org/gitweb/?a=blobdiff_plain;f=doc%2Fsource%2Fuser-manual.sgml;h=024d350e93f498969f5d8ee444b6c288d4b42859;hb=922ae4e04677a23a14feac41e55033a9953b2636;hp=468488a3e99af9d3f2e8fcef7d565ff48c064386;hpb=146d735f6374f090103caca541ad97e7882a87fc;p=privoxy.git
diff --git a/doc/source/user-manual.sgml b/doc/source/user-manual.sgml
index 468488a3..024d350e 100644
--- a/doc/source/user-manual.sgml
+++ b/doc/source/user-manual.sgml
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@
-
+
@@ -24,6 +24,8 @@
+
+Privoxy">
]>
- Copyright &my-copy; 2001 - 2004 by
+ Copyright &my-copy; 2001-2009 by
Privoxy Developers
-$Id: user-manual.sgml,v 2.12 2006/08/14 08:40:39 fabiankeil Exp $
+$Id: user-manual.sgml,v 2.102 2009/03/15 19:31:36 fabiankeil Exp $
@@ -96,7 +98,7 @@ Hal.
- You can find the latest version of the User Manual at Privoxy User Manual at http://www.privoxy.org/user-manual/.
Please see the Contact section on how to
contact the developers.
@@ -116,10 +118,9 @@ Hal.
Privoxy, v.&p-version;soon ;-)]]>.
+ configuration files. Development of a new version is currently nearing
+ completion, and includes significant changes and enhancements over
+ earlier versions. ]]>.
@@ -135,10 +136,12 @@ Hal.
Features
- In addition to Internet Junkbuster's traditional
- features of ad and banner blocking and cookie management,
- Privoxy provides new features:
+ In addition to the core
+ features of ad blocking and
+ cookie management,
+ Privoxy provides many supplemental
+ features,
+ that give the end-user more control, more privacy and more freedom:
&newfeatures;
@@ -162,13 +165,11 @@ Hal.
- Note: If you have a previous Junkbuster or
- Privoxy installation on your system, you
- will need to remove it. On some platforms, this may be done for you as part
- of their installation procedure. (See below for your platform). In any case
- be sure to backup your old configuration if it is valuable to
- you. See the note to
- upgraders section below.
+ Note:
+ On some platforms, the installer may remove previously installed versions, if
+ found. (See below for your platform). In any case be sure to backup
+ your old configuration if it is valuable to you. See the note to upgraders section below.
@@ -177,8 +178,10 @@ Hal.
How to install the binary packages depends on your operating system:
+
+
-Red Hat, SuSE and Conectiva RPMs
+Red Hat and Fedora RPMs
RPMs can be installed with rpm -Uvh privoxy-&p-version;-1.rpm,
@@ -190,8 +193,7 @@ How to install the binary packages depends on your operating system:
Note that on Red Hat, Privoxy will
not be automatically started on system boot. You will
need to enable that using chkconfig,
- ntsysv, or similar methods. Note that SuSE will
-automatically start Privoxy in the boot process.
+ ntsysv, or similar methods.
@@ -204,12 +206,12 @@ automatically start Privoxy in the boot process.
Also note that if you have a Junkbuster RPM installed
on your system, you need to remove it first, because the packages conflict.
Otherwise, RPM will try to remove Junkbuster
- automatically, before installing Privoxy.
+ automatically if found, before installing Privoxy.
-Debian
+Debian and Ubuntu
DEBs can be installed with apt-get install privoxy,
and will use /etc/privoxy for the location of
@@ -223,12 +225,45 @@ automatically start Privoxy in the boot process.
Just double-click the installer, which will guide you through
the installation process. You will find the configuration files
- in the same directory as you installed Privoxy in.
+ in the same directory as you installed Privoxy in.
+
+
+ Version 3.0.5 beta introduced full Windows service
+ functionality. On Windows only, the Privoxy
+ program has two new command line arguments to install and uninstall
+ Privoxy as a service.
+
+
+
+ Arguments:
+
+
+ --install[:service_name]
+
+
+ --uninstall[:service_name]
+
+
+
+
+
+ After invoking Privoxy with
+ --install, you will need to bring up the
+ Windows service console to assign the user you
+ want Privoxy to run under, and whether or not you
+ want it to run whenever the system starts. You can start the
+ Windows services console with the following
+ command: services.msc. If you do not take the manual step
+ of modifying Privoxy's service settings, it will
+ not start. Note too that you will need to give Privoxy a user account that
+ actually exists, or it will not be permitted to
+ write to its log and configuration files.
+
-Solaris, NetBSD, FreeBSD, HP-UX
+Solaris
Create a new directory, cd to it, then unzip and
@@ -264,32 +299,24 @@ automatically start Privoxy in the boot process.
-Mac OSX
-
- Unzip the downloaded file (you can either double-click on the file
- from the finder, or from the desktop if you downloaded it there).
- Then, double-click on the package installer icon named
- Privoxy.pkg
- and follow the installation process.
- Privoxy will be installed in the folder
- /Library/Privoxy.
- It will start automatically whenever you start up. To prevent it from
- starting automatically, remove or rename the folder
- /Library/StartupItems/Privoxy.
-
+Mac OS X
- To start Privoxy by hand, double-click on
- StartPrivoxy.command in the
- /Library/Privoxy folder.
- Or, type this command in the Terminal:
+ Unzip the downloaded file (you can either double-click on the zip file
+ icon from the Finder, or from the desktop if you downloaded it there).
+ Then, double-click on the package installer icon and follow the
+ installation process.
-
- /Library/Privoxy/StartPrivoxy.command
-
+ The privoxy service will automatically start after a successful
+ installation (in addition to every time your computer starts up). To
+ prevent the privoxy service from automatically starting when your
+ computer starts up, remove or rename the folder named
+ /Library/StartupItems/Privoxy.
- You will be prompted for the administrator password.
+ To manually start or stop the privoxy service, use the Privoxy Utility
+ for Mac OS X. This application controls the privoxy service (e.g.
+ starting and stopping the service as well as uninstalling the software).
@@ -303,6 +330,25 @@ automatically start Privoxy in the boot process.
+
+FreeBSD
+
+
+ Privoxy is part of FreeBSD's Ports Collection, you can build and install
+ it with cd /usr/ports/www/privoxy; make install clean.
+
+
+ If you don't use the ports, you can fetch and install
+ the package with pkg_add -r privoxy.
+
+
+ The port skeleton and the package can also be downloaded from the
+ File Release
+ Page, but there's no reason to use them unless you're interested in the
+ beta releases which are only available there.
+
+
+
Gentoo
@@ -313,7 +359,7 @@ automatically start Privoxy in the boot process.
