X-Git-Url: http://www.privoxy.org/gitweb/?p=privoxy.git;a=blobdiff_plain;f=doc%2Fsource%2Fuser-manual.sgml;h=6b7a29646da8482122abb8daec134955c929eab7;hp=32c0171040046d993a600babf16cdd25050f5a83;hb=86c44446839fd2f9c1b0a28c2bac147ab51fb2a5;hpb=e1efc2ecd4db05418776e31a0169ba23574cb3d8
diff --git a/doc/source/user-manual.sgml b/doc/source/user-manual.sgml
index 32c01710..6b7a2964 100644
--- a/doc/source/user-manual.sgml
+++ b/doc/source/user-manual.sgml
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
+
@@ -8,14 +8,17 @@
-
+
+
+
+
]>
+
+ Copyright &my-copy; 2001, 2002 by
+ Privoxy Developers
+
+
+
+$Id: user-manual.sgml,v 1.109 2002/05/14 17:23:11 oes Exp $
+
+
-
-
-
- By: Privoxy Developers
-
-
-
+
@@ -70,7 +95,7 @@
The user manual gives users information on how to install, configure and use
Privoxy.
-
+
&p-intro;
@@ -81,7 +106,7 @@
url="http://www.privoxy.org/user-manual/">http://www.privoxy.org/user-manual/.
Please see the Contact section on how to
contact the developers.
-
+
@@ -91,16 +116,7 @@
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Introduction
-
This documentation is included with the current &p-status; version of
Privoxy, v.&p-version;soon ;-)]]>.
-
+
Since this is a &p-status; version, not all new features are well tested. This
documentation may be slightly out of sync as a result (especially with
@@ -123,16 +139,13 @@
]]>
-
-New Features
+Features
In addition to Internet Junkbuster's traditional
features of ad and banner blocking and cookie management,
Privoxy provides new features:
-
-
&newfeatures;
@@ -150,53 +163,55 @@
Privoxy is available both in convenient pre-compiled
packages for a wide range of operating systems, and as raw source code.
For most users, we recommend using the packages, which can be downloaded from our
- Privoxy Project Page.
+ Privoxy Project
+ Page.
- 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 the nightly CVS
- tarball.
+ Note: If you have a previous Junkbuster or
+ Privoxy installation on your system, you
+ will need to remove it. Some platforms do this 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.
-
- &supported;
-
-
-
+
Binary Packages
-
- Note: If you have a previous Junkbuster or
- Privoxy installation on your system, you
- will either need to remove it, or that might be done by the setup
- procedure. (See below for your platform).
+How to install the binary packages depends on your operating system:
+
+Red Hat and SuSE RPMs
+
- In any case be sure to backup your old configuration
- if it is valuable to you. In that case, also see the
- note to upgraders.
+ RPMs can be installed with rpm -Uvh privoxy-&p-version;-1.rpm,
+ and will use /etc/privoxy for the location
+ of configuration files.
- 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.
-
-Redhat and SuSE RPMs
-
- RPMs can be installed with rpm -Uvh <name-of-rpm.rpm>,
- and will use /etc/privoxy for configuration files.
+ If you have problems with failed dependencies, try rebuilding the SRC RPM:
+ rpm --rebuild privoxy-&p-version;-1.src.rpm;. This
+ will use your locally installed libraries and RPM version.
- Note that if you have a Junkbuster RPM installed
+ 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.
@@ -212,7 +227,9 @@
Just double-click the installer, which will guide you through
- the installation process.
+ the installation process. You will find the configuration files
+ in the same directory as you installed Privoxy in. We do not
+ use the registry of Windows.
@@ -233,7 +250,7 @@
First, make sure that no previous installations of
Junkbuster and / or
Privoxy are left on your
- system.
+ system. You can do this by
@@ -252,14 +269,34 @@
Max OSX
- FIXME.
+ Unzip the downloaded package (you can either double-click on the file
+ in the finder, or on the desktop if you downloaded it there). Then,
+ double-click on the package installer icon and follow the installation
+ process.
+ Privoxy will be installed in the subdirectory
+ /Applications/Privoxy.app.
+ Privoxy will set itself up to start
+ automatically on system bring-up via
+ /System/Library/StartupItems/Privoxy.
AmigaOS
- Unpack the .lha archive, then FIXME.
+ Copy and then unpack the lha archive to a suitable location.
+ All necessary files will be installed into Privoxy
+ directory, including all configuration and log files. To uninstall, just
+ remove this directory.
+
+
+ Start Privoxy (with RUN <>NIL:) in your
+ startnet script (AmiTCP), in
+ s:user-startup (RoadShow), as startup program in your
+ startup script (Genesis), or as startup action (Miami and MiamiDx).
+ Privoxy will automatically quit when you quit your
+ TCP/IP stack (just ignore the harmless warning your TCP/IP stack may display that
+ Privoxy is still running).
@@ -267,49 +304,62 @@
Building from Source
+
+ The most convenient way to obtain the Privoxy sources
+ is to download the source tarball from our project
+ page.
+
+
+
+ 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 the nightly CVS
+ tarball.
+
+
&buildsource;
+
-
-
-Quickstart to Using Privoxy
-
-
-
-
+Note to Upgraders
- There are very significant changes from older versions of
- Junkbuster to the current
- Privoxy. Configuration is substantially
- changed. Junkbuster 2.0.x and earlier
- configuration files will not migrate. The functionality of the old
- blockfile, cookiefile and
- imagelist, are now combined into the
- actions file (default.action
- for most installations).
+ 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 with Privoxy 2.9.x, and provides some
- of the new sophistication (explained below). config is
- much the same as before.
+ 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.
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 file, 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.
+ 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.
A quick list of things to be aware of before upgrading:
@@ -344,9 +394,10 @@
The primary configuration file for cookie management, ad and banner
blocking, and many other aspects of Privoxy
- configuration is default.action. It is strongly
- recommended to become familiar with the new actions concept below,
- before modifying this file.
+ configuration is in the actions
+ files. It is strongly recommended to become familiar with the new
+ actions concept below, before modifying these files. Locally defined rules
+ should go into user.action.
@@ -360,18 +411,92 @@
+
-
+
+Quickstart to Using Privoxy
+
+
+
+
+
+ If upgrading, please back up any configuration files. See
+ the Note to Upgraders Section.
+
+
+
+
+ Install Privoxy. See the Installation Section for platform specific
+ information.
+
+
+
+
+
+ Start Privoxy, if the installation program has
+ not done this already. See the section Starting
+ Privoxy.
+
+
+
+
+
+ Set your browser to use Privoxy as HTTP and HTTPS
+ 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.
+
+
+
+
+
+ Flush your browser's caches, to remove any cached ad images.
+
+
+
+
+
+ Enjoy surfing with enhanced comfort and privacy. You may want to customize the
+ user.action file to
+ personalize your new browsing experience. See the Configuration section for more configuration
+ options, and how to further customize your installation.
