From: swa
Date: Sun, 28 Apr 2002 17:24:53 +0000 (+0000)
Subject: generated
X-Git-Tag: v_3_0_branchpoint~159
X-Git-Url: http://www.privoxy.org/gitweb/-%22http:/sourceforge.net/static/git-favicon.png?a=commitdiff_plain;h=e0dbf1d74567dc0bec4c358a3bab44ef62af4aa8;p=privoxy.git
generated
---
diff --git a/doc/pdf/privoxy-developer-manual.pdf b/doc/pdf/privoxy-developer-manual.pdf
index 599db51b..7eb08a25 100644
Binary files a/doc/pdf/privoxy-developer-manual.pdf and b/doc/pdf/privoxy-developer-manual.pdf differ
diff --git a/doc/pdf/privoxy-faq.pdf b/doc/pdf/privoxy-faq.pdf
index 686d39cf..cf1ab349 100644
Binary files a/doc/pdf/privoxy-faq.pdf and b/doc/pdf/privoxy-faq.pdf differ
diff --git a/doc/pdf/privoxy-user-manual.pdf b/doc/pdf/privoxy-user-manual.pdf
index a3e60a06..ee118312 100644
Binary files a/doc/pdf/privoxy-user-manual.pdf and b/doc/pdf/privoxy-user-manual.pdf differ
diff --git a/doc/text/developer-manual.txt b/doc/text/developer-manual.txt
index ac5f2e8b..106885c2 100644
--- a/doc/text/developer-manual.txt
+++ b/doc/text/developer-manual.txt
@@ -1930,7 +1930,6 @@ note the following sections.
To get support, use the Sourceforge Support Forum:
http://sourceforge.net/tracker/?group_id=11118&atid=211118
-
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
@@ -1939,7 +1938,6 @@ To get support, use the Sourceforge Support Forum:
To submit bugs, use the Sourceforge Bug Forum:
http://sourceforge.net/tracker/?group_id=11118&atid=111118.
-
Make sure that the bug has not already been submitted. Please try to verify
that it is a Privoxy bug, and not a browser or site bug first. If you are using
@@ -1957,7 +1955,6 @@ reproduce the bug.
To submit ideas on new features, use the Sourceforge feature request forum:
http://sourceforge.net/tracker/?atid=361118&group_id=11118&func=browse.
-
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
@@ -1978,7 +1975,6 @@ your feedback. These will be announced on the ijbswa-announce list.
For any other issues, feel free to use the mailing lists:
http://sourceforge.net/mail/?group_id=11118.
-
Anyone interested in actively participating in development and related
discussions can also join the appropriate mailing list. Archives are available,
@@ -2033,8 +2029,8 @@ Sourceforge.
http://p.p/, access Privoxy from your browser. Alternately, http://
config.privoxy.org may work in some situations where the first does not.
-http://p.p/, and select "actions file feedback system" to submit "misses" to
-the developers.
+http://p.p/, and select "Privoxy - Submit Filter Feedback" to submit "misses"
+to the developers.
http://www.junkbusters.com/ht/en/cookies.html
diff --git a/doc/text/faq.txt b/doc/text/faq.txt
index 75c5ac10..b267ce61 100644
--- a/doc/text/faq.txt
+++ b/doc/text/faq.txt
@@ -822,8 +822,8 @@ Sourceforge.
http://p.p/, access Privoxy from your browser. Alternately, http://
config.privoxy.org may work in some situations where the first does not.
-http://p.p/, and select "actions file feedback system" to submit "misses" to
-the developers.
+http://p.p/, and select "Privoxy - Submit Filter Feedback" to submit "misses"
+to the developers.
http://www.junkbusters.com/ht/en/cookies.html
@@ -910,7 +910,6 @@ note the following sections.
To get support, use the Sourceforge Support Forum:
http://sourceforge.net/tracker/?group_id=11118&atid=211118
-
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
@@ -919,7 +918,6 @@ To get support, use the Sourceforge Support Forum:
To submit bugs, use the Sourceforge Bug Forum:
http://sourceforge.net/tracker/?group_id=11118&atid=111118.
-
Make sure that the bug has not already been submitted. Please try to verify
that it is a Privoxy bug, and not a browser or site bug first. If you are using
@@ -937,7 +935,6 @@ reproduce the bug.