Before installing Privoxy under Gentoo just do
- first emerge rsync to get the latest changes from the
+ first emerge --sync to get the latest changes from the
Portage tree. With emerge privoxy you install the latest
version.
@@ -331,7 +377,8 @@ automatically start Privoxy in the boot process.
The most convenient way to obtain the Privoxy sources
- is to download the source tarball from our project
+ is to download the source tarball from our
+ project download
page.
@@ -339,9 +386,13 @@ automatically start Privoxy in the boot process.
If you like to live on the bleeding edge and are not afraid of using
possibly unstable development versions, you can check out the up-to-the-minute
version directly from the
- CVS repository or simply download .
+
@@ -369,8 +420,9 @@ automatically start Privoxy in the boot process.
In order not to lose your personal changes and adjustments when updating
to the latest default.action file we strongly
- recommend that you use user.action for your
- customization of Privoxy. See the that you use user.action and
+ user.filter for your local
+ customizations of Privoxy. See the Chapter on actions files for details.
@@ -382,39 +434,105 @@ automatically start Privoxy in the boot process.
-
-Note to Upgraders
+
+What's New in this Release
- There are very significant changes from earlier
- Junkbuster versions to the current
- Privoxy. The number, names, syntax, and
- purposes of configuration files have substantially changed.
- Junkbuster 2.0.x configuration
- files will not migrate, Junkbuster 2.9.x
- and Privoxy configurations will need to be
- ported. The functionalities of the old blockfile,
- cookiefile and imagelist
- are now combined into the actions
- files.
- default.action, is the main actions file. Local
- exceptions should best be put into user.action.
-
-
- A filter file (typically
- default.filter) is new as of Privoxy
- 2.9.x, and provides some of the new sophistication (explained
- below). config is much the same as before.
+ Privoxy 3.0.12 is mainly a bugfix release:
+
- If upgrading from a 2.0.x version, you will have to use the new config
- files, and possibly adapt any personal rules from your older files.
- When porting personal rules over from the old blockfile
- to the new actions files, please note that even the pattern syntax has
- changed. If upgrading from 2.9.x development versions, it is still
- recommended to use the new configuration files.
+
+
+
+ The socket-timeout option now also works on platforms whose
+ select() implementation modifies the timeout structure.
+ Previously the timeout was triggered even if the connection
+ didn't stall. Reported by cyberpatrol.
+
+
+
+
+ The Connection: keep-alive code properly deals with files
+ larger than 2GB. Previously the connection was closed too
+ early.
+
+
+
+
+ The content length for files above 2GB is logged correctly.
+
+
+
+
+ The user-manual directive on the show-status page links to
+ the documentation location specified with the directive,
+ not to the Privoxy website.
+
+
+
+
+ When running in daemon mode, Privoxy doesn't log anything
+ to the console unless there are errors before the logfile
+ has been opened.
+
+
+
+
+ The show-status page prints warnings about invalid directives
+ on the same line as the directives themselves.
+
+
+
+
+ Fixed several justified (but harmless) compiler warnings,
+ mostly on 64 bit platforms.
+
+
+
+
+ The mingw32 version explicitly requests the default charset
+ to prevent display problems with some fonts available on more
+ recent Windows versions. Patch by Burberry.
+
+
+
+
+ The mingw32 version uses the Privoxy icon in the alt-tab
+ windows. Patch by Burberry.
+
+
+
+
+ The timestamp and the thread id is omitted in the "Fatal error"
+ message box on mingw32.
+
+
+
+
+ Fixed two related mingw32-only buffer overflows. Triggering
+ them required control over the configuration file, therefore
+ this isn't seen as a security issue.
+
+
+
+
+ In verbose mode, or if the new option --show-skipped-tests
+ is used, Privoxy-Regression-Test logs skipped tests and the
+ skip reason.
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+Note to Upgraders
+
- A quick list of things to be aware of before upgrading:
+ A quick list of things to be aware of before upgrading from earlier
+ versions of Privoxy:
@@ -422,61 +540,134 @@ automatically start Privoxy in the boot process.
- The default listening port is now 8118 due to a conflict with another
- service (NAS).
+ The recommended way to upgrade &my-app; is to backup your old
+ configuration files, install the new ones, verify that &my-app;
+ is working correctly and finally merge back your changes using
+ diff and maybe patch.
-
+
+ There are a number of new features in each &my-app; release and
+ most of them have to be explicitly enabled in the configuration
+ files. Old configuration files obviously don't do that and due
+ to syntax changes using old configuration files with a new
+ &my-app; isn't always possible anyway.
+
+
+
+
+ Note that some installers remove earlier versions completely,
+ including configuration files, therefore you should really save
+ any important configuration files!
+
+
+
+
+ On the other hand, other installers don't overwrite existing configuration
+ files, thinking you will want to do that yourself.
+
+
- Some installers may remove earlier versions completely. Save any
- important configuration files!
+ standard.action has been merged into
+ the default.action file.
- Privoxy is controllable with a web browser
- at the special URL: http://config.privoxy.org/
- (Shortcut: http://p.p/). Many
- aspects of configuration can be done here, including temporarily disabling
- Privoxy.
+ In the default configuration only fatal errors are logged now.
+ You can change that in the debug section
+ of the configuration file. You may also want to enable more verbose
+ logging until you verified that the new &my-app; version is working
+ as expected.
-
+
+
+
+
+ Three other config file settings are now off by default:
+ enable-remote-toggle,
+ enable-remote-http-toggle,
+ and enable-edit-actions.
+ If you use or want these, you will need to explicitly enable them, and
+ be aware of the security issues involved.
+
+
+
+
+
-
Some installers may not automatically start
Privoxy after installation.
+-->
+
+
-Quickstart to Using Privoxy
+Quickstart to Using Privoxy
-
-
- If upgrading, from versions before 2.9.16, please back up any configuration
- files. See the Note to Upgraders Section.
-
-
-
Install Privoxy. See the
Set your browser to use Privoxy as HTTP and
- HTTPS (SSL) proxy by setting the proxy configuration for address of
+ HTTPS (SSL) proxy
+ by setting the proxy configuration for address of
127.0.0.1 and port 8118.
- (Junkbuster and earlier versions of
- Privoxy used port 8000.) See the section Starting Privoxy below
- for more details on this.
+ DO NOT activate proxying for FTP or
+ any protocols besides HTTP and HTTPS (SSL) unless you intend to prevent your
+ browser from using these protocols.
Flush your browser's disk and memory caches, to remove any cached ad images.
- If using Privoxy to manage cookies, you should
- remove any currently stored cookies too.
+ If using Privoxy to manage
+ cookies,
+ you should remove any currently stored cookies too.
@@ -528,55 +720,62 @@ automatically start Privoxy in the boot process.
