>I'm not sure how you came up with this. Apache does not >have a dir_list command or equivalent.
it has an include command which uses this method of descrining a directory. what was at issue was the way to describe a directory-it happened to surface in the dir_list context. In any case, the idea that the root directory is the defined drectory that you are working in (as in server defined) is let us say unexpected--I can see from your reply that I induced the correct answer--I didnt ask you because it was Sunday and I needed something done by Monday--things happen that way some time.
I figured out an acceptable solution--what I am basically trying to do is to allow someone to put documents in folders in their mailbox and have them either displayed (#INCLUDE) or linked (#dir_list) but with a web pagesurrounding them other than the spiderisland template page. My preference would have been to locate these spml pages in a place other than the person's mailbox, so that there would be no chance of them being lost or damaged--this now seems impossible and it is a very rankling limitation.
So I solved the problem but in a very inelegant and blunt manner, one taht requires me to make too many copies of essentially the same pages and put them in too many places in my client's mailbox. In the process I came up against what I think is a very irrational and illogical language--it just doesn't make sense to me. And very limited too in the sense that all thes files have to be in the same path.By the way, your documentation seems to say that #include only works for diectories and sub directories of where your spml page is--but it seems to work anywhere in the same root directory as I now understand it--you can climb back up the directory tree and then go down another branch.
let me give you an example of what I find disquieting--there seems to be some magic in putting quotes around the dir list parameter--what is so magic about putting a space betweenthe quote and the variable when displaying a directory? they have to be in exactly the right place. Why? I guessed it based on your template page. And if this is documented, I sure couldn't find it-- The whole thing just seems so irraional and illogical. If you put a quote rightnext to a variable, some of the variaqbles become text--sometimes a quote shows up on thebrowser even if there are an even number of quotes and sometimes a horizintally formatted table comes out vertical--sheeeesh. At the end I felt like the practitioner of a black art,