+
+
+
+
+
+ If you experience problems with sites that misbehave, see
+ the Anatomy of an Action section in the
+ Appendix.
+
+
+
+
+
+ Please see the section Contacting the
+ Developers on how to report bugs or problems with websites or to get
+ help.
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
-
+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 localhost for the proxy address,
- and port 8118 (earlier versions used port 8000). This is the one required
- configuration that must be done!
+ 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
+ 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!
@@ -381,80 +506,134 @@
For Internet Explorer: Tools ->
Internet Properties -> Connections -> LAN Setting. Then,
check Use Proxy and fill in the appropriate info (Address:
- localhost, Port: 8118). Include if HTTPS proxy support too.
+ 127.0.0.1, Port: 8118). Include if HTTPS proxy support too.
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
- Privoxy.
+ Privoxy!
-
Privoxy is typically started by specifying the
- main configuration file to be used on the command line. Example Unix startup
- command:
+ 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
+ directory. Except on Win32 where it will try config.txt.
+
+
+
+RedHat and Debian
+
+We use a script. Note that RedHat does not start Privoxy upon booting per
+default. It will use the file /etc/privoxy/config as its
+main configuration file. FIXME: Debian??
+
+
+
+ # /etc/rc.d/init.d/privoxy start
+
+
+
+SuSE
+
+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.
+
+
+
+ # rcprivoxy start
+
+
+
+
+
+Windows
+
+Click on the Privoxy 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.
+
+
+
+
+Solaris, NetBSD, FreeBSD, HP-UX and others
+
+Example Unix startup command:
+
-
# /usr/sbin/privoxy /etc/privoxy/config
-
-
+
+
+
+OS/2
- An init script is provided for SuSE and Redhat.
+FIXME.
+
+
+MAX OSX
- For for SuSE: rcprivoxy start
+FIXME.
+
+
+
+AmigaOS
- For RedHat: /etc/rc.d/init.d/privoxy start
+FIXME.
+
+
-
+Command Line OptionsPrivoxy may be invoked with the following
@@ -533,7 +712,7 @@
--version
- Print version info and exit, Unix only.
+ Print version info and exit. Unix only.
@@ -541,7 +720,7 @@
--help
- Print a short usage info and exit, Unix only.
+ Print short usage info and exit. Unix only.
@@ -550,7 +729,7 @@
Don't become a daemon, i.e. don't fork and become process group
- leader, don't detach from controlling tty. Unix only.
+ leader, and don't detach from controlling tty. Unix only.
@@ -585,7 +764,8 @@
Privoxy will look for a file named
config in the current directory (except on Win32
where it will look for config.txt instead). Specify
- full path to avoid confusion.
+ full path to avoid confusion. If no config file is found,
+ Privoxy will fail to start.
@@ -606,7 +786,6 @@
in text files. These files can be edited with a text editor.
Many important aspects of Privoxy can
also be controlled easily with a web browser.
-
@@ -623,26 +802,36 @@
-
-
+
+
+
+ Privoxy Menu
-Please choose from the following options:
-
- * Privoxy main page
- * Show information about the current configuration
- * Show the source code version numbers
- * Show the request headers.
- * Show which actions apply to a URL and why
- * Toggle Privoxy on or off
- * Edit the actions list
+
+
+ ▪ View & change the current configuration
+
+
+ ▪ View the source code version numbers
+
+
+ ▪ View the request headers.
+
+
+ ▪ Look up which actions apply to a URL and why
+
+
+ ▪ Toggle Privoxy on or off
+
+
+
+
-
-
- This should be self-explanatory. Note the last item is an editor for the
- actions list, which is where much of the ad, banner, cookie,
- and URL blocking magic is configured as well as other advanced features of
+ This should be self-explanatory. Note the first item leads to an editor for the
+ actions files, which is where the ad, banner,
+ cookie, and URL blocking magic is configured as well as other advanced features of
Privoxy. This is an easy way to adjust various
aspects of Privoxy configuration. The actions
file, and other configuration files, are explained in detail below.
@@ -653,10 +842,11 @@ Please choose from the following options:
have problems with your current actions and filters. You can in fact use
it as a test to see whether it is Privoxy
causing the problem or not. Privoxy continues
- to run as a proxy in this case, but all filtering is disabled. There
- is even a toggle Bookmarklet offered, so that you can toggle
- Privoxy with one click from your browser.
-
+ to run as a proxy in this case, but all manipulation is disabled, i.e.
+ Privoxy acts like a normal forwarding proxy. There
+ is even a toggle Bookmarklet offered, so
+ that you can toggle Privoxy with one click from
+ your browser.
@@ -668,7 +858,7 @@ Please choose from the following options:
-
+Configuration Files Overview
For Unix, *BSD and Linux, all configuration files are located in
@@ -680,9 +870,9 @@ Please choose from the following options:
- The installed defaults provide a reasonable starting point, though possibly
- aggressive by some standards. For the time being, there are only three
- default configuration files (this may change in time):
+ The installed defaults provide a reasonable starting point, though
+ some settings may be aggressive by some standards. For the time being, the
+ principle configuration files are:
@@ -690,31 +880,48 @@ Please choose from the following options:
- The main configuration file is named config
+ The main configuration file is named config
on Linux, Unix, BSD, OS/2, and AmigaOS and config.txt
- on Windows.
+ on Windows. This is a required file.
- default.action (the actions file) is used to define
- which of a set of various actions relating to images, banners,
- pop-ups, access restrictions, banners and cookies are to be applied where.
- There is a web based editor for this file that can be accessed at http://config.privoxy.org/edit-actions/
- (Shortcut: http://p.p/edit-actions/).
- (Other actions files are included as well with differing levels of filtering
- and blocking, e.g. basic.action.)
+ 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.
+
+
+ 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 propably 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.
+
+
+ There is also a web based editor that can be accessed from
+ http://config.privoxy.org/show-status
+ (Shortcut: http://p.p/show-status) for the
+ various actions files.
- default.filter (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 file.
+ default.filter (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.
@@ -732,8 +939,9 @@ Please choose from the following options:
- default.action and default.filter
- can use Perl style regular expressions for maximum flexibility.
+ The actions files and default.filter
+ can use Perl style regular expressions for
+ maximum flexibility.
@@ -754,13 +962,17 @@ Please choose from the following options:
please check all your configuration files on important issues.
]]>
+
+
+
-
+
-
+The Main Configuration File
+
Again, the main configuration file is named config on
Linux/Unix/BSD and OS/2, and config.txt on Windows.
@@ -773,8 +985,7 @@ Please choose from the following options:
- confdir /etc/privoxy
-
+ confdir /etc/privoxy
@@ -800,18 +1011,23 @@ Please choose from the following options:
-
+Configuration and Log File LocationsPrivoxy can (and normally does) use a number of
- other files for additional configuration and logging.