A default installation should provide a reasonable starting point for
most. There will undoubtedly be occasions where you will want to adjust the
configuration, but that can be dealt with as the need arises. Little
- to no initial configuration is required in most cases.
+ to no initial configuration is required in most cases, you may want
+ to enable the
+ web-based action editor though.
+ Be sure to read the warnings first.
See the Configuration section for more
configuration options, and how to customize your installation.
- next section for a quick
introduction to how Privoxy blocks ads and
- banners.]]>
+ banners.
- If you experience ads that slipped through, innocent images that are
+ If you experience ads that slip through, innocent images that are
blocked, or otherwise feel the need to fine-tune
- Privoxy's behaviour, take a look at the Privoxy's behavior, take a look at the actions files. As a quick start, you might
find the richly commented examples
helpful. You can also view and edit the actions files through the web-based user interface. The
- Appendix Anatomy of an
- Action has hints how to debug actions that
+ Appendix Troubleshooting: Anatomy of an
+ Action has hints on how to understand and debug actions that
misbehave.
+
Please see the section Contacting the
- Developers on how to report bugs or problems with websites or to get
+ Developers on how to report bugs, problems with websites or to get
help.
- Now enjoy surfing with enhanced comfort and privacy!
+ Now enjoy surfing with enhanced control, comfort and privacy!
-
+
@@ -602,7 +801,8 @@ automatically start Privoxy in the boot process.
First a bit of a warning ... blocking ads is much like blocking SPAM: the
more aggressive you are about it, the more likely you are to block
- things that were not intended. So there is a trade off here. If you want
+ things that were not intended. And the more likely that some things
+ may not work as intended. So there is a trade off here. If you want
extreme ad free browsing, be prepared to deal with more
problem sites, and to spend more time adjusting the
configuration to solve these unintended consequences. In short, there is
@@ -640,13 +840,17 @@ automatically start Privoxy in the boot process.
original page's HTML content. An ad image for instance, is just an URL
embedded in the page somewhere. The image itself may be on the same server,
or a server somewhere else on the Internet. Complex web pages will have many
- such embedded URLs.
+ such embedded URLs. &my-app; can deal with each URL individually, so, for
+ instance, the main page text is not touched, but images from such-and-such
+ server are blocked.
- The actions we need to know about for ad blocking are: block, handle-as-image, and
+ linkend="handle-as-image">handle-as-image,
+ handle-as-empty-document,and
set-image-blocker:
@@ -655,12 +859,14 @@ automatically start Privoxy in the boot process.
- block - this action stops
- any contact between your browser and any URL patterns that match this
- action's configuration. It can be used for blocking ads, but also anything
- that is determined to be unwanted. By itself, it simply stops any
- communication with the remote server and sends Privoxy's
- own built-in BLOCKED page instead to let you now what has happened.
+ block - this is perhaps
+ the single most used action, and is particularly important for ad blocking.
+ This action stops any contact between your browser and any URL patterns
+ that match this action's configuration. It can be used for blocking ads,
+ but also anything that is determined to be unwanted. By itself, it simply
+ stops any communication with the remote server and sends
+ Privoxy's own built-in BLOCKED page instead to
+ let you now what has happened (with some exceptions, see below).
@@ -680,6 +886,15 @@ automatically start Privoxy in the boot process.
+
+
+ handle-as-empty-document -
+ sends an empty document instead of Privoxy's
+ normal BLOCKED HTML page. This is useful for file types that are neither
+ HTML nor images, such as blocking JavaScript files.
+
+
+
+
+ Advanced users will eventually want to explore &my-app;
+ filters as well. Filters
+ are very different from blocks.
+ A block blocks a site, page, or unwanted contented. Filters
+ are a way of filtering or modifying what is actually on the page. An example
+ filter usage: a text replacement of no-no for
+ nasty-word. That is a very simple example. This process can be
+ used for ad blocking, but it is more in the realm of advanced usage and has
+ some pitfalls to be wary off.
+
+
The quickest way to adjust any of these settings is with your browser through
the special Privoxy editor at http://config.privoxy.org/show-status
(shortcut: http://p.p/show-status). This
- is an internal page, and does not require Internet access. Select the
- appropriate actions file, and click
+ is an internal page, and does not require Internet access.
+
+
+
+ Note that as of Privoxy 3.0.7 beta the
+ action editor is disabled by default. Check the
+ enable-edit-actions
+ section in the configuration file to learn why and in which
+ cases it's safe to enable again.
+
+
+
+ If you decided to enable the action editor, select the appropriate
+ actions file, and click
Edit. It is best to put personal or
local preferences in user.action since this is not
meant to be overwritten during upgrades, and will over-ride the settings in
@@ -763,7 +1003,7 @@ automatically start Privoxy in the boot process.
+
+ There are also various
+ filters that can be used for ad blocking
+ (filters are a special subset of actions). These
+ fall into the advanced usage category, and are explained in
+ depth in later sections.
+
@@ -830,13 +1077,15 @@ automatically start Privoxy in the boot process.
-Starting Privoxy
+Starting Privoxy
Before launching Privoxy for the first time, you
will want to configure your browser(s) to use
- Privoxy as a HTTP and HTTPS proxy. The default is
+ Privoxy as a HTTP and HTTPS (SSL)
+ proxy. The default is
127.0.0.1 (or localhost) for the proxy address, and port 8118 (earlier versions
- used port 8000). This is the one configuration step that must be done!
+ used port 8000). This is the one configuration step that must be done
+!
Please note that Privoxy can only proxy HTTP and
@@ -845,10 +1094,11 @@ automatically start Privoxy in the boot process.
-
+
+
+ With Firefox, this is typically set under:
+
+
+
+ Tools -> Options -> Advanced -> Network ->Connection -> Settings
+
+
+
+
+ Or optionally on some platforms:
+
+
+
+ Edit -> Preferences -> General -> Connection Settings -> Manual Proxy Configuration
+
+
+
+
With Netscape (and
Mozilla), this can be set under:
-
+
+
- Edit
- |_
- Preferences
- |_
- Advanced
- |_
- Proxies
- |_
- HTTP Proxy
+ Edit -> Preferences -> Advanced -> Proxies -> HTTP Proxy
+
- For Internet Explorer:
+ For Internet Explorer v.5-7:
-
-
- Tools
- |_
- Internet Properties
- |_
- Connections
- |_
- LAN Settings
+ Tools -> Internet Options -> Connections -> LAN Settings
Then, check Use Proxy and fill in the appropriate info
(Address: 127.0.0.1, Port: 8118). Include HTTPS (SSL), if you want HTTPS
- proxy support too.
+ proxy support too (sometimes labeled Secure). Make sure any
+ checkboxes like Use the same proxy server for all protocols is
+ UNCHECKED. You want only HTTP and HTTPS (SSL)!