To submit ideas on new features, use the Sourceforge feature request forum:
http://sourceforge.net/tracker/?atid=361118&group_id=11118&func=browse.
-
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
@@ -958,7 +955,6 @@ your feedback. These will be announced on the ijbswa-announce list.
For any other issues, feel free to use the mailing lists:
http://sourceforge.net/mail/?group_id=11118.
-
Anyone interested in actively participating in development and related
discussions can also join the appropriate mailing list. Archives are available,
diff --git a/doc/text/user-manual.txt b/doc/text/user-manual.txt
index f1bb81fa..f4fbceb6 100644
--- a/doc/text/user-manual.txt
+++ b/doc/text/user-manual.txt
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@ Privoxy User Manual
By: Privoxy Developers
-$Id: user-manual.sgml,v 1.95 2002/04/26 17:23:29 swa Exp $
+$Id: user-manual.sgml,v 1.99 2002/04/28 16:59:05 swa Exp $
The user manual gives users information on how to install, configure and use
Privoxy.
@@ -41,117 +41,126 @@ Table of Contents
5. Quickstart to Using Privoxy
6. Starting Privoxy
- 6.1. Command Line Options
+ 6.1. RedHat and Debian
+ 6.2. SuSE
+ 6.3. Windows
+ 6.4. Solaris, NetBSD, FreeBSD, HP-UX and others
+ 6.5. OS/2
+ 6.6. MAX OSX
+ 6.7. AmigaOS
+ 6.8. Command Line Options
7. Privoxy Configuration
7.1. Controlling Privoxy with Your Web Browser
7.2. Configuration Files Overview
- 7.3. The Main Configuration File
+
+8. The Main Configuration File
+
+ 8.1. Configuration and Log File Locations
+
+ 8.1.1. confdir
+ 8.1.2. logdir
+ 8.1.3. actionsfile
+ 8.1.4. filterfile
+ 8.1.5. logfile
+ 8.1.6. jarfile
+ 8.1.7. trustfile
+ 8.1.8. user-manual
+
+ 8.2. Local Set-up Documentation
+
+ 8.2.1. trust-info-url
+ 8.2.2. admin-address
+ 8.2.3. proxy-info-url
+
+ 8.3. Debugging
- 7.3.1. Configuration and Log File Locations
-
- 7.3.1.1. confdir
- 7.3.1.2. logdir
- 7.3.1.3. actionsfile
- 7.3.1.4. filterfile
- 7.3.1.5. logfile
- 7.3.1.6. jarfile
- 7.3.1.7. trustfile
-
- 7.3.2. Local Set-up Documentation
-
- 7.3.2.1. trust-info-url
- 7.3.2.2. admin-address
- 7.3.2.3. proxy-info-url
-
- 7.3.3. Debugging
-
- 7.3.3.1. debug
- 7.3.3.2. single-threaded
-
- 7.3.4. Access Control and Security
-
- 7.3.4.1. listen-address
- 7.3.4.2. toggle
- 7.3.4.3. enable-remote-toggle
- 7.3.4.4. enable-edit-actions
- 7.3.4.5. ACLs: permit-access and deny-access
- 7.3.4.6. buffer-limit
-
- 7.3.5. Forwarding
-
- 7.3.5.1. forward
- 7.3.5.2. forward-socks4 and forward-socks4a
- 7.3.5.3. Advanced Forwarding Examples
-
- 7.3.6. Windows GUI Options
+ 8.3.1. debug
+ 8.3.2. single-threaded
- 7.4. Actions Files
+ 8.4. Access Control and Security
+
+ 8.4.1. listen-address
+ 8.4.2. toggle
+ 8.4.3. enable-remote-toggle
+ 8.4.4. enable-edit-actions
+ 8.4.5. ACLs: permit-access and deny-access
+ 8.4.6. buffer-limit
+
+ 8.5. Forwarding
+
+ 8.5.1. forward
+ 8.5.2. forward-socks4 and forward-socks4a
+ 8.5.3. Advanced Forwarding Examples
+
+ 8.6. Windows GUI Options
+
+9. Actions Files
+
+ 9.1. Finding the Right Mix
+ 9.2. How to Edit
+ 9.3. How Actions are Applied to URLs
+ 9.4. Patterns
- 7.4.1. Finding the Right Mix
- 7.4.2. How to Edit
- 7.4.3. How Actions are Applied to URLs
- 7.4.4. Patterns
-
- 7.4.4.1. The Domain Pattern
- 7.4.4.2. The Path Pattern
-
- 7.4.5. Actions