+ other files for additional configuration, help and logging.
This section of the configuration file tells Privoxy
where to find those other files.
+
+ The user running Privoxy, must have read permission for all
+ configuration files, and write permission to any files that would
+ be modified, such as log files.
+
-confdir
+confdir
@@ -854,10 +1070,10 @@ Please choose from the following options:
-
+
-logdir
+logdir
@@ -896,36 +1112,51 @@ Please choose from the following options:
-
-
-actionsfile
+
+
+actionsfile
+
+
+
+
+
Specifies:
- The actions file to use
+ The actions file(s) to use
Type of value:
- File name, relative to confdir
+ File name, relative to confdir, without the .action suffixDefault value:
- default.action (Unix) or default.action.txt (Windows)
+
+
+ standard # Internal purposes, no editing recommended
+
+
+ default # Main actions file
+
+
+ user # User customizations
+
+ Effect if unset:
- No action is taken at all. Simple neutral proxying.
+ No actions are taken at all. Simple neutral proxying.
@@ -933,25 +1164,33 @@ Please choose from the following options:
Notes:
- There is no point in using Privoxy without
- an actions file. There are three different actions files included in the
- distribution, with varying degrees of aggressiveness:
- default.action, intermediate.action and
- advanced.action.
+ Multiple actionsfile lines are permitted, and are in fact recommended!
+
+
+ The default values include standard.action, which is used for internal
+ purposes and should be loaded, default.action, which is the
+ main actions file maintained by the developers, and
+ user.action, where you can make your personal additions.
+
+
+ Actions files are where all the per site and per URL configuration is done for
+ ad blocking, cookie management, privacy considerations, etc.
+ There is no point in using Privoxy without at
+ least one actions file.
-
-
-filterfile
+
+filterfile
+Specifies:
- The filter file to use
+ The filter file to use
@@ -973,7 +1212,7 @@ Please choose from the following options:
No textual content filtering takes place, i.e. all
+filter{name}
- actions in the actions file are turned off
+ actions in the actions files are turned neutral.
@@ -991,9 +1230,9 @@ Please choose from the following options:
-
+
-logfile
+logfile
@@ -1040,7 +1279,7 @@ Please choose from the following options:
Your logfile will grow indefinitely, and you will probably want to
periodically remove it. On Unix systems, you can do this with a cron job
- (see man cron). For Redhat, a logrotate
+ (see man cron). For Red Hat, a logrotate
script has been included.
@@ -1049,12 +1288,16 @@ Please choose from the following options:
the effect that cron.daily will automatically archive, gzip, and empty the
log, when it exceeds 1M size.
+
+ Any log files must be writable by whatever user Privoxy
+ is being run as (default on UNIX, user id is privoxy).
+
-
+
-jarfile
+jarfile
@@ -1094,10 +1337,9 @@ Please choose from the following options:
-
-
-trustfile
+
+trustfileSpecifies:
@@ -1149,9 +1391,8 @@ Please choose from the following options:
-
-
+
@@ -1159,7 +1400,7 @@ Please choose from the following options:
-
+Local Set-up Documentation
@@ -1168,7 +1409,73 @@ Please choose from the following options:
you, what you block and why you do that, your policies etc.
-trust-info-url
+user-manual
+
+
+ Specifies:
+
+
+ Location of the Privoxy User Manual.
+
+
+
+
+ Type of value:
+
+ A fully qualified URI
+
+
+
+ Default value:
+
+ Unset
+
+
+
+ Effect if unset:
+
+
+ http://www.privoxy.org/version/user-manual/
+ will be used, where version is the Privoxy version.
+
+
+
+
+ Notes:
+
+
+ The User Manual URI is used for help links from some of the internal CGI pages.
+ The manual itself is normally packaged with the binary distributions, so you propably want
+ to set this to a locally installed copy. For multi-user setups, you could provide a copy on
+ a local webserver for all your users and use the corresponding URL here.
+
+
+ Examples:
+
+
+ Unix, in local filesystem:
+
+
+ user-manual file:///usr/share/doc/privoxy-&p-version;/user-manual/
+
+
+ Any platform, on local webserver (called local-webserver):
+
+
+ user-manual http://local-webserver/privoxy-user-manual/
+
+
+
+ If set, this option should be the first option in the config file, because
+ it is used while the config file is being read.
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+trust-info-url
@@ -1218,9 +1525,9 @@ Please choose from the following options:
-
+
-admin-address
+admin-address
@@ -1262,9 +1569,9 @@ Please choose from the following options:
-
+
-proxy-info-url
+proxy-info-url
@@ -1310,14 +1617,14 @@ Please choose from the following options:
-
-
+
+
-
+Debugging
@@ -1327,7 +1634,7 @@ Please choose from the following options:
command line option when debugging.
-debug
+debug
@@ -1379,7 +1686,7 @@ Please choose from the following options:
debug 1024 # debug kill pop-ups
debug 4096 # Startup banner and warnings.
debug 8192 # Non-fatal errors
-
+
To select multiple debug levels, you can either add them or use
@@ -1404,9 +1711,9 @@ Please choose from the following options:
-
+
-single-threaded
+single-threaded
@@ -1448,13 +1755,13 @@ Please choose from the following options:
-
-
-
+
-
+
+
+Access Control and Security
@@ -1462,7 +1769,7 @@ Please choose from the following options:
of Privoxy's configuration.
-listen-address
+listen-address
@@ -1480,17 +1787,18 @@ Please choose from the following options:
[IP-Address]:Port
+
Default value:
- localhost:8118
+ 127.0.0.1:8118Effect if unset:
- Bind to localhost (127.0.0.1), port 8118. This is suitable and recommended for
+ Bind to 127.0.0.1 (localhost), port 8118. This is suitable and recommended for
home users who run Privoxy on the same machine as
their browser.
@@ -1510,7 +1818,7 @@ Please choose from the following options:
If you leave out the IP address, Privoxy will
bind to all interfaces (addresses) on your machine and may become reachable
- from the Internet. In that case, consider using access control lists (acl's)
+ from the Internet. In that case, consider using access control lists (ACL's)
(see ACLs below), or a firewall.
@@ -1527,14 +1835,14 @@ Please choose from the following options:
listen-address 192.168.0.1:8118
-
+
-
+
-toggle
+toggle
@@ -1574,7 +1882,7 @@ Please choose from the following options:
proxy. See enable-remote-toggle
below. This is not really useful anymore, since toggling is much easier
via the web
- interface then via editing the conf file.
+ interface than via editing the conf file.