+
+
+ Proxy Configuration Showing
+ Internet Explorer HTTP and HTTPS (Secure) Settings
+
+
+
+
+
+ [ Screenshot of IE Proxy Configuration ]
+
+
+
+
+
+
After doing this, flush your browser's disk and memory caches to force a
- re-reading of all pages and to get rid of any ads that may be cached. You
- are now ready to start enjoying the benefits of using
+ re-reading of all pages and to get rid of any ads that may be cached. Remove
+ any cookies,
+ if you want Privoxy to manage that. You are now
+ ready to start enjoying the benefits of using
Privoxy!
- Privoxy is typically started by specifying the
+ Privoxy itself is typically started by specifying the
main configuration file to be used on the command line. If no configuration
file is specified on the command line, Privoxy
will look for a file named config in the current
@@ -914,44 +1190,38 @@ automatically start Privoxy in the boot process.
-Red Hat and Conectiva
+Red Hat and Fedora
- We use a script. Note that Red Hat does not start Privoxy upon booting per
- default. It will use the file /etc/privoxy/config as
- its main configuration file.
+ A default Red Hat installation may not start &my-app; upon boot. It will use
+ the file /etc/privoxy/config as its main configuration
+ file.
# /etc/rc.d/init.d/privoxy start
-
-
-
-Debian
- We use a script. Note that Debian starts Privoxy upon booting per
- default. It will use the file
- /etc/privoxy/config as its main configuration
- file.
+ Or ...
- # /etc/init.d/privoxy start
+ # service privoxy start
-
-SuSE
+
+Debian
-We use a script. It will use the file /etc/privoxy/config
-as its main configuration file. Note that SuSE starts Privoxy upon booting
-your PC.
+ We use a script. Note that Debian typically starts &my-app; upon booting per
+ default. It will use the file
+ /etc/privoxy/config as its main configuration
+ file.
- # rcprivoxy start
+ # /etc/init.d/privoxy start
@@ -959,10 +1229,18 @@ your PC.
Windows
-Click on the Privoxy Icon to start Privoxy. If no configuration file is
+Click on the &my-app; Icon to start Privoxy. If no configuration file is
specified on the command line, Privoxy will look
for a file named config.txt. Note that Windows will
- automatically start Privoxy upon booting you PC.
+ automatically start &my-app; when the system starts if you chose that option
+ when installing.
+
+
+ Privoxy can run with full Windows service functionality.
+ On Windows only, the &my-app; program has two new command line arguments
+ to install and uninstall &my-app; as a service. See the
+ Windows Installation
+ instructions for details.
@@ -989,21 +1267,34 @@ Example Unix startup command:
-Mac OSX
+Mac OS X
- During installation, Privoxy is configured to
- start automatically when the system restarts. To start Privoxy by hand,
- double-click on the StartPrivoxy.command icon in the
- /Library/Privoxy folder. Or, type this command
- in the Terminal:
+ After downloading the privoxy software, unzip the downloaded file by
+ double-clicking on the zip file icon. Then, double-click on the
+ installer package icon and follow the installation process.
+
+
+ The privoxy service will automatically start after a successful
+ installation. In addition, the privoxy service will automatically
+ start every time your computer starts up.
+
+
+ To prevent the privoxy service from automatically starting when your
+ computer starts up, remove or rename the folder named
+ /Library/StartupItems/Privoxy.
-
- /Library/Privoxy/StartPrivoxy.command
-
+ A simple application named Privoxy Utility has been created which
+ enables administrators to easily start and stop the privoxy service.
- You will be prompted for the administrator password.
+ In addition, the Privoxy Utility presents a simple way for
+ administrators to edit the various privoxy config files. A method
+ to uninstall the software is also available.
+
+
+ An administrator username and password must be supplied in order for
+ the Privoxy Utility to perform any of the tasks.
@@ -1076,18 +1367,16 @@ must find a better place for this paragraph
Another feature where you will probably want to define exceptions for trusted
- sites is the popup-killing (through the +kill-popups and
- +filter{popups}
- actions), because your favorite shopping, banking, or leisure site may need
+ sites is the popup-killing (through +filter{popups}),
+ because your favorite shopping, banking, or leisure site may need
popups (explained below).
- Privoxy is HTTP/1.1 compliant, but not all of
- the optional 1.1 features are as yet supported. In the unlikely event that
- you experience inexplicable problems with browsers that use HTTP/1.1 per default
+ Privoxy does not support all of the optional HTTP/1.1
+ features yet. In the unlikely event that you experience inexplicable problems
+ with browsers that use HTTP/1.1 per default
(like Mozilla or recent versions of I.E.), you might
try to force HTTP/1.0 compatibility. For Mozilla, look under Edit ->
Preferences -> Debug -> Networking.
@@ -1183,7 +1472,6 @@ must find a better place for this paragraph
--pidfile FILE
-
On startup, write the process ID to FILE. Delete the
@@ -1195,7 +1483,6 @@ must find a better place for this paragraph
--user USER[.GROUP]
-
After (optionally) writing the PID file, assume the user ID of
@@ -1203,19 +1490,36 @@ must find a better place for this paragraph
privileges are not sufficient to do so. Unix only.
-
+ --chroot
-
Before changing to the user ID given in the --user option,
- chroot to that user's home directory, i.e. make the kernel pretend to the Privoxy
+ chroot to that user's home directory, i.e. make the kernel pretend to the &my-app;
process that the directory tree starts there. If set up carefully, this can limit
- the impact of possible vulnerabilities in Privoxy to the files contained in that hierarchy.
+ the impact of possible vulnerabilities in &my-app; to the files contained in that hierarchy.
Unix only.
+
+
+ --pre-chroot-nslookup hostname
+
+
+ Specifies a hostname to look up before doing a chroot. On some systems, initializing the
+ resolver library involves reading config files from /etc and/or loading additional shared
+ libraries from /lib. On these systems, doing a hostname lookup before the chroot reduces
+ the number of files that must be copied into the chroot tree.
+
+
+ For fastest startup speed, a good value is a hostname that is not in /etc/hosts but that
+ your local name server (listed in /etc/resolv.conf) can resolve without recursion
+ (that is, without having to ask any other name servers). The hostname need not exist,
+ but if it doesn't, an error message (which can be ignored) will be output.
+
+
+
configfile
@@ -1233,6 +1537,14 @@ must find a better place for this paragraph
+
+ On MS Windows only there are two additional
+ command-line options to allow Privoxy to install and
+ run as a service. See the
+Window Installation section
+for details.
+
+
@@ -1241,7 +1553,7 @@ must find a better place for this paragraph
-Privoxy Configuration
+Privoxy Configuration
All Privoxy configuration is stored
in text files. These files can be edited with a text editor.
