Features

• Does not require server-side includes.

• Version 2.6+ is very simple to use, call it as simply as
  <img src="/cgi-bin/Count.cgi"> or <img src="/cgi-bin/Count.exe"> on NT.

• Site admin can allow the users to administer their own counters via the supplied cgi script count_admin.pl program. Admins can use the same script to administer the counters of the whole site.

• Single database for the whole site. Command line and CGI Tools are provided to manipulate the database.

• Countdown to a specific date (past or future). Countdown can be done in reference to local server time or any timezone with the parameter timezone. Two new keywords are added: display=countdown and cdt=year;month;day;hr;min;sec. If display=countdown is used and no cdt is specified, the default countdown to Year 2000 is assumed. The parameter cdf can be used to specify a countdown from date. hat is difference between two dates can be calculated if you specify the target date as well with the paramter cdt. The current time and date can be displayed below the countdown if the sfd=T is used. Please look at the Options section and FAQ Question# 28 for details. Also look at the Examples section to see how it looks.
  

• Site admin can decide to count or ignore page reload via a keyword ( count_reload) in configuration file. If the site admin decides to count reload (count_reload=Yes), then a user can choose to count or ignore reload with parameter reload=T or F. Note, if the side admin decided to ignore reload, then the user preference is ignored.
  

• The counter image can be composited with a base image to a specific location. New keyword: xy=x;y (Sub-image x and y co-ordinate). The parameter align can be used to specify the width and height of the counter image in the <img src= tag while calling the counter. The implication is, if the counter is the first thing in a large table, the browser will not have to wait to calculate the width and height of the counter image before loading the rest. Please look at the Examples section to see how it works.

• The site admin can log the counter messages in the log file or ignore the messages by specifying a keyword and value (log_error_messages=Yes or No) in the configuration file in section [options].

• The maximum number of digits the counter can count and display can be very high. By default the maximum number of hits can be (10^80)-1, which is a very very large number (99999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999), that is it is impossible to overflow the counter. All the energy in the universe will run out before you overflow the counter :)

• Wild card can be used in the IPs in ignore host block in the config file. There is no limit for number of IPs (as long as memory is not exhausted).

• Wild card can be used in the hosts/IPs in the auth block of the config file. There is no limit for number of hosts/IPs (as long as memory is not exhausted).

• The counter can count with image= parameter if df= parameter is specified.

• Count or ignore Consecutive reloading a page from the same host a configurable option in the count.cfg file (used to be a compile-time option). (Added on: Dec-13-1998).

• "cache" and expires" parameters can be used to change the caching behavior of certain browsers.

• Date in clock is Year 2000 safe. Note, you will not see full year in the counter until the year 2000 arrives unless you use the parameter fy, or specify YYYY with the option dformat.

• Uses image strip as well as individual digit images. Using an image strip reduces disk i/o significantly, therefore, it's faster. A program (mkstrip) is supplied to create an image strip from individual digit images.

• Comma can be displayed after every 3rd digit from right.

• Any one color of the image can be changed on the fly.

• Uses netmasks to mask out a range of hosts in the network or the entire network.

• Automatic datafile creation, strict mode, use of rgb color database can be controlled from the cfg file at run time.

• Any arbitrary GIF file can be displayed. Frame and other attributes of the counter can be applied to the GIF file.

• Count 2.0 is backward compatible with Count1.5's URL. One thing to note, the keyword wxh has no meaning in Count 2.0. It was used in Count 1.5 to specify digit dimensions. In Count 2.0 it is not required, because the digit dimensions are determined automatically. Therefore, you can use variable width digit images in this version.

• Reasonable default for all QUERY_STRING parameters.

• The same program can be used to display time or date.

• The time and date of any timezone in the world can be displayed. The time can be displayed in 12 or in 24 hour format.

• Supports digit images with variable width.

• Counter can be displayed without incrementing (for monitoring etc.)

• A literal digit string can be displayed.

• A random digit string can be displayed.

• The color of the digits can be negated.

• The counter can be rotated (only integral of 90 degrees, 90,180,270). The default rotation is 270 degrees.

• An ornamental 3D frame can be wrapped around the counter image with user defined thickness and color at run time.

• The frame and transparent color can be a name (e.g. red,green,pink etc.). The color can be specified as a hex string, e.g. ffffff, ff0000 etc. as well as RGB triplets as before.

• Single program for any number of users for any number of web pages.

• Any color of the counter image can be made transparent at run time.

• Style of digits can be specified at run time.

• Authorized host names can be in the configuration file. Authorized hosts are those which can run the counter remotely. Do not confuse this with visitors from certain hosts.

• IP filtering through a configuration file at run time. Any number of hosts can be ignored from counting. A netmask can be used to filter out a specific range of hosts in a network or to filter out the entire network. It's a good idea to ignore your own host or entire domain. Gen-conf program will let you create the configuration file interactively.

• Data file locking. Data file will not get clobbered by simultaneous Count.cgi processes. NOTE, locking may not work if the counter's datafile is on a NFS partition.

• Maximum number of digits can be set or counter can be displayed with exact number of digits at run time.

• User will be able to specify a start-up counter value at run time. This will take effect if the data file does not exist. You will be prompted by the configuration program if you want this feature or not.

• If you do not want to display the counter but like to keep the hits on your page, sh=0 can be defined in the QUERY_STRING at run time. It will write a 1x1 transparent GIF image to the browser but the counter in the data file will be incremented properly.