The windows version will only display the toggle icon in the system tray
@@ -1583,10 +1891,10 @@ Please choose from the following options:
-
+
-enable-remote-toggle
+enable-remote-toggleSpecifies:
@@ -1640,16 +1948,16 @@ Please choose from the following options:
-
+
-enable-edit-actions
+enable-edit-actionsSpecifies:
- Whether or not the web-based actions
+ Whether or not the web-based actions
file editor may be used
@@ -1692,9 +2000,13 @@ Please choose from the following options:
-
+
+
+
+ACLs: permit-access and deny-access
+
+
-ACLs: permit-access and deny-accessSpecifies:
@@ -1742,8 +2054,9 @@ Please choose from the following options:
Access controls are included at the request of ISPs and systems
administrators, and are not usually needed by individual users.
For a typical home user, it will normally suffice to ensure that
- Privoxy only listens on the localhost or internal (home)
- network address by means of the listen-address option.
+ Privoxy only listens on the localhost
+ (127.0.0.1) or internal (home) network address by means of the
+ listen-address option.
Please see the warnings in the FAQ that this proxy is not intended to be a substitute
@@ -1789,7 +2102,7 @@ Please choose from the following options:
permit-access localhost
-
+
Allow any host on the same class C subnet as www.privoxy.org access to
@@ -1798,7 +2111,7 @@ Please choose from the following options:
permit-access www.privoxy.org/24 www.example.com/32
-
+
Allow access from any host on the 26-bit subnet 192.168.45.64 to anywhere,
@@ -1808,14 +2121,14 @@ Please choose from the following options:
permit-access 192.168.45.64/26
deny-access 192.168.45.73 www.dirty-stuff.example.com
-
+
-
+
-buffer-limit
+buffer-limit
@@ -1868,16 +2181,16 @@ Please choose from the following options:
-
-
+
+
-
+Forwarding
@@ -1897,7 +2210,7 @@ Please choose from the following options:
supports the SOCKS 4 and SOCKS 4A protocols.
-forward
+forwardSpecifies:
@@ -1916,7 +2229,7 @@ Please choose from the following options:
Where target_domain is a domain name pattern (see the
- chapter on domain matching in the actions file),
+ chapter on domain matching in the default.action file),
http_parent is the address of the parent HTTP proxy
as an IP addresses in dotted decimal notation or as a valid DNS name (or . to denote
no forwarding, and the optional
@@ -1961,7 +2274,7 @@ Please choose from the following options:
forward .* anon-proxy.example.org:8080
forward :443 .
-
+
Everything goes to our example ISP's caching proxy, except for requests
@@ -1971,14 +2284,18 @@ Please choose from the following options:
forward .*. caching-proxy.example-isp.net:8000
forward .example-isp.net .
-
+
-
+
+
+
+forward-socks4 and forward-socks4a
+
+
-forward-socks4 and forward-socks4aSpecifies:
@@ -1998,7 +2315,7 @@ Please choose from the following options:
Where target_domain is a domain name pattern (see the
- chapter on domain matching in the actions file),
+ chapter on domain matching in the default.action file),
http_parent and socks_proxy
are IP addresses in dotted decimal notation or valid DNS names (http_parent
may be . to denote no HTTP forwarding), and the optional
@@ -2051,7 +2368,7 @@ Please choose from the following options:
forward-socks4a .*. socks-gw.example.com:1080 www-cache.example-isp.net:8080
forward .example.com .
-
+
A rule that uses a SOCKS 4 gateway for all destinations but no HTTP parent looks like this:
@@ -2059,14 +2376,14 @@ Please choose from the following options:
forward-socks4 .*. socks-gw.example.com:1080 .
-
+
-
+
-Advanced Forwarding Examples
+Advanced Forwarding Examples
If you have links to multiple ISPs that provide various special content
@@ -2089,7 +2406,7 @@ Please choose from the following options:
forward .*. .
forward .isp-b.net host-b:8118
-
+
@@ -2100,7 +2417,7 @@ Please choose from the following options:
forward .*. .
forward .isp-a.net host-a:8118
-
+
@@ -2132,8 +2449,7 @@ Please choose from the following options:
always_direct allow ftp
# Forward all the rest to Privoxy
- never_direct allow all
-
+ never_direct allow all
@@ -2141,25 +2457,23 @@ Please choose from the following options:
Squid normally uses port 3128. If unsure consult http_port in squid.conf.
-
-
+
+
-
+Windows GUI Options
-
Privoxy has a number of options specific to the
Windows GUI interface:
+
If activity-animation is set to 1, the
Privoxy icon will animate when
@@ -2176,6 +2490,7 @@ Removed references to Win32. HB 09/23/01
+
If log-messages is set to 1,
Privoxy will log messages to the console
@@ -2192,6 +2507,7 @@ Removed references to Win32. HB 09/23/01
+
If log-buffer-size is set to 1, the size of the log buffer,
i.e. the amount of memory used for the log messages displayed in the
@@ -2213,6 +2529,7 @@ Removed references to Win32. HB 09/23/01
+log-max-lines is the maximum number of lines held
in the log buffer. See above.
@@ -2228,6 +2545,7 @@ Removed references to Win32. HB 09/23/01
+
If log-highlight-messages is set to 1,
Privoxy will highlight portions of the log
@@ -2244,6 +2562,7 @@ Removed references to Win32. HB 09/23/01
+
The font used in the console window:
@@ -2258,6 +2577,7 @@ Removed references to Win32. HB 09/23/01
+
Font size used in the console window:
@@ -2272,6 +2592,7 @@ Removed references to Win32. HB 09/23/01
+show-on-task-bar controls whether or not
Privoxy will appear as a button on the Task bar
@@ -2288,6 +2609,7 @@ Removed references to Win32. HB 09/23/01
+
If close-button-minimizes is set to 1, the Windows close
button will minimize Privoxy instead of closing
@@ -2304,6 +2626,7 @@ Removed references to Win32. HB 09/23/01
+
The hide-console option is specific to the MS-Win console
version of Privoxy. If this option is used,
@@ -2315,85 +2638,147 @@ Removed references to Win32. HB 09/23/01
- #hide-console
+ #hide-console
-
+
-
-
-The Actions File
+
+
+
+Actions Files
+
+
+ The actions files are used to define what actions
+ Privoxy takes for which URLs, and thus determine
+ 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 (as of
+ version 2.9.15), with differing purposes:
+
+
+
+
+
+
+ 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.
+
+
+
+
+ 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.
+
+
+
+
+
+
+ The list of actions files to be used are defined in the main configuration
+ file, and are processed in the order they are defined. The content of these
+ can all be viewed and edited from http://config.privoxy.org/show-status.
+
- The actions file (default.action, formerly:
- actionsfile or ijb.action) is 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 on which sites (or even parts
- thereof).
+ An actions file typically has multiple sections. If you want to use
+ aliases in an actions file, you have to place the (optional)
+ alias section at the top of that file.