-
- 7.4.5.1. +add-header
- 7.4.5.2. +block
- 7.4.5.3. +deanimate-gifs
- 7.4.5.4. +downgrade-http-version
- 7.4.5.5. +fast-redirects
- 7.4.5.6. +filter
- 7.4.5.7. +hide-forwarded-for-headers
- 7.4.5.8. +hide-from-header
- 7.4.5.9. +hide-referer
- 7.4.5.10. +hide-user-agent
- 7.4.5.11. +handle-as-image
- 7.4.5.12. +set-image-blocker
- 7.4.5.13. +limit-connect
- 7.4.5.14. +prevent-compression
- 7.4.5.15. +session-cookies-only
- 7.4.5.16. +prevent-reading-cookies
- 7.4.5.17. +prevent-setting-cookies
- 7.4.5.18. +kill-popups
- 7.4.5.19. +send-vanilla-wafer
- 7.4.5.20. +send-wafer
- 7.4.5.21. Actions Examples
-
- 7.4.6. Aliases
+ 9.4.1. The Domain Pattern
+ 9.4.2. The Path Pattern
- 7.5. The Filter File
+ 9.5. Actions
- 7.5.1. The +filter Action
+ 9.5.1. +add-header
+ 9.5.2. +block
+ 9.5.3. +deanimate-gifs
+ 9.5.4. +downgrade-http-version
+ 9.5.5. +fast-redirects
+ 9.5.6. +filter
+ 9.5.7. +hide-forwarded-for-headers
+ 9.5.8. +hide-from-header
+ 9.5.9. +hide-referer
+ 9.5.10. +hide-user-agent
+ 9.5.11. +handle-as-image
+ 9.5.12. +set-image-blocker
+ 9.5.13. +limit-connect
+ 9.5.14. +prevent-compression
+ 9.5.15. +session-cookies-only
+ 9.5.16. +prevent-reading-cookies
+ 9.5.17. +prevent-setting-cookies
+ 9.5.18. +kill-popups
+ 9.5.19. +send-vanilla-wafer
+ 9.5.20. +send-wafer
+ 9.5.21. Summary
+ 9.5.22. Sample Actions Files
- 7.6. Templates
+ 9.6. Aliases
-8. Contacting the Developers, Bug Reporting and Feature Requests
+10. The Filter File
- 8.1. Get Support
- 8.2. Report bugs
- 8.3. Request new features
- 8.4. Report ads or other filter problems
- 8.5. Other
+ 10.1. The +filter Action
-9. Copyright and History
+11. Templates
+12. Contacting the Developers, Bug Reporting and Feature Requests
- 9.1. Copyright
- 9.2. History
+ 12.1. Get Support
+ 12.2. Report bugs
+ 12.3. Request new features
+ 12.4. Report ads or other filter problems
+ 12.5. Other
-10. See Also
-11. Appendix
+13. Copyright and History
- 11.1. Regular Expressions
- 11.2. Privoxy's Internal Pages
+ 13.1. Copyright
+ 13.2. History
+
+14. See Also
+15. Appendix
+
+ 15.1. Regular Expressions
+ 15.2. Privoxy's Internal Pages
- 11.2.1. Bookmarklets
+ 15.2.1. Bookmarklets
- 11.3. Chain of Events
- 11.4. Anatomy of an Action
+ 15.3. Chain of Events
+ 15.4. Anatomy of an Action
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
@@ -355,10 +364,10 @@ A quick list of things to be aware of before upgrading:
can be done here, including temporarily disabling Privoxy.
* The primary configuration file for cookie management, ad and banner
- blocking, and many other aspects of Privoxy configuration is in the
- "actions" files. It is strongly recommended to become familiar with the new
- actions concept below, before modifying these files. Locally defined rules
- should go into user.action.
+ blocking, and many other aspects of Privoxy configuration is in the actions
+ files. It is strongly recommended to become familiar with the new actions
+ concept below, before modifying these files. Locally defined rules should
+ go into user.action.
* Some installers may not automatically start Privoxy after installation.
@@ -398,80 +407,66 @@ re-reading of all pages and to get rid of any ads that may be cached. You are
now ready to start enjoying the benefits of using Privoxy!
