[OT]Can I restrict a visitor to a subset of my site?

[Gordon Levi]

I want to provide a link to a page on my site but I don't want the
visitor to be able to see (most) other pages. I would prefer it if the
visitor was able to follow a link on the referenced page and any
further links from that link.

For example, I would like to post a link here to
example.com/farnakling. That page may include a link to
example.com/contacts. Assuming that the contacts page does not contain
a link I don't want you to be able to see any page at example.com
except those two.

I know the answer requires more than HTML and hence it is OT but I
need advice on the minimum data required on the server. I would like
to avoid anything that cannot reside in the home directory of my site.
The server is Apache2.

 

[Jonathan N. Little]

I want to provide a link to a page on my site but I don't want the
visitor to be able to see (most) other pages. I would prefer it if the
visitor was able to follow a link on the referenced page and any
further links from that link.

For example, I would like to post a link here to
example.com/farnakling. That page may include a link to
example.com/contacts. Assuming that the contacts page does not contain
a link I don't want you to be able to see any page at example.com
except those two.

I know the answer requires more than HTML and hence it is OT but I
need advice on the minimum data required on the server. I would like
to avoid anything that cannot reside in the home directory of my site.
The server is Apache2.

Question, are any other pages on your site public? That is like
example.com/foo and example.com/bar accessible from the web without some
login restriction? If so, then the answer is no. It the pages are
public, then they are *public*. You can not put any links to other pages
on your site within those two pages /farnakling & /contacts that would
make it not readily traversable, but they could still find those other
pages via a search engine or external links.

 

[Lewis]

I want to provide a link to a page on my site but I don't want the
visitor to be able to see (most) other pages. I would prefer it if the
visitor was able to follow a link on the referenced page and any
further links from that link.

For example, I would like to post a link here to
example.com/farnakling. That page may include a link to
example.com/contacts. Assuming that the contacts page does not contain
a link I don't want you to be able to see any page at example.com
except those two.

A SPECIFIC visitor? What other pages exist and how would they be accessed?

There are many things you can do (HTTP Auth, referrer checks, cgi) but
it's hard to guess what you really want.

I know the answer requires more than HTML and hence it is OT but I
need advice on the minimum data required on the server. I would like
to avoid anything that cannot reside in the home directory of my site.
The server is Apache2.

That depends a lot on what the Apache install will allow you to do.

 

[dorayme]

I want to provide a link to a page on my site but I don't want the
visitor to be able to see (most) other pages. I would prefer it if the
visitor was able to follow a link on the referenced page and any
further links from that link.

For example, I would like to post a link here to
example.com/farnakling. That page may include a link to
example.com/contacts. Assuming that the contacts page does not contain
a link I don't want you to be able to see any page at example.com
except those two.

I know the answer requires more than HTML and hence it is OT but I
need advice on the minimum data required on the server. I would like
to avoid anything that cannot reside in the home directory of my site.
The server is Apache2.

Yes, you can do some of this to an extent. First don't overestimate
the trouble visitors will go to. If you choose unlikely paths (meaning
folders) and names for the pages that you are allowing, if you
furthermore make your domain name index page one with no links you can
probably get close enough to what you want. You can to a certain
extent stop search engines noting your pages to help be invisible.

 

[Gordon Levi]

A SPECIFIC visitor?

No, I really meant "a link here" so that anybody who read my post
could access it. It would a clumsy solution but posting the link
together with a page specific user name and password could be
acceptable.

What other pages exist and how would they be accessed?

The other pages would be similar. Imagine the whole site is devoted to
answering questions or posting stuff in newsgroups. I only want
readers to access the page(s) that are specific to one post but
another post would probably refer to a different page on the same
site. I don't need to have any content at the top level so a visitor
to example.com could just see a bland placeholder page that is not
linked to any other pages or also linked to a contacts page. I am
prepared to have multiple, identical contacts pages.

There are many things you can do (HTTP Auth, referrer checks, cgi) but
it's hard to guess what you really want.


That depends a lot on what the Apache install will allow you to do.

Sorry, "reside in the home directory of my site" was a useless attempt
to provide that information.

My preferred host is a free one, <http://000webhost.com>, but I would
rather avoid PHP. I could host the site myself if that provides an
easy solution to the problem.

 

[Gordon Levi]

Question, are any other pages on your site public?

All the pages can have similar restrictions.