@@ -1253,7 +1565,7 @@ must find a better place for this paragraph
-Controlling Privoxy with Your Web Browser
+Controlling Privoxy with Your Web BrowserPrivoxy's user interface can be reached through the special
URL http://config.privoxy.org/
@@ -1285,7 +1597,8 @@ must find a better place for this paragraph
▪ Toggle Privoxy on or off
- ▪ Documentation
+ ▪ Documentation
@@ -1313,6 +1626,14 @@ must find a better place for this paragraph
your browser.
+
+ Note that several of the features described above are disabled by default
+ in Privoxy 3.0.7 beta and later.
+ Check the
+ configuration file to learn why
+ and in which cases it's safe to enable them again.
+
+
@@ -1352,22 +1673,23 @@ must find a better place for this paragraph
- default.action (the main actions file)
- is used to define which actions relating to banner-blocking, images, pop-ups,
- content modification, cookie handling etc should be applied by default. It also defines many
- exceptions (both positive and negative) from this default set of actions that enable
- Privoxy to selectively eliminate the junk, and only the junk, on
- as many websites as possible.
+ match-all.action is used to define which actions
+ relating to banner-blocking, images, pop-ups, content modification, cookie handling
+ etc should be applied by default. It should be the first actions file loaded.
+
+
+ default.action defines many exceptions (both positive and negative)
+ from the default set of actions that's configured in match-all.action.
+ It should be the second actions file loaded and shouldn't be edited by the user.
Multiple actions files may be defined in config. These
are processed in the order they are defined. Local customizations and locally
- preferred exceptions to the default policies as defined in
- default.action (which you will most probably want
- to define sooner or later) are probably best applied in
- user.action, where you can preserve them across
- upgrades. standard.action is for
- Privoxy's internal use.
+ preferred exceptions to the default policies as defined in
+ match-all.action (which you will most probably want
+ to define sooner or later) are best applied in user.action,
+ where you can preserve them across upgrades. The file isn't installed by all
+ installers, but you can easily create it yourself with a text editor.
There is also a web based editor that can be accessed from
@@ -1381,18 +1703,29 @@ must find a better place for this paragraph
- default.filter (the filter
+ Filter files (the filter
file) can be used to re-write the raw page content, including
viewable text as well as embedded HTML and JavaScript, and whatever else
lurks on any given web page. The filtering jobs are only pre-defined here;
- whether to apply them or not is up to the actions files. Only one filter
- file may be defined.
+ whether to apply them or not is up to the actions files.
+ default.filter includes various filters made
+ available for use by the developers. Some are much more intrusive than
+ others, and all should be used with caution. You may define additional
+ filter files in config as you can with
+ actions files. We suggest user.filter for any
+ locally defined filters or customizations.
+
+ The syntax of the configuration and filter files may change between different
+ Privoxy versions, unfortunately some enhancements cost backwards compatibility.
+
+
+
All files use the # character to denote a
comment (the rest of the line will be ignored) and understand line continuation
@@ -1400,11 +1733,11 @@ must find a better place for this paragraph
in a line. If the # is preceded by a backslash, it looses
its special function. Placing a # in front of an otherwise
valid configuration line to prevent it from being interpreted is called "commenting
- out" that line.
+ out" that line. Blank lines are ignored.
- The actions files and default.filter
+ The actions files and filter files
can use Perl style regular expressions for
maximum flexibility.
@@ -1450,50 +1783,91 @@ must find a better place for this paragraph
Actions Files
+
+
- The actions files are used to define what actions
- Privoxy takes for which URLs, and thus determine
+ The actions files are used to define what actions
+ Privoxy takes for which URLs, and thus determines
how ad images, cookies and various other aspects of HTTP content and
- transactions are handled, and on which sites (or even parts thereof). There
- are three such files included with Privoxy
- with differing purposes:
-
-
-
-
-
-
- default.action - is the primary action file
- that sets the initial values for all actions. It is intended to
- provide a base level of functionality for
- Privoxy's array of features. So it is
- a set of broad rules that should work reasonably well for users everywhere.
- This is the file that the developers are keeping updated, and making available to users.
-
-
-
-
- user.action - is intended to be for local site
- preferences and exceptions. As an example, if your ISP or your bank
- has specific requirements, and need special handling, this kind of
- thing should go here. This file will not be upgraded.
-
-
-
-
- standard.action - is used by the web based editor,
- to set various pre-defined sets of rules for the default actions section
- in default.action. These have increasing levels of
- aggressiveness and have no influence on your browsing unless
- you select them explicitly in the editor. It is not recommend
- to edit this file.
-
-
- The default profiles, and their associated actions, as pre-defined in
- standard.action are:
-
-
+ transactions are handled, and on which sites (or even parts thereof).
+ There are a number of such actions, with a wide range of functionality.
+ Each action does something a little different.
+ These actions give us a veritable arsenal of tools with which to exert
+ our control, preferences and independence. Actions can be combined so that
+ their effects are aggregated when applied against a given set of URLs.
+
+
+ There
+ are three action files included with Privoxy with
+ differing purposes:
+
+
+
+
+
+ match-all.action - is used to define which
+ actions relating to banner-blocking, images, pop-ups,
+ content modification, cookie handling etc should be applied by default.
+ It should be the first actions file loaded
+
+
+
+
+ default.action - defines many exceptions (both
+ positive and negative) from the default set of actions that's configured
+ in match-all.action. It is a set of rules that should
+ work reasonably well as-is for most users. This file is only supposed to
+ be edited by the developers. It should be the second actions file loaded.
+
+
+
+
+ user.action - is intended to be for local site
+ preferences and exceptions. As an example, if your ISP or your bank
+ has specific requirements, and need special handling, this kind of
+ thing should go here. This file will not be upgraded.
+
+
+
+
+ EditSet to CautiousSet to MediumSet to Advanced
+
+
+ These have increasing levels of aggressiveness and have no
+ influence on your browsing unless you select them explicitly in the
+ editor. A default installation should be pre-set to
+ Cautious. New users should try this for a while before
+ adjusting the settings to more aggressive levels. The more aggressive
+ the settings, then the more likelihood there is of problems such as sites
+ not working as they should.
+
+
+ The Edit button allows you to turn each
+ action on/off individually for fine-tuning. The Cautious
+ button changes the actions list to low/safe settings which will activate
+ ad blocking and a minimal set of &my-app;'s features, and subsequently
+ there will be less of a chance for accidental problems. The
+ Medium button sets the list to a medium level of
+ other features and a low level set of privacy features. The
+ Advanced button sets the list to a high level of
+ ad blocking and medium level of privacy. See the chart below. The latter
+ three buttons over-ride any changes via with the
+ Edit button. More fine-tuning can be done in the
+ lower sections of this internal page.
+
+
+ While the actions file editor allows to enable these settings in all
+ actions files, they are only supposed to be enabled in the first one
+ to make sure you don't unintentionally overrule earlier rules.