Privoxy is typically started by specifying the main configuration file to be
-used on the command line. Example Unix startup command:
+used on the command line. If no configuration file is specified on the command
+line, Privoxy will look for a file named config in the current directory.
+Except on Win32 where it will try config.txt.
- # /usr/sbin/privoxy /etc/privoxy/config
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+6.1. RedHat and Debian
+
+We use a script. Note that RedHat does not start Privoxy upon booting per
+default. It will use the file /etc/privoxy/config as its main configuration
+file. FIXME: Debian??
+
+ # /etc/rc.d/init.d/privoxy start
+
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+6.2. SuSE
+
+We use a script. It will use the file /etc/privoxy/config as its main
+configuration file. Note that SuSE starts Privoxy upon booting your PC.
+
+ # rcprivoxy start
-See below for other command line options.
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+6.3. Windows
+
+Click on the Privoxy Icon to start Privoxy. If no configuration file is
+specified on the command line, Privoxy will look for a file named config.txt.
+Note that Windows will automatically start Privoxy upon booting you PC.
-An init script is provided for SuSE and Red Hat.
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-For for SuSE: rcprivoxy start
+6.4. Solaris, NetBSD, FreeBSD, HP-UX and others
-For Red Hat and Debian: /etc/rc.d/init.d/privoxy start
+Example Unix startup command:
-If no configuration file is specified on the command line, Privoxy will look
-for a file named config in the current directory. Except on Win32 where it will
-try config.txt. If no file is specified on the command line and no default
-configuration file can be found, Privoxy will fail to start.
+ # /usr/sbin/privoxy /etc/privoxy/config
-The included default configuration files should give a reasonable starting
-point. Most of the per site configuration is done in the "actions" files. These
-are where various cookie actions are defined, ad and banner blocking, and other
-aspects of Privoxy configuration. There are several such files included, with
-varying levels of aggressiveness.
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-You will probably want to keep an eye out for sites for which you may prefer
-persistent cookies, and add these to your actions configuration as needed. By
-default, most of these will be accepted only during the current browser session
-(aka "session cookies"), unless you add them to the configuration. If you want
-the browser to handle this instead, you will need to edit user.action (or
-through the web based interface) and disable this feature. If you use more than
-one browser, it would make more sense to let Privoxy handle this. In which
-case, the browser(s) should be set to accept all cookies.
+6.5. OS/2
-Another feature where you will probably want to define exceptions for trusted
-sites is the popup-killing (through the +popup and +filter{popups} actions),
-because your favorite shopping, banking, or leisure site may need popups
-(explained below).
+FIXME.
-Privoxy is HTTP/1.1 compliant, but not all of the optional 1.1 features are as
-yet supported. In the unlikely event that you experience inexplicable problems
-with browsers that use HTTP/1.1 per default (like Mozilla or recent versions of
-I.E.), you might try to force HTTP/1.0 compatibility. For Mozilla, look under
-Edit -> Preferences -> Debug -> Networking. Alternatively, set the
-"+downgrade-http-version" config option in default.action which will downgrade
-your browser's HTTP requests from HTTP/1.1 to HTTP/1.0 before processing them.
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-After running Privoxy for a while, you can start to fine tune the configuration
-to suit your personal, or site, preferences and requirements. There are many,
-many aspects that can be customized. "Actions" can be adjusted by pointing your
-browser to http://config.privoxy.org/ (shortcut: http://p.p/), and then follow
-the link to "View & Change the Current Configuration". (This is an internal
-page and does not require Internet access.)
+6.6. MAX OSX
-In fact, various aspects of Privoxy configuration can be viewed from this page,
-including current configuration parameters, source code version numbers, the
-browser's request headers, and "actions" that apply to a given URL. In addition
-to the actions file editor mentioned above, Privoxy can also be turned "on" and
-"off" (toggled) from this page.
+FIXME.
-If you encounter problems, try loading the page without Privoxy. If that helps,
-enter the URL where you have the problems into the browser based rule tracing
-utility. See which rules apply and why, and then try turning them off for that
-site one after the other, until the problem is gone. When you have found the
-culprit, you might want to turn the rest on again.
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-If the above paragraph sounds gibberish to you, you might want to read more
-about the actions concept or even dive deep into the Appendix on actions.
+6.7. AmigaOS
-If you can't get rid of the problem at all, think you've found a bug in
-Privoxy, want to propose a new feature or smarter rules, please see the section
-"Contacting the Developers" below.