That is like
example.com/foo and example.com/bar accessible from the web without some
login restriction? If so, then the answer is no. It the pages are
public, then they are *public*. You can not put any links to other pages
on your site within those two pages /farnakling & /contacts that would
make it not readily traversable, but they could still find those other
pages via a search engine or external links.

I hoped to prevent most search engines from referencing example.com
with noindex. Not that the rest of the site is top secret, I just
would prefer it if a reference to one page did not lead to someone
reading the entire site. There is no reason why any other pages need
to have a reference to /farnakling or its contacts page.

 

[Ben Bacarisse]

The other pages would be similar. Imagine the whole site is devoted to
answering questions or posting stuff in newsgroups. I only want
readers to access the page(s) that are specific to one post but
another post would probably refer to a different page on the same
site.

I don't think this is realistic and I can't see the motivation. If all
the pages are answers to questions, with publicly posted URLs, you can't
stop someone following a link in another post. But the most puzzling
thing is why do you care? I think if you said what the *reason* for
this is you might get more helpful answers.

<snip>

 

[Gordon Levi]

I want to provide a link to a page on my site but I don't want the
visitor to be able to see (most) other pages. I would prefer it if the
visitor was able to follow a link on the referenced page and any
further links from that link.

For example, I would like to post a link here to
example.com/farnakling. That page may include a link to
example.com/contacts. Assuming that the contacts page does not contain
a link I don't want you to be able to see any page at example.com
except those two.

I know the answer requires more than HTML and hence it is OT but I
need advice on the minimum data required on the server. I would like
to avoid anything that cannot reside in the home directory of my site.
The server is Apache2.

I am beginning to suspect that this was a stupid question. If there
are no references between the pages on my site except those similar to
my farnakling example above how would a visitor discover the other
pages? I'm assuming I could limit their discovery by a search engine.

 

[Jonathan N. Little]

I don't think this is realistic and I can't see the motivation. If all
the pages are answers to questions, with publicly posted URLs, you can't
stop someone following a link in another post. But the most puzzling
thing is why do you care? I think if you said what the *reason* for
this is you might get more helpful answers.

<snip>

Agree, I don't see the OP's intentions. I mean you can have a website
with the Apache no indexes option:

Options -Indexes

And then do not have any and index page, e.g., index.html, and then if
the web pages do not have any other links to any other then someone
could not iterate through all the pages. But if you post the URL to the
page ANYONE seeing the post, including search engines, will be able to
see the page.

I do that with examples that I post to usenet and have done for years
but that does not stop others from see the page unless I delete the
page. Like this one from back in 2008 for one of the html NGs

<http://www.littleworksstudio.com/temp/usenet/alt.html.20080410.html>

I do not bother to delete them so they are still accessible from NG
archives.

But if OP wants to have a page ONLY for one person and only for THAT
person, then he would have to have some user registration at his
website. However that still would make no sense to post such a link in a
PUBLIC newsgroup.

This all seems to relate to one of my theorems of the Internet which os
usually in response "How to I hide my HTML?", and that is 'The true
value of something is inversely proportional to the effort to "protect" it'.

 

[Ben Bacarisse]

I am beginning to suspect that this was a stupid question. If there
are no references between the pages on my site except those similar to
my farnakling example above how would a visitor discover the other
pages? I'm assuming I could limit their discovery by a search engine.

In another post you suggested that the purpose is to post links on
Usenet. I do this (occasionally) with www.bsb.me.uk/testing links.
Even if a search engine does not index the page, most will find the
links in news archives. If someone likes one answer, they can search
for "www.bsb.me.uk/testing" and they'll get most of the others. I
suppose you could mark your posts as "do not archive", but I'm not sure
how reliable that is.

Please just tell us *why* you want to stop someone finding some other
posted link?

 

[Gordon Levi]

That was my reaction too. Further, if

example.com/foo

is not linked to from /any/ other page it is highly unlikely that any
search engine could find it. I have a few folders and pages on my
server that are like that. Never been found in many years by any search
engine.

Thanks to you both. I was much slower in realising I probably did not
have a problem.

Now that I know about your "hidden" pages Ed, is there a way I might
systematically find them? I mean, say, twenty minutes of my time
rather than a search by the NSA.

 

[Christoph Michael Becker]

I am beginning to suspect that this was a stupid question. If there
are no references between the pages on my site except those similar to
my farnakling example above how would a visitor discover the other
pages? I'm assuming I could limit their discovery by a search engine.