+
+
+ The default profiles, and their associated actions, as pre-defined in
+ default.action are:
+
+
Default Configurations
@@ -1505,7 +1879,7 @@ must find a better place for this paragraph
FeatureCautiousMedium
- Adventuresome
+ Advanced
@@ -1519,31 +1893,37 @@ must find a better place for this paragraph
- Ad-blocking by URL
- yes
- yes
- yes
+ Ad-blocking Aggressiveness
+ medium
+ high
+ highAd-filtering by size
- yes
+ noyesyes
- GIF de-animation
+ Ad-filtering by link
+ nono
- yesyes
-
- Referer forging
- no
- yes
- yes
+ Pop-up killing
+ blocks only
+ blocks only
+ blocks only
+
+
+
+ Privacy Features
+ low
+ medium
+ medium/high
@@ -1554,86 +1934,78 @@ must find a better place for this paragraph
- Pop-up killing
- unsolicited
- unsolicited
- all
-
-
-
- Fast redirects
- no
+ Referer forgingnoyes
-
-
-
- HTML taming
- yes
- yesyes
- JavaScript taming
- yes
+ GIF de-animation
+ noyesyes
- Web-bug killing
- yes
- yes
+ Fast redirects
+ no
+ noyes
- Fun text replacements
+ HTML tamingnonoyes
- Image tag reordering
+ JavaScript tamingnonoyes
- Ad-filtering by link
- no
+ Web-bug killingnoyes
+ yes
- Demoronizer
- no
+ Image tag reorderingnoyes
+ yes
-
@@ -6847,12 +7806,13 @@ Requests
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());">Privoxy- View Status
-
+
Privoxy - Why?
@@ -6877,8 +7837,9 @@ Requests
Chain of Events
- Let's take a quick look at the basic sequence of events when a web page is
- requested by your browser and Privoxy is on duty:
+ Let's take a quick look at how some of Privoxy's
+ core features are triggered, and the ensuing sequence of events when a web
+ page is requested by your browser:
@@ -6894,7 +7855,7 @@ Requests
Privoxy traps any request for its own internal CGI
- pages (e.g http://p.p/) and sends the CGI page back to the browser.
+ pages (e.g http://p.p/) and sends the CGI page back to the browser.
@@ -6904,10 +7865,13 @@ Requests
linkend="BLOCK">+block patterns. If
so, the URL is then blocked, and the remote web server will not be contacted.
+handle-as-image
- is then checked and if it does not match, an
- HTML BLOCKED page is sent back. Otherwise, if it does match,
- an image is returned. The type of image depends on the setting of +set-image-blocker
+ and
+ +handle-as-empty-document
+ are then checked, and if there is no match, an
+ HTML BLOCKED page is sent back to the browser. Otherwise, if
+ it does match, an image is returned for the former, and an empty text
+ document for the latter. The type of image would depend on the setting of
+ +set-image-blocker
(blank, checkerboard pattern, or an HTTP redirect to an image elsewhere).
@@ -6935,8 +7899,8 @@ Requests
- Now the web server starts sending its response back (i.e. typically a web page and related
- data).
+ Now the web server starts sending its response back (i.e. typically a web
+ page).
@@ -6952,27 +7916,20 @@ Requests
- If the +kill-popups
- action applies, and it is an HTML or JavaScript document, the popup-code in the
- response is filtered on-the-fly as it is received.
-
-
-
-
- If a +filter
+ If any +filter action
or +deanimate-gifs
action applies (and the document type fits the action), the rest of the page is
read into memory (up to a configurable limit). Then the filter rules (from
- default.filter) are processed against the buffered
- content. Filters are applied in the order they are specified in the
- default.filter file. Animated GIFs, if present, are
- reduced to either the first or last frame, depending on the action
+ default.filter and any other filter files) are
+ processed against the buffered content. Filters are applied in the order
+ they are specified in one of the filter files. Animated GIFs, if present,
+ are reduced to either the first or last frame, depending on the action
setting.The entire page, which is now filtered, is then sent by
Privoxy back to your browser.
- If neither +filter
+ If neither a +filter action
or +deanimate-gifs
matches, then Privoxy passes the raw data through
@@ -6981,24 +7938,32 @@ Requests
- As the browser receives the now (probably filtered) page content, it
+ As the browser receives the now (possibly filtered) page content, it
reads and then requests any URLs that may be embedded within the page
source, e.g. ad images, stylesheets, JavaScript, other HTML documents (e.g.
- frames), sounds, etc. For each of these objects, the browser issues a new
- request. And each such request is in turn processed as above. Note that a
- complex web page may have many such embedded URLs.
+ frames), sounds, etc. For each of these objects, the browser issues a
+ separate request (this is easily viewable in Privoxy's
+ logs). And each such request is in turn processed just as above. Note that a
+ complex web page will have many, many such embedded URLs. If these
+ secondary requests are to a different server, then quite possibly a very
+ differing set of actions is triggered.
+
+ NOTE: This is somewhat of a simplistic overview of what happens with each URL
+ request. For the sake of brevity and simplicity, we have focused on
+ Privoxy's core features only.
+
-Anatomy of an Action
+Troubleshooting: Anatomy of an Action
The way Privoxy applies
@@ -7018,7 +7983,16 @@ Requests
or not, is to disable it temporarily. This should be the first troubleshooting
step. See the Bookmarklets section on a quick
and easy way to do this (be sure to flush caches afterward!). Looking at the
- logs is a good idea too.
+ logs is a good idea too. (Note that both the toggle feature and logging are
+ enabled via config file settings, and may need to be
+ turned on.)
+
+
+ Another easy troubleshooting step to try is if you have done any
+ customization of your installation, revert back to the installed
+ defaults and see if that helps. There are times the developers get complaints
+ about one thing or another, and the problem is more related to a customized
+ configuration issue.