+FIXME.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-6.1. Command Line Options
+6.8. Command Line Options
Privoxy may be invoked with the following command-line options:
@@ -524,11 +519,11 @@ config.privoxy.org/ (shortcut: http://p.p/), which is a built-in page and works
without Internet access. You will see the following section:
Privoxy Menu
- ? View & change the current configuration
- ? View the source code version numbers
- ? View the request headers.
- ? Look up which actions apply to a URL and why
- ? Toggle Privoxy on or off
+ ?? View & change the current configuration
+ ?? View the source code version numbers
+ ?? View the request headers.
+ ?? Look up which actions apply to a URL and why
+ ?? Toggle Privoxy on or off
This should be self-explanatory. Note the first item leads to an editor for the
@@ -604,7 +599,7 @@ configuration files on important issues.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-7.3. The Main Configuration File
+8. The Main Configuration File
Again, the main configuration file is named config on Linux/Unix/BSD and OS/2,
and config.txt on Windows. Configuration lines consist of an initial keyword
@@ -626,15 +621,15 @@ surfing).
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-7.3.1. Configuration and Log File Locations
+8.1. Configuration and Log File Locations
Privoxy can (and normally does) use a number of other files for additional
-configuration and logging. This section of the configuration file tells Privoxy
-where to find those other files.
+configuration, help and logging. This section of the configuration file tells
+Privoxy where to find those other files.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-7.3.1.1. confdir
+8.1.1. confdir
Specifies:
@@ -664,7 +659,7 @@ Notes:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-7.3.1.2. logdir
+8.1.2. logdir
Specifies:
@@ -689,7 +684,7 @@ Notes:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-7.3.1.3. actionsfile
+8.1.3. actionsfile
Specifies:
@@ -713,18 +708,20 @@ Effect if unset:
Notes:
- Multiple actionsfile lines are OK and are in fact recommended!
+ Multiple actionsfile lines are permitted, and are in fact recommended!
The default values include standard.action, which is used for internal
purposes and should be loaded, default.action, which is the "main" actions
file maintained by the developers, and user.action, where you can make your
personal additions.
- There is no point in using Privoxy without an actions file.
+ Actions files are where all the per site and per URL configuration is done
+ for ad blocking, cookie management, privacy considerations, etc. There is
+ no point in using Privoxy without at least one actions file.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-7.3.1.4. filterfile
+8.1.4. filterfile
Specifies:
@@ -753,7 +750,7 @@ Notes:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-7.3.1.5. logfile
+8.1.5. logfile
Specifies:
@@ -791,7 +788,7 @@ Notes:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-7.3.1.6. jarfile
+8.1.6. jarfile
Specifies:
@@ -815,7 +812,7 @@ Notes:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-7.3.1.7. trustfile
+8.1.7. trustfile
Specifies:
@@ -850,7 +847,37 @@ Notes:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-7.3.2. Local Set-up Documentation
+8.1.8. user-manual
+
+Specifies:
+
+ Location of the Privoxy User Manual.
+
+Type of value:
+
+ A fully qualified URI
+
+Default value:
+
+ http://www.privoxy.org/user-manual/
+
+Effect if unset:
+
+ The default will be used.
+
+Notes:
+
+ The User Manual is used for help hints from some of the internal CGI pages.
+ It is normally packaged with the binary distributions, and would make more
+ sense to have this pointed at a locally installed copy.