+ Then comes the default set of rules which will apply universally to all
+ sites and pages (be very careful with using such a
+ universal set in user.action or any other actions file after
+ default.action, because it will override the result
+ from consulting any previous file). And then below that,
+ exceptions to the defined universal policies. You can regard
+ user.action as an appendix to default.action,
+ with the advantage that is a separate file, which makes preserving your
+ personal settings across Privoxy upgrades easier.
- 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),
- content can be modified, JavaScripts tamed, user-tracking fooled, and much more.
- See below for a complete list of available actions.
+ Actions can be used to block 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), content can be modified, JavaScripts tamed, user-tracking
+ fooled, and much more. See below for a complete list
+ of actions.
-
+Finding the Right Mix
- Note that some actions like cookie suppression or script disabling may
- render some sites unusable, which rely on these techniques to work properly.
- Finding the right mix of actions is not easy and certainly a matter of personal
- taste. In general, it can be said that the more aggressive
- your default settings (in the top section of the actions file) are,
- the more exceptions for trusted sites you will have to
- make later. If, for example, you want to kill popup windows per default, you'll
- have to make exceptions from that rule for sites that you regularly use
- and that require popups for actually useful content, like maybe your bank,
- favorite shop, or newspaper.
+ Note that some actions, like cookie suppression
+ or script disabling, may render some sites unusable that rely on these
+ techniques to work properly. Finding the right mix of actions is not always easy and
+ certainly a matter of personal taste. In general, it can be said that the more
+ aggressive your default settings (in the top section of the
+ actions file) are, the more exceptions for trusted sites you
+ will have to make later. If, for example, you want to kill popup windows per
+ default, you'll have to make exceptions from that rule for sites that you
+ regularly use and that require popups for actually useful content, like maybe
+ your bank, favorite shop, or newspaper.
We have tried to provide you with reasonable rules to start from in the
- distribution actions file. But there is no general rule of thumb on these
+ distribution actions files. But there is no general rule of thumb on these
things. There just are too many variables, and sites are constantly changing.
- Sooner or later you will want to change the rules (and read this chapter).
+ Sooner or later you will want to change the rules (and read this chapter again :).
-
+
-
+How to Edit
- The easiest way to edit the actions file is with a browser by
- using our browser-based editor, which is available at http://config.privoxy.org/edit-actions.
+ The easiest way to edit the actions files is with a browser by
+ using our browser-based editor, which can be reached from http://config.privoxy.org/show-status.
+ The editor allows both fine-grained control over every single feature on a
+ per-URL basis, and easy choosing from wholesale sets of defaults like
+ Cautious, Medium or Advanced.
If you prefer plain text editing to GUIs, you can of course also directly edit the
- default.action file.
+ the actions files. Look at default.action which is richly
+ commented.
-
+
-
+How Actions are Applied to URLs
- The actions file is divided into sections. There are special sections,
- like the alias sections which will be discussed later. For now let's
- concentrate on regular sections: They have a heading line (often split
+ Actions files are divided into sections. There are special sections,
+ like the alias sections which will be discussed later. For now
+ let's concentrate on regular sections: They have a heading line (often split
up to multiple lines for readability) which consist of a list of actions,
separated by whitespace and enclosed in curly braces. Below that, there
is a list of URL patterns, each on a separate line.
@@ -2401,14 +2786,18 @@ Removed references to Win32. HB 09/23/01
To determine which actions apply to a request, the URL of the request is
- compared to all patterns in this file. Every time it matches, the list of
+ compared to all patterns in each action file file. Every time it matches, the list of
applicable actions for the URL is incrementally updated, using the heading
of the section in which the pattern is located. If multiple matches for
- the same URL set the same action differently, the last match wins.
+ the same URL set the same action differently, the last match wins. If not,
+ the effects are aggregated (e.g. a URL might match both the
+ +handle-as-image
+ and +block actions).
+
- You can trace this process by visiting http://config.privoxy.org/show-url-info.
@@ -2416,10 +2805,10 @@ Removed references to Win32. HB 09/23/01
More detail on this is provided in the Appendix,
Anatomy of an Action.
-
+
-
+Patterns
Generally, a pattern has the form <domain>/<path>,
@@ -2475,7 +2864,9 @@ Removed references to Win32. HB 09/23/01
-The Domain Pattern
+
+
+The Domain Pattern
The matching of the domain part offers some flexible options: if the
@@ -2561,9 +2952,13 @@ Removed references to Win32. HB 09/23/01
-
+
+
+
+
-The Path Pattern
+
+The Path PatternPrivoxy uses Perl compatible regular expressions
@@ -2582,7 +2977,8 @@ Removed references to Win32. HB 09/23/01
Note that the path pattern is automatically left-anchored at the /,
- i.e. it matches as if it would start with a ^.
+ i.e. it matches as if it would start with a ^ (regular expression speak
+ for the beginning of a line).
@@ -2594,75 +2990,99 @@ Removed references to Win32. HB 09/23/01
documents whose path starts with PaTtErN in
exactly this capitalization.
-
-
-
+
+
-
+Actions
- Actions are enabled if preceded with a +, and disabled if
- preceded with a -. Actions are invoked by enclosing the
- action name in curly braces (e.g. {+some_action}), followed by a list of
- URLs to which the action applies. There are three classes of actions:
+ All actions are disabled by default, until they are explicitly enabled
+ somewhere in an actions file. Actions are turned on if preceded with a
+ +, and turned off if preceded with a -. So a
+ +action means do that action, e.g.
+ +block means please block URLs that match the
+ following patterns, and -block means don't
+ block URLs that match the following patterns, even if +block
+ previously applied.
+
+
+
+
+ Again, actions are invoked by placing them on a line, enclosed in curly braces and
+ separated by whitespace, like in
+ {+some-action -some-other-action{some-parameter}},
+ followed by a list of URL patterns, one per line, to which they apply.
+ Together, the actions line and the following pattern lines make up a section
+ of the actions file.
+
+
+
+ There are three classes of actions:
-
- Boolean (e.g. +/-block):
+ Boolean, i.e the action can only be enabled or
+ disabled. Syntax:
-
-
-
- {+name} # enable this action
- {-name} # disable this action
-
-
-
+
+ +name # enable action name
+ -name # disable action name
+
+
+ Example: +block
- parameterized (e.g. +/-hide-user-agent):
+ Parameterized, where some value is required in order to enable this type of action.
+ Syntax:
+
+
+
+ +name{param} # enable action and set parameter to param,
+ # overwriting parameter from previous match if necessary
+ -name # disable action. The parameter can be omitted
-
-
-
- {+name{param}} # enable action and set parameter to param
- {-name} # disable action
-
-
-
+ Note that if the URL matches multiple positive forms of a parameterized action,
+ the last match wins, i.e. the params from earlier matches are simply ignored.