You may consider using a robots.txt file[1] to forbid bots access to
certain resources. If the bots follow this advice depends -- however,
search engine crawlers most likely do.

[1] <http://www.robotstxt.org/robotstxt.html>

 

[Lewis]

No, I really meant "a link here" so that anybody who read my post
could access it. It would a clumsy solution but posting the link
together with a page specific user name and password could be
acceptable.

The other pages would be similar. Imagine the whole site is devoted to
answering questions or posting stuff in newsgroups. I only want
readers to access the page(s) that are specific to one post but
another post would probably refer to a different page on the same
site.

OK, if you do not have links between pages, how are you imagining that a
persons would get from a page on your site to another pay? Just by
guessing the name?

 

[Lewis]

All the pages can have similar restrictions.

I hoped to prevent most search engines from referencing example.com
with noindex. Not that the rest of the site is top secret, I just
would prefer it if a reference to one page did not lead to someone
reading the entire site. There is no reason why any other pages need
to have a reference to /farnakling or its contacts page.

robots.txt will prevent search indexes from indexing you.

 

[Denis McMahon]

I want to provide a link to a page on my site but I don't want the
visitor to be able to see (most) other pages. I would prefer it if the
visitor was able to follow a link on the referenced page and any further
links from that link.

Anyone knowing the uri for a web page can request it. Trying to keep the
uri of a web page secret is "security through obscurity", and fails as
soon as one person who knows the uri discloses it to someone who isn't
meant to know it.

Once people know that it's there, they can see it.

There are mechanisms you can use. They need various levels of support on
the webserver, and your ability to implement them depends on how much
control you have over the server? Some web accounts (eg free ones) give
you much less control than others.

 

[Gordon Levi]

I don't think this is realistic and I can't see the motivation. If all
the pages are answers to questions, with publicly posted URLs, you can't
stop someone following a link in another post. But the most puzzling
thing is why do you care? I think if you said what the *reason* for
this is you might get more helpful answers.

As an example, suppose you post here asking me for the meaning of
life. I reply with a reference to my example.com/meaning_of_life page.
Although this provides a complete answer to your question instead of
being duly grateful someone is certain to complain that the
explanation of the marquee tag on my site could lead to its sinful
use. They will question the *reason* why someone who understands the
meaning of life would be mistaken about the marquee tag.

 

[dorayme]

As an example, suppose you post here asking me for the meaning of
life. I reply with a reference to my example.com/meaning_of_life page.
Although this provides a complete answer to your question instead of
being duly grateful someone is certain to complain that the
explanation of the marquee tag on my site could lead to its sinful
use. They will question the *reason* why someone who understands the
meaning of life would be mistaken about the marquee tag.

Absolutely correct. In my long experience, those who know the meaning
of life can often get the trivialities of life wrong, and it is an
impertinence for them to be told the details.

 

[Ben Bacarisse]

As an example, suppose you post here asking me for the meaning of
life. I reply with a reference to my example.com/meaning_of_life page.
Although this provides a complete answer to your question instead of
being duly grateful someone is certain to complain that the
explanation of the marquee tag on my site could lead to its sinful
use. They will question the *reason* why someone who understands the
meaning of life would be mistaken about the marquee tag.

Hmmm, still puzzled. If you stand by what you post, why does it matter?
If you don't (maybe because attitudes change -- they do about HTML) then
periodically remove those pages that you'd rather not have people see.
If there are no inter-page links, all people will see is a dead link in
an old Usenet post (so don't call it example.com/why-marquee-is-the-
best-thing-since-flashing-gifs.html).

 

[Jonathan N. Little]

As an example, suppose you post here asking me for the meaning of
life. I reply with a reference to my example.com/meaning_of_life page.
Although this provides a complete answer to your question instead of
being duly grateful someone is certain to complain that the
explanation of the marquee tag on my site could lead to its sinful
use. They will question the *reason* why someone who understands the
meaning of life would be mistaken about the marquee tag.

If you are so uncertain about *publishing* your thoughts online, then
the best answer is *don't*. Instead get a piece of paper and write it
down there, then show the paper to no one and then *immediately* take a
match and burn the piece of paper.

Sorry but I think you are being really silly here and worrying over nothing.

 

[Jonathan N. Little]

OK, if you do not have links between pages, how are you imagining that a
persons would get from a page on your site to another pay? Just by
guessing the name?

That is one way, another is from an old post, another if someone else
add a link in their blog to your page...countless ways.