+
+ A more useful example (Unix):
+
+ user-manual file:///usr/share/doc/privoxy-2.9.14/user-manual/
+
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+8.2. Local Set-up Documentation
If you intend to operate Privoxy for more users that just yourself, it might be
a good idea to let them know how to reach you, what you block and why you do
@@ -858,7 +885,7 @@ that, your policies etc.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-7.3.2.1. trust-info-url
+8.2.1. trust-info-url
Specifies:
@@ -892,7 +919,7 @@ Notes:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-7.3.2.2. admin-address
+8.2.2. admin-address
Specifies:
@@ -917,7 +944,7 @@ Notes:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-7.3.2.3. proxy-info-url
+8.2.3. proxy-info-url
Specifies:
@@ -946,7 +973,7 @@ Notes:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-7.3.3. Debugging
+8.3. Debugging
These options are mainly useful when tracing a problem. Note that you might
also want to invoke Privoxy with the --no-daemon command line option when
@@ -954,7 +981,7 @@ debugging.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-7.3.3.1. debug
+8.3.1. debug
Specifies:
@@ -1007,7 +1034,7 @@ Notes:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-7.3.3.2. single-threaded
+8.3.2. single-threaded
Specifies:
@@ -1033,14 +1060,14 @@ Notes:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-7.3.4. Access Control and Security
+8.4. Access Control and Security
This section of the config file controls the security-relevant aspects of
Privoxy's configuration.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-7.3.4.1. listen-address
+8.4.1. listen-address
Specifies:
@@ -1084,7 +1111,7 @@ Example:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-7.3.4.2. toggle
+8.4.2. toggle
Specifies:
@@ -1107,14 +1134,14 @@ Notes:
If set to 0, Privoxy will start in "toggled off" mode, i.e. behave like a
normal, content-neutral proxy. See enable-remote-toggle below. This is not
really useful anymore, since toggling is much easier via the web interface
- then via editing the conf file.
+ than via editing the conf file.
The windows version will only display the toggle icon in the system tray if
this option is present.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-7.3.4.3. enable-remote-toggle
+8.4.3. enable-remote-toggle
Specifies:
@@ -1148,7 +1175,7 @@ Notes:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-7.3.4.4. enable-edit-actions
+8.4.4. enable-edit-actions
Specifies:
@@ -1179,7 +1206,7 @@ Notes:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-7.3.4.5. ACLs: permit-access and deny-access
+8.4.5. ACLs: permit-access and deny-access
Specifies:
@@ -1257,7 +1284,7 @@ Examples:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-7.3.4.6. buffer-limit
+8.4.6. buffer-limit
Specifies:
@@ -1291,7 +1318,7 @@ Notes:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-7.3.5. Forwarding
+8.5. Forwarding
This feature allows routing of HTTP requests through a chain of multiple
proxies. It can be used to better protect privacy and confidentiality when
@@ -1306,7 +1333,7 @@ Also specified here are SOCKS proxies. Privoxy supports the SOCKS 4 and SOCKS
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-7.3.5.1. forward
+8.5.1. forward
Specifies:
@@ -1354,7 +1381,7 @@ Examples:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-7.3.5.2. forward-socks4 and forward-socks4a
+8.5.2. forward-socks4 and forward-socks4a
Specifies:
@@ -1408,7 +1435,7 @@ Examples:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-7.3.5.3. Advanced Forwarding Examples
+8.5.3. Advanced Forwarding Examples
If you have links to multiple ISPs that provide various special content only to
their subscribers, you can configure multiple Privoxies which have connections
@@ -1456,7 +1483,7 @@ squid.conf.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-7.3.6. Windows GUI Options
+8.6. Windows GUI Options
Privoxy has a number of options specific to the Windows GUI interface:
@@ -1524,7 +1551,7 @@ console.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-7.4. Actions Files
+9. Actions Files
The actions files are used to define what actions Privoxy takes for which URLs,
and thus determines how ad images, cookies and various other aspects of HTTP
@@ -1549,17 +1576,17 @@ defined universal policies.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-7.4.1. Finding the Right Mix
+9.1. Finding the Right Mix
-Note that some actions like cookie suppression or script disabling may render
-some sites unusable, which rely on these techniques to work properly. Finding
-the right mix of actions is not easy and certainly a matter of personal taste.
-In general, it can be said that the more "aggressive" your default settings (in
-the top section of the actions file) are, the more exceptions for "trusted"
-sites you will have to make later. If, for example, you want to kill popup
-windows per default, you'll have to make exceptions from that rule for sites
-that you regularly use and that require popups for actually useful content,
-like maybe your bank, favorite shop, or newspaper.
+Note that some actions, like cookie suppression or script disabling, may render
+some sites unusable that rely on these techniques to work properly. Finding the
+right mix of actions is not always easy and certainly a matter of personal
+taste. In general, it can be said that the more "aggressive" your default
+settings (in the top section of the actions file) are, the more exceptions for
+"trusted" sites you will have to make later. If, for example, you want to kill
+popup windows per default, you'll have to make exceptions from that rule for
+sites that you regularly use and that require popups for actually useful
+content, like maybe your bank, favorite shop, or newspaper.