+
+
+ Example: +hide-user-agent{ Mozilla 1.0 }
- Multi-value (e.g. {+/-add-header{Name: value}}, {+/-wafer{name=value}}):
+ Multi-value. These look exactly like parameterized actions,
+ but they behave differently: If the action applies multiple times to the
+ same URL, but with different parameters, all the parameters
+ from all matches are remembered. This is used for actions
+ that can be executed for the same request repeatedly, like adding multiple
+ headers, or filtering through multiple filters. Syntax:
-
-
-
- {+name{param}} # enable action and add parameter param
- {-name{param}} # remove the parameter param
- {-name} # disable this action totally
-
-
-
+
+ +name{param} # enable action and add param to the list of parameters
+ -name{param} # remove the parameter param from the list of parameters
+ # If it was the last one left, disable the action.
+ -name # disable this action completely and remove all parameters from the list
+
+
+ Examples: +add-header{X-Fun-Header: Some text} and
+ +filter{html-annoyances}
@@ -2670,827 +3090,2072 @@ Removed references to Win32. HB 09/23/01
- If nothing is specified in this file, no actions are taken.
- So in this case Privoxy would just be a
- normal, non-blocking, non-anonymizing proxy. You must specifically
- enable the privacy and blocking features you need (although the
- provided default default.action file will
- give a good starting point).
+ If nothing is specified in any actions file, no actions are
+ taken. So in this case Privoxy would just be a
+ normal, non-blocking, non-anonymizing proxy. You must specifically enable the
+ privacy and blocking features you need (although the provided default actions
+ files will give a good starting point).
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.
+ to any rules you make, should come in the latter part of the file (or
+ in a file that is processed later when using multiple actions files). For
+ multi-valued actions, the actions are applied in the order they are specified.
+ Actions files are processed in the order they are defined in
+ config (the default installation has three actions
+ files). It also quite possible for any given URL pattern to match more than
+ one pattern and thus more than one set of actions!
+
- The list of valid Privoxyactions are:
+ The list of valid Privoxy actions are:
-
-
-
-
-
- Add the specified HTTP header, which is not checked for validity.
- You may specify this many times to specify many different headers:
-
-
-
-
-
- +add-header{Name: value}
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
- Block this URL totally. In a default installation, a blocked
- URL will result in bright red banner that says BLOCKED,
- with a reason why it is being blocked, and an option to see it anyway.
- The page displayed for this is the blocked template
- file.
-
-
-
-
-
- +block
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
- De-animate all animated GIF images, i.e. reduce them to their last frame.
- This will also shrink the images considerably (in bytes, not pixels!). If
- the option first is given, the first frame of the animation
- is used as the replacement. If last is given, the last frame
- of the animation is used instead, which probably makes more sense for most
- banner animations, but also has the risk of not showing the entire last
- frame (if it is only a delta to an earlier frame).
-
-
-
-
-
- +deanimate-gifs{last}
- +deanimate-gifs{first}
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
- +downgrade will downgrade HTTP/1.1 client requests to
- HTTP/1.0 and downgrade the responses as well. Use this action for servers
- that use HTTP/1.1 protocol features that
- Privoxy doesn't handle well yet. HTTP/1.1
- is only partially implemented. Default is not to downgrade requests.
-
-
-
-
-
- +downgrade
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
- Many sites, like yahoo.com, don't just link to other sites. Instead, they
- will link to some script on their own server, giving the destination as a
- parameter, which will then redirect you to the final target. URLs resulting
- from this scheme typically look like:
- http://some.place/some_script?http://some.where-else.
-
-
- Sometimes, there are even multiple consecutive redirects encoded in the
- URL. These redirections via scripts make your web browsing more traceable,
- since the server from which you follow such a link can see where you go to.
- Apart from that, valuable bandwidth and time is wasted, while your browser
- ask the server for one redirect after the other. Plus, it feeds the
- advertisers.
-
-
- The +fast-redirects option enables interception of these
- types of requests by Privoxy, 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).
-
-
-
-
-
- +fast-redirects
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
- Apply the filters in the section_header
- section of the default.filter file to the site(s).
- default.filter sections are grouped according to like
- functionality. Filters can be used to
- re-write any of the raw page content. This is a potentially a
- very powerful feature!
-
-
-
-
-
-
- +filter{section_header}
-
-
-
-
-
- Filter sections that are pre-defined in the supplied
- default.filter include:
-
+
+
+
+
+
-
-
-
- html-annoyances: Get rid of particularly annoying HTML abuse.
-
-
-
-
- js-annoyances: Get rid of particularly annoying JavaScript abuse
-
-
-
-
- content-cookies: Kill cookies that come in the HTML or JS content
-
-
-
-
- popups: Kill all popups in JS and HTML
-
-
-
-
- frameset-borders: Give frames a border and make them resizable
-
-
-
-
- webbugs: Squish WebBugs (1x1 invisible GIFs used for user tracking)
-
-
-
-
- refresh-tags: Kill automatic refresh tags (for dial-on-demand setups)
-
-
-
-
- fun: Text replacements for subversive browsing fun!
-
-
-
-
- nimda: Remove Nimda (virus) code.
-
-
-
-
- banners-by-size: Kill banners by size (very efficient!)
-
-
-
-
- shockwave-flash: Kill embedded Shockwave Flash objects
-
-
-
-
- crude-parental: Kill all web pages that contain the words "sex" or "warez"
-
-
-
@@ -3992,7 +5669,7 @@ Requests
- Show the client's request headers:
+ Show the browser's request headers:
@@ -4036,23 +5713,12 @@ Requests
-
-
-
- Edit the actions list file:
-
-
-
- http://config.privoxy.org/edit-actions
-
-
-
- These may be bookmarked for quick reference.
+ These may be bookmarked for quick reference. See next.
@@ -4080,31 +5746,35 @@ Requests
- Enable Privoxy
+ Privoxy - Enable
- Disable Privoxy
+ Privoxy - Disable
- Toggle Privoxy (Toggles between enabled and disabled)
+ Privoxy - Toggle Privoxy (Toggles between enabled and disabled)
- View Privoxy Status
+ Privoxy- View Status
- Actions file feedback system
+ Privoxy - Submit Filter Feedback
@@ -4125,115 +5795,253 @@ 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:
+
+
+
+
+
+
+ First, your web browser requests a web page. The browser knows to send
+ the request to Privoxy, which will in turn,
+ relay the request to the remote web server after passing the following
+ tests:
+
+
+
+
+ Privoxy traps any request for its own internal CGI
+ pages (e.g http://p.p/) and sends the CGI page back to the browser.
+
+
+
+
+ Next, Privoxy checks to see if the URL
+ matches any +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
+ (blank, checkerboard pattern, or an HTTP redirect to an image elsewhere).
+
+
+
+
+ Untrusted URLs are blocked. If URLs are being added to the
+ trust file, then that is done.
+
+
+
+
+ If the URL pattern matches the +fast-redirects action,
+ it is then processed. Unwanted parts of the requested URL are stripped.
