Software to Track Link Use Summary

[Grace Garbe]

Several weeks ago I posted a message asking for help in setting up a way 
to track which external links are being followed from our web resource 
pages.  Thanks to all of you who replied.  There were three recommendations:
	1.  use a proxy server
	2.  use a Perl script to redirect all URLs through a logfile on 
the server
	3.  use commercially available software

I contacted two vendors about their software to ask if it would
specifically do what I wanted, but I received no replies.  Mark Ellis of
the Richmond (BC) Public Library sent a Perl script (also sent to the
list) which one of our systems analysts modified.  Then I used a program
on our UNIX server called Treesed to globally change all the http URLs to
redirect them to the logfile we created to capture the redirects before
rerouting them to the external link.  Total amount of time spent on
writing the script and changing the URLs was a little less than 3 hours. 
	
After six days, I can report that it is working and providing me with
exactly what I needed.  If anyone wants more specific information, feel
free to write me.
	
		Grace Garbe
		Garcia Consulting Corp.
		ggarbe at uspto.gov