@@ -7034,7 +8008,7 @@ Requests
how the current configuration will handle it. This will not
help with filtering effects (i.e. the +filter action) from
- the default.filter file since this is handled very
+ one of the filter files since this is handled very
differently and not so easy to trap! 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
@@ -7047,47 +8021,31 @@ Requests
Let's try an example, google.com,
- and look at it one section at a time:
+ and look at it one section at a time in a sample configuration (your real
+ configuration may vary):
- Matches for http://google.com:
+ Matches for http://www.google.com:
In file: default.action [ View ][ Edit ]
-{-add-header
- -block
- -crunch-outgoing-cookies
- -crunch-incoming-cookies
- +deanimate-gifs{last}
- -downgrade-http-version
- +fast-redirects
- -filter{popups}
- -filter{fun}
- -filter{shockwave-flash}
- -filter{crude-parental}
- +filter{html-annoyances}
- +filter{js-annoyances}
- +filter{content-cookies}
- +filter{webbugs}
- +filter{refresh-tags}
- +filter{nimda}
- +filter{banners-by-size}
- +hide-forwarded-for-headers
- +hide-from-header{block}
- +hide-referer{forge}
- -hide-user-agent
- -handle-as-image
- -kill-popups
- -limit-connect
- +prevent-compression
- -send-vanilla-wafer
- -send-wafer
- +session-cookies-only
- +set-image-blocker{pattern} }
+ {+change-x-forwarded-for{block}
+ +deanimate-gifs {last}
+ +fast-redirects {check-decoded-url}
+ +filter {refresh-tags}
+ +filter {img-reorder}
+ +filter {banners-by-size}
+ +filter {webbugs}
+ +filter {jumping-windows}
+ +filter {ie-exploits}
+ +hide-from-header {block}
+ +hide-referrer {forge}
+ +session-cookies-only
+ +set-image-blocker {pattern}
/
-
+
{ -session-cookies-only }
.google.com
@@ -7100,41 +8058,53 @@ In file: user.action [ View ][ Edit ]
- This tells us how we have defined our
+ This is telling us how we have defined our
actions, and
- which ones match for our example, google.com. The first listing
- is any matches for the standard.action file. No hits at
- all here on standard. Then next is default, or
- our default.action file. The large, multi-line listing,
- is how the actions are set to match for all URLs, i.e. our default settings.
- If you look at your actions file, this would be the section
- just below the aliases section near the top. This will apply to
- all URLs as signified by the single forward slash at the end of the listing
- -- /.
-
-
-
- But we can define additional actions that would be exceptions to these general
- rules, and then list specific URLs (or patterns) that these exceptions would
- apply to. Last match wins. Just below this then are two explicit matches for
- .google.com. The first is negating our previous cookie setting,
- which was for google.com.
+ Displayed is all the actions that are available to us. Remember,
+ the + sign denotes on. -
+ denotes off. So some are on here, but many
+ are off. Each example we try may provide a slightly different
+ end result, depending on our configuration directives.
+
+
+ The first listing
+ is for our default.action file. The large, multi-line
+ listing, is how the actions are set to match for all URLs, i.e. our default
+ settings. If you look at your actions file, this would be the
+ section just below the aliases section near the top. This
+ will apply to all URLs as signified by the single forward slash at the end
+ of the listing -- / .
+
+
+
+ But we have defined additional actions that would be exceptions to these general
+ rules, and then we list specific URLs (or patterns) that these exceptions
+ would apply to. Last match wins. Just below this then are two explicit
+ matches for .google.com. The first is negating our previous
+ cookie setting, which was for +session-cookies-only
- (i.e. not persistent). So we will allow persistent cookies for google. The
- second turns off any
- off any +fast-redirects
action, allowing this to take place unmolested. Note that there is a leading
dot here -- .google.com. This will match any hosts and
sub-domains, in the google.com domain also, such as
- www.google.com. So, apparently, we have these two actions
- defined somewhere in the lower part of our default.action
- file, and google.com is referenced somewhere in these latter
- sections.
+ www.google.com or mail.google.com. But it would not
+ match www.google.de! So, apparently, we have these two actions
+ defined as exceptions to the general rules at the top somewhere in the lower
+ part of our default.action file, and
+ google.com is referenced somewhere in these latter sections.
Then, for our user.action file, we again have no hits.
+ So there is nothing google-specific that we might have added to our own, local
+ configuration. If there was, those actions would over-rule any actions from
+ previously processed files, such as default.action.
+ user.action typically has the last word. This is the
+ best place to put hard and fast exceptions,
@@ -7149,42 +8119,69 @@ In file: user.action [ View ][ Edit ]
+ -add-header
+ -block
+ +change-x-forwarded-for{block}
+ -client-header-filter{hide-tor-exit-notation}
+ -content-type-overwrite
+ -crunch-client-header
+ -crunch-if-none-match
+ -crunch-incoming-cookies
+ -crunch-outgoing-cookies
+ -crunch-server-header
+ +deanimate-gifs {last}
+ -downgrade-http-version
+ -fast-redirects
+ -filter {js-events}
+ -filter {content-cookies}
+ -filter {all-popups}
+ -filter {banners-by-link}
+ -filter {tiny-textforms}
+ -filter {frameset-borders}
+ -filter {demoronizer}
+ -filter {shockwave-flash}
+ -filter {quicktime-kioskmode}
+ -filter {fun}
+ -filter {crude-parental}
+ -filter {site-specifics}
+ -filter {js-annoyances}
+ -filter {html-annoyances}
+ +filter {refresh-tags}
+ -filter {unsolicited-popups}
+ +filter {img-reorder}
+ +filter {banners-by-size}
+ +filter {webbugs}
+ +filter {jumping-windows}
+ +filter {ie-exploits}
+ -filter {google}
+ -filter {yahoo}
+ -filter {msn}
+ -filter {blogspot}
+ -filter {no-ping}
+ -force-text-mode
+ -handle-as-empty-document
+ -handle-as-image
+ -hide-accept-language
+ -hide-content-disposition
+ +hide-from-header {block}
+ -hide-if-modified-since
+ +hide-referrer {forge}
+ -hide-user-agent
+ -limit-connect
+ -overwrite-last-modified
+ -prevent-compression
+ -redirect
+ -server-header-filter{xml-to-html}
+ -server-header-filter{html-to-xml}
+ -session-cookies-only
+ +set-image-blocker {pattern}
Notice the only difference here to the previous listing, is to
- fast-redirects and session-cookies-only.
+ fast-redirects and session-cookies-only,
+ which are activated specifically for this site in our configuration,
+ and thus show in the Final Results.
@@ -7194,22 +8191,23 @@ In file: user.action [ View ][ Edit ]
- { +block +handle-as-image }
- .ad.doubleclick.net
-
- { +block +handle-as-image }
+ { +block{Domains starts with "ad"} }
ad*.
- { +block +handle-as-image }
- .doubleclick.net
+ { +block{Domain contains "ad"} }
+ .ad.
+
+ { +block{Doubleclick banner server} +handle-as-image }
+ .[a-vx-z]*.doubleclick.net
- We'll just show the interesting part here, the explicit matches. It is
- matched three different times. Each as an +block +handle-as-image,
+ We'll just show the interesting part here - the explicit matches. It is
+ matched three different times. Two +block{} sections,
+ and a +block{} +handle-as-image,
which is the expanded form of one of our aliases that had been defined as:
- +imageblock. (+block-as-image. (Aliases are defined in
the first section of the actions file and typically used to combine more
than one action.)
