# Classic Appalachian Trail Distance Calculator
# Version 3.1
# README File
# By Mike Calabrese
# http://www.mikecalabrese.com/index.shtml
# 01-09-2006

# This program is available for free on an AS-IS basis.  I am not
# responsible for consequential damages, loss of income or whatever
# else that may happen as a result  of the use of this program.

# ***PLEASE NOT THAT THIS APPLICATION IS NO LONGER BEING UPDATED ***
#                     *** AS OF 01-01-2007 ***


This program is designed to calculate the approximate distance in miles
on the Appalachian Trail between two given points.
The 4 files included are this README file, the Perl script atdist.pl,
the HTML page that points to this script called atdist.html and a
compressed directory called points that contain the distance files.
These files contain each point on the AT and it's distance from the
southern terminus of the trail.

The way the script works is that the starting and ending point are passed
to the Perl script.  The appropriate files for these scripts are then
opened, the points and distances are read, the starting point is then
subtracted from the ending point and the absolute value of the difference
is then passed to the user. This script has been tested on UNIX and
LINUX environments successfully.

The following configuration changes need to be made in order to successfully
run this program:

1) Place the HTML page atdist.html on your server where your other HTML
documents reside.  Be sure to change the "FORM ACTION" line to point to
the url location of atdist.pl.  (For example-
<FORM ACTION="http://www.yourdomain.com/cgi-bin/atdist/atdist.pl"> )

2) Place the perl script atdist.pl in your cgi-bin directory within it's
own directory called atdist.  Be sure to chmod atdist.pl to 755 and the
atdist directory to 755.  On some servers you will have to chgrp these files
to the proper ownership name for your site.  The only 3 things in this file
that need to be changed are:
a) Make sure that your path to Perl is correct (typing "which perl" at the
command line will answer that. Be sure that the path to Perl is the first
line of the atdist.pl script.
b) Make sure that the $refurl variable is set to the exact url path to your
atdist.html file.  The bad referer subroutine keeps others from copying your
html form and pointing to your cgi.
Please note that on some servers you have to change the extension of the
Perl script from .pl to .cgi.
3) Place the points directory within the atdist directory and untar & gunzip
it there.  Chmod these files to 755 and, on some sites, you will have to
chgrp them to the proper group name.   Type in PWD and copy the exact UNIX
path to this directory. Then be sure to go back to the atdist.pl file
and make sure that the $points_directory variable points to this directory.

This program is also available in a version that connects to a MySQL database
to retrieve the points and distances. Please do not remove the code that
references the Appalachian Trail Conference on the HTML page as well as the
Perl script.  This is the permission clause to use the numbers that are
computed for this application.

For 2006, the following points were changed:
USFS42 Parking Area, GA to USFA42-Springer Parking Area, GA
I70 Footbridge, MD to I70 Footbridge-US40, MD
PA225, PA to PA225 Overpass, PA
PA325-Clarks Valley, PA to PA325, PA
Mount Katahdin, ME to Baxter Peak-Mount Katahdin, ME

The following point was added:
Delaware Water Gap, PA