+
+
+
+
+ Now the rest of the client browser's request headers are processed. If any
+ of these match any of the relevant actions (e.g. +hide-user-agent,
+ etc.), headers are suppressed or forged as determined by these actions and
+ their parameters.
+
+
+
+
+ Now the web server starts sending its response back (i.e. typically a web page and related
+ data).
+
+
+
+
+ First, the server headers are read and processed to determine, among other
+ things, the MIME type (document type) and encoding. The headers are then
+ filtered as deterimed by the
+ +crunch-incoming-cookies,
+ +session-cookies-only,
+ and +downgrade-http-version
+ actions.
+
+
+
+
+ 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
+ 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
+ setting.The entire page, which is now filtered, is then sent by
+ Privoxy back to your browser.
+
+
+ If neither +filter
+ or +deanimate-gifs
+ matches, then Privoxy passes the raw data through
+ to the client browser as it becomes available.
+
+
+
+
+ As the browser receives the now (probably 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.
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
Anatomy of an Action
- The way Privoxy applies actions
- and filters to any given URL can be complex, and not always so
+ The way Privoxy applies
+ actions
+ and filters
+ 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
see just what Privoxy is
doing. Especially, if something Privoxy is doing
is causing us a problem inadvertently. It can be a little daunting to look at
the actions and filters files themselves, since they tend to be filled with
regular expressions whose consequences are not always
- so obvious. Privoxy provides the
+ so obvious.
+
+
+
+ One quick test to see if Privoxy is causing a problem
+ 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!).
+
+
+
+ Privoxy also provides the
http://config.privoxy.org/show-url-info
page that can show us very specifically how actions
are being applied to any given URL. This is a big help for troubleshooting.
-
+
First, enter one URL (or partial URL) at the prompt, and then
Privoxy will tell us
how the current configuration will handle it. This will not
- help with filtering effects from the default.filter file! It
- also will not tell you about any other URLs that may be embedded within the
- URL you are testing (i.e. a web page). 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
- actual URL that is pasted into the prompt area -- not any sub-URLs. If you
- want to know about embedded URLs like ads, you will have to dig those out of
- the HTML source. Use your browser's View Page Source option
- for this. Or right click on the ad, and grab the URL.
+ help with filtering effects (i.e. the +filter action) from
+ the default.filter file 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
+ you will only get info for the actual URL that is pasted into the prompt area
+ -- not any sub-URLs. If you want to know about embedded URLs like ads, you
+ will have to dig those out of the HTML source. Use your browser's View
+ Page Source option for this. Or right click on the ad, and grab the
+ URL.
- Let's look at an example, google.com,
- one section at a time:
+ Let's try an example, google.com,
+ and look at it one section at a time:
- System default actions:
-
- { -add-header -block -deanimate-gifs -downgrade -fast-redirects -filter
- -hide-forwarded -hide-from -hide-referer -hide-user-agent -image
- -image-blocker -limit-connect -no-compression -no-cookies-keep
- -no-cookies-read -no-cookies-set -no-popups -vanilla-wafer -wafer }
-
-
-
-
-
- This is the top section, and only tells us of the compiled in defaults. This
- is basically what Privoxy would do if there
- were not any actions defined, i.e. it does nothing. Every action
- is disabled. This is not particularly informative for our purposes here. OK,
- next section:
-
+ Matches for http://google.com:
-
-
+--- File standard ---
+(no matches in this file)
- Matches for http://google.com:
+--- File default ---
- { -add-header -block +deanimate-gifs -downgrade +fast-redirects
- +filter{html-annoyances} +filter{js-annoyances} +filter{no-popups}
- +filter{webbugs} +filter{nimda} +filter{banners-by-size} +filter{hal}
- +filter{fun} +hide-forwarded +hide-from{block} +hide-referer{forge}
- -hide-user-agent -image +image-blocker{blank} +no-compression
- +no-cookies-keep -no-cookies-read -no-cookies-set +no-popups
- -vanilla-wafer -wafer }
- /
+{ -add-header -block +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 +set-image-blocker{pattern} -limit-connect
+ +prevent-compression +session-cookies-only -crunch-outgoing-cookies
+ -crunch-incoming-cookies -kill-popups -send-vanilla-wafer -send-wafer }
+/
- { -no-cookies-keep -no-cookies-read -no-cookies-set }
- .google.com
+ { -session-cookies-only }
+ .google.com
{ -fast-redirects }
- .google.com
+ .google.com
-
+--- File user ---
+(no matches in this file)
+
- This is much more informative, and tells us how we have defined our
- actions, and which ones match for our example,
- google.com. The first grouping shows our default
- settings, which would apply to all URLs. If you look at your actions
- file, this would be the section just below the aliases section
- near the top. This applies to all URLs as signified by the single forward
- slash -- /.
-
+ This tells 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
+ -- /.
- These are the default actions we have enabled. But we can define additional
- actions that would be exceptions to these general rules, and then list
- specific URLs 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 various cookie blocking actions (i.e. we will allow
- cookies here). The second is allowing fast-redirects. 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 actions defined
- somewhere in the lower part of our actions file, and
- google.com is referenced in these sections.
+ 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 +session-cookies-only
+ (i.e. not persistent). So we will allow persistent cookies for google. The
+ second turns 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.
+
+
+ Then, for our user.action file, we again have no hits.
- And now we pull it altogether in the bottom section and summarize how
+ And finally we pull it all together in the bottom section and summarize how
Privoxy is applying all its actions
to google.com:
@@ -4243,16 +6051,20 @@ Requests
Final results:
+ -add-header -block +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 +set-image-blocker{pattern} -limit-connect
+ +prevent-compression -session-cookies-only -crunch-outgoing-cookies
+ -crunch-incoming-cookies -kill-popups -send-vanilla-wafer -send-wafer
+
+
- -add-header -block -deanimate-gifs -downgrade -fast-redirects
- +filter{html-annoyances} +filter{js-annoyances} +filter{no-popups}
- +filter{webbugs} +filter{nimda} +filter{banners-by-size} +filter{hal}
- +filter{fun} +hide-forwarded +hide-from{block} +hide-referer{forge}
- -hide-user-agent -image +image-blocker{blank} -limit-connect +no-compression
- -no-cookies-keep -no-cookies-read -no-cookies-set +no-popups -vanilla-wafer
- -wafer
-
-
+
+ Notice the only difference here to the previous listing, is to
+ fast-redirects and session-cookies-only.
@@ -4262,24 +6074,24 @@ Requests
- { +block +image }
+ { +block +handle-as-image }
.ad.doubleclick.net
- { +block +image }
+ { +block +handle-as-image }
ad*.