@@ -7222,65 +8220,98 @@ In file: user.action [ View ][ Edit ]ad.doubleclick.net
is done here -- as both a +block
+ linkend="BLOCK">+block{}and an
- +handle-as-image.
- The custom alias +imageblock just simplifies the process and make
- it more readable.
+ +handle-as-image.
+ The custom alias +block-as-image just
+ simplifies the process and make it more readable.
- One last example. Let's try http://www.rhapsodyk.net/adsl/HOWTO/.
+ One last example. Let's try http://www.example.net/adsl/HOWTO/.
This one is giving us problems. We are getting a blank page. Hmmm ...
- Matches for http://www.rhapsodyk.net/adsl/HOWTO/:
+ Matches for http://www.example.net/adsl/HOWTO/:
In file: default.action [ View ][ Edit ]
{-add-header
- -block
- -crunch-incoming-cookies
- -crunch-outgoing-cookies
+ -block
+ +change-x-forwarded-for{block}
+ -client-header-filter{hide-tor-exit-notation}
+ -content-type-overwrite
+ -crunch-client-header
+ -crunch-if-none-match
+ -crunch-incoming-cookies
+ -crunch-outgoing-cookies
+ -crunch-server-header
+deanimate-gifs
-downgrade-http-version
- +fast-redirects
- +filter{html-annoyances}
- +filter{js-annoyances}
- +filter{kill-popups}
- +filter{webbugs}
- +filter{nimda}
- +filter{banners-by-size}
- +filter{hal}
- +filter{fun}
- +hide-forwarded-for-headers
+ +fast-redirects {check-decoded-url}
+ -filter {js-events}
+ -filter {content-cookies}
+ -filter {all-popups}
+ -filter {banners-by-link}
+ -filter {tiny-textforms}
+ -filter {frameset-borders}
+ -filter {demoronizer}
+ -filter {shockwave-flash}
+ -filter {quicktime-kioskmode}
+ -filter {fun}
+ -filter {crude-parental}
+ -filter {site-specifics}
+ -filter {js-annoyances}
+ -filter {html-annoyances}
+ +filter {refresh-tags}
+ -filter {unsolicited-popups}
+ +filter {img-reorder}
+ +filter {banners-by-size}
+ +filter {webbugs}
+ +filter {jumping-windows}
+ +filter {ie-exploits}
+ -filter {google}
+ -filter {yahoo}
+ -filter {msn}
+ -filter {blogspot}
+ -filter {no-ping}
+ -force-text-mode
+ -handle-as-empty-document
+ -handle-as-image
+ -hide-accept-language
+ -hide-content-disposition
+hide-from-header{block}
+hide-referer{forge}
-hide-user-agent
- -handle-as-image
- +kill-popups
+ -overwrite-last-modified
+prevent-compression
- -send-vanilla-wafer
- -send-wafer
+ -redirect
+ -server-header-filter{xml-to-html}
+ -server-header-filter{html-to-xml}
+session-cookies-only
+set-image-blocker{blank} }
/
- { +block +handle-as-image }
+ { +block{Path contains "ads".} +handle-as-image }
/ads
- Ooops, the /adsl/ is matching /ads! But
- we did not want this at all! Now we see why we get the blank page. We could
- now add a new action below this that explicitly does not
- block ({-block}) paths with adsl. There are
- various ways to handle such exceptions. Example:
+ Ooops, the /adsl/ is matching /ads in our
+ configuration! But we did not want this at all! Now we see why we get the
+ blank page. It is actually triggering two different actions here, and
+ the effects are aggregated so that the URL is blocked, and &my-app; is told
+ to treat the block as if it were an image. But this is, of course, all wrong.
+ We could now add a new action below this (or better in our own
+ user.action file) that explicitly
+ un blocks (
+ {-block}) paths with
+ adsl in them (remember, last match in the configuration
+ wins). There are various ways to handle such exceptions. Example:
@@ -7292,8 +8323,10 @@ In file: user.action [ View ][ Edit ]
- Now the page displays ;-) Be sure to flush your browser's caches when
- making such changes. Or, try using Shift+Reload.
+ Now the page displays ;-)
+ Remember to flush your browser's caches when making these kinds of changes to
+ your configuration to insure that you get a freshly delivered page! Or, try
+ using Shift+Reload.
@@ -7304,25 +8337,27 @@ In file: user.action [ View ][ Edit ]
- { +block +handle-as-image }
+ { +block{Path starts with "ads".} +handle-as-image }
/ads
- That actually was very telling and pointed us quickly to where the problem
+ That actually was very helpful 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 {+filter} actions. These
- tend to be harder to troubleshoot. Try adding the URL for the site to one of
- aliases that turn off +filter:
+ rules in the first section of default.action 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
+ +filter actions.
+ These tend to be harder to troubleshoot.
+ Try adding the URL for the site to one of aliases that turn off
+ +filter:
- {shop}
+ { shop }
.quietpc.com
.worldpay.com # for quietpc.com
.jungle.com
@@ -7332,8 +8367,8 @@ In file: user.action [ View ][ Edit ]
- {shop} is an alias that expands to
- { -filter -session-cookies-only }.
+ { shop } is an alias that expands to
+ { -filter -session-cookies-only }.
Or you could do your own exception to negate filtering:
@@ -7341,29 +8376,55 @@ In file: user.action [ View ][ Edit ]
- {-filter}
+ { -filter }
+ # Disable ALL filter actions for sites in this section
.forbes.com
+ developer.ibm.com
+ localhost
- This would turn off all filtering for that site. This would probably be most
- appropriately put in user.action, for local site
- exceptions.
+ This would turn off all filtering for these sites. This is best
+ put in user.action, for local site
+ exceptions. Note that when a simple domain pattern is used by itself (without
+ the subsequent path portion), all sub-pages within that domain are included
+ automatically in the scope of the action.
Images that are inexplicably being blocked, may well be hitting the
- +filter{banners-by-size} rule, which assumes
- that images of certain sizes are ad banners (works well most of the time
- since these tend to be standardized).
++filter{banners-by-size}
+ rule, which assumes
+ that images of certain sizes are ad banners (works well
+ most of the time since these tend to be standardized).
+
+
+
+ { fragile } is an alias that disables most
+ actions that are the most likely to cause trouble. This can be used as a
+ last resort for problem sites.
+
+
+
+
+ { fragile }
+ # Handle with care: easy to break
+ mail.google.
+ mybank.example.com
+
- {fragile} 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.
+ Remember to flush caches! Note that the
+ mail.google reference lacks the TLD portion (e.g.
+ .com). This will effectively match any TLD with
+ google in it, such as mail.google.de.,
+ just as an example.
+
+
+ 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.
@@ -7387,10 +8448,333 @@ In file: user.action [ View ][ Edit ][ View ][ Edit ][ View ][ Edit ][ View ][ Edit ][ View ][ Edit ]