- { +block +image }
+ { +block +handle-as-image }
.doubleclick.net
-
-
+
We'll just show the interesting part here, the explicit matches. It is
- matched three different times. Each as an +block +image,
+ matched three different times. Each as an +block +handle-as-image,
which is the expanded form of one of our aliases that had been defined as:
- +imageblock. (Aliases are defined in the
- first section of the actions file and typically used to combine more
+ +imageblock. (Aliases are defined in
+ the first section of the actions file and typically used to combine more
than one action.)
@@ -4289,9 +6101,13 @@ Requests
would also cover the first. No point in taking chances with these guys
though ;-) Note that if you want an ad or obnoxious
URL to be invisible, it should be defined as ad.doubleclick.net
- is done here -- as both a +blockand an
- +image. The custom alias +imageblock does this
- for us.
+ is done here -- as both a +block
+ and an
+ +handle-as-image.
+ The custom alias +imageblock just simplifies the process and make
+ it more readable.
@@ -4304,27 +6120,26 @@ Requests
Matches for http://www.rhapsodyk.net/adsl/HOWTO/:
- { -add-header -block +deanimate-gifs -downgrade +fast-redirects
- +filter{html-annoyances} +filter{js-annoyances} +filter{no-popups}
+ { -add-header -block +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 +hide-from{block} +hide-referer{forge}
- -hide-user-agent -image +image-blocker{blank} +no-compression
- +no-cookies-keep -no-cookies-read -no-cookies-set +no-popups
- -vanilla-wafer -wafer }
+ +filter{fun} +hide-forwarded-for-headers +hide-from-header{block}
+ +hide-referer{forge} -hide-user-agent -handle-as-image +set-image-blocker{blank}
+ +prevent-compression +session-cookies-only -crunch-incoming-cookies
+ -crunch-outgoing-cookies +kill-popups -send-vanilla-wafer -send-wafer }
/
- { +block +image }
+ { +block +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) pages with adsl. There are various ways to
- handle such exceptions. Example:
+ block ({-block}) paths with adsl. There are
+ various ways to handle such exceptions. Example:
@@ -4332,8 +6147,7 @@ Requests
{ -block }
/adsl
-
-
+
@@ -4349,10 +6163,9 @@ Requests
- { -block }
- /adsl
-
-
+ { +block +handle-as-image }
+ /ads
+
@@ -4373,14 +6186,13 @@ Requests
.jungle.com
.scan.co.uk
.forbes.com
-
-
+
{shop} is an alias that expands to
- { -filter -no-cookies -no-cookies-keep }. Or you could do
- your own exception to negate filtering:
+ { -filter -session-cookies-only }.
+ Or you could do your own exception to negate filtering:
@@ -4389,8 +6201,12 @@ Requests
{-filter}
.forbes.com
-
-
+
+
+
+
+ This would probably be most appropriately put in user.action,
+ for local site exceptions.
@@ -4425,6 +6241,98 @@ Requests
Temple Place - Suite 330, Boston, MA 02111-1307, USA.
$Log: user-manual.sgml,v $
+ Revision 1.109 2002/05/14 17:23:11 oes
+ Renamed the prevent-*-cookies actions, extended aliases section and moved it before the example AFs
+
+ Revision 1.108 2002/05/14 15:29:12 oes
+ Completed proofreading the actions chapter
+
+ Revision 1.107 2002/05/12 03:20:41 hal9
+ Small clarifications for 127.0.0.1 vs localhost for listen-address since this
+ apparently an important distinction for some OS's.
+
+ Revision 1.106 2002/05/10 01:48:20 hal9
+ This is mostly proposed copyright/licensing additions and changes. Docs
+ are still GPL, but licensing and copyright are more visible. Also, copyright
+ changed in doc header comments (eliminate references to JB except FAQ).
+
+ Revision 1.105 2002/05/05 20:26:02 hal9
+ Sorting out license vs copyright in these docs.
+
+ Revision 1.104 2002/05/04 08:44:45 swa
+ bumped version
+
+ Revision 1.103 2002/05/04 00:40:53 hal9
+ -Remove the TOC first page kludge. It's fixed proper now in ldp.dsl.in.
+ -Some minor additions to Quickstart.
+
+ Revision 1.102 2002/05/03 17:46:00 oes
+ Further proofread & reactivated short build instructions
+
+ Revision 1.101 2002/05/03 03:58:30 hal9
+ Move the user-manual config directive to top of section. Add note about
+ Privoxy needing read permissions for configs, and write for logs.
+
+ Revision 1.100 2002/04/29 03:05:55 hal9
+ Add clarification on differences of new actions files.
+
+ Revision 1.99 2002/04/28 16:59:05 swa
+ more structure in starting section
+
+ Revision 1.98 2002/04/28 05:43:59 hal9
+ This is the break up of configuration.html into multiple files. This
+ will probably break links elsewhere :(
+
+ Revision 1.97 2002/04/27 21:04:42 hal9
+ -Rewrite of Actions File example.
+ -Add section for user-manual directive in config.
+
+ Revision 1.96 2002/04/27 05:32:00 hal9
+ -Add short section to Filter Files to tie in with +filter action.
+ -Start rewrite of examples in Actions Examples (not finished).
+
+ Revision 1.95 2002/04/26 17:23:29 swa
+ bookmarks cleaned, changed structure of user manual, screen and programlisting cleanups, and numerous other changes that I forgot
+
+ Revision 1.94 2002/04/26 05:24:36 hal9
+ -Add most of Andreas suggestions to Chain of Events section.
+ -A few other minor corrections and touch up.
+
+ Revision 1.92 2002/04/25 18:55:13 hal9
+ More catchups on new actions files, and new actions names.
+ Other assorted cleanups, and minor modifications.
+
+ Revision 1.91 2002/04/24 02:39:31 hal9
+ Add 'Chain of Events' section.
+
+ Revision 1.90 2002/04/23 21:41:25 hal9
+ Linuxconf is deprecated on RH, substitute chkconfig.
+
+ Revision 1.89 2002/04/23 21:05:28 oes
+ Added hint for startup on Red Hat
+
+ Revision 1.88 2002/04/23 05:37:54 hal9
+ Add AmigaOS install stuff.
+
+ Revision 1.87 2002/04/23 02:53:15 david__schmidt
+ Updated OSX installation section
+ Added a few English tweaks here an there
+
+ Revision 1.86 2002/04/21 01:46:32 hal9
+ Re-write actions section.
+
+ Revision 1.85 2002/04/18 21:23:23 hal9
+ Fix ugly typo (mine).
+
+ Revision 1.84 2002/04/18 21:17:13 hal9
+ Spell Redhat correctly (ie Red Hat). A few minor grammar corrections.
+
+ Revision 1.83 2002/04/18 18:21:12 oes
+ Added RPM install detail
+
+ Revision 1.82 2002/04/18 12:04:50 oes
+ Cosmetics
+
Revision 1.81 2002/04/18 11:50:24 oes
Extended Install section - needs fixing by packagers