We have tried to provide you with reasonable rules to start from in the
distribution actions files. But there is no general rule of thumb on these
@@ -1569,7 +1596,7 @@ Sooner or later you will want to change the rules (and read this chapter again
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-7.4.2. How to Edit
+9.2. How to Edit
The easiest way to edit the "actions" files is with a browser by using our
browser-based editor, which can be reached from http://config.privoxy.org/
@@ -1580,7 +1607,7 @@ the the actions files.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-7.4.3. How Actions are Applied to URLs
+9.3. How Actions are Applied to URLs
Actions files are divided into sections. There are special sections, like the "
alias" sections which will be discussed later. For now let's concentrate on
@@ -1603,7 +1630,7 @@ More detail on this is provided in the Appendix, Anatomy of an Action.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-7.4.4. Patterns
+9.4. Patterns
Generally, a pattern has the form /, where both the and
are optional. (This is why the pattern / matches all URLs).
@@ -1634,7 +1661,7 @@ index.html
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-7.4.4.1. The Domain Pattern
+9.4.1. The Domain Pattern
The matching of the domain part offers some flexible options: if the domain
starts or ends with a dot, it becomes unanchored at that end. For example:
@@ -1678,7 +1705,7 @@ www[1-9a-ez].example.c*
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-7.4.4.2. The Path Pattern
+9.4.2. The Path Pattern
Privoxy uses Perl compatible regular expressions (through the PCRE library) for
matching the path.
@@ -1700,7 +1727,7 @@ path starts with PaTtErN in exactly this capitalization.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-7.4.5. Actions
+9.5. Actions
All actions are disabled by default, until they are explicitly enabled
somewhere in an actions file. Actions are turned on if preceded with a "+", and
@@ -1750,7 +1777,7 @@ The list of valid Privoxy "actions" are:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-7.4.5.1. +add-header
+9.5.1. +add-header
Type:
@@ -1778,7 +1805,7 @@ Notes:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-7.4.5.2. +block
+9.5.2. +block
Type:
@@ -1821,7 +1848,7 @@ Notes:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-7.4.5.3. +deanimate-gifs
+9.5.3. +deanimate-gifs
Type:
@@ -1853,7 +1880,7 @@ Notes:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-7.4.5.4. +downgrade-http-version
+9.5.4. +downgrade-http-version
Type:
@@ -1883,7 +1910,7 @@ Notes:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-7.4.5.5. +fast-redirects
+9.5.5. +fast-redirects
Type:
@@ -1926,7 +1953,7 @@ Notes:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-7.4.5.6. +filter
+9.5.6. +filter
Type:
@@ -1991,7 +2018,7 @@ Notes:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-7.4.5.7. +hide-forwarded-for-headers
+9.5.7. +hide-forwarded-for-headers
Type:
@@ -2017,7 +2044,7 @@ Notes:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-7.4.5.8. +hide-from-header
+9.5.8. +hide-from-header
Type:
@@ -2045,7 +2072,7 @@ Notes:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-7.4.5.9. +hide-referer
+9.5.9. +hide-referer
Type:
@@ -2080,7 +2107,7 @@ Notes:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-7.4.5.10. +hide-user-agent
+9.5.10. +hide-user-agent
Type:
@@ -2109,7 +2136,7 @@ Notes:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-7.4.5.11. +handle-as-image
+9.5.11. +handle-as-image
Type:
@@ -2142,7 +2169,7 @@ Notes:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-7.4.5.12. +set-image-blocker
+9.5.12. +set-image-blocker
Type:
@@ -2181,7 +2208,7 @@ Notes:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-7.4.5.13. +limit-connect
+9.5.13. +limit-connect
Type:
@@ -2225,7 +2252,7 @@ Notes:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-7.4.5.14. +prevent-compression
+9.5.14. +prevent-compression
Type:
@@ -2254,7 +2281,7 @@ Notes:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-7.4.5.15. +session-cookies-only
+9.5.15. +session-cookies-only
Type:
@@ -2289,7 +2316,7 @@ Notes:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-7.4.5.16. +prevent-reading-cookies
+9.5.16. +prevent-reading-cookies
Type:
@@ -2321,7 +2348,7 @@ Notes:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-7.4.5.17. +prevent-setting-cookies
+9.5.17. +prevent-setting-cookies
Type:
@@ -2348,7 +2375,7 @@ Notes:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-7.4.5.18. +kill-popups
+9.5.18. +kill-popups
Type:
@@ -2377,7 +2404,7 @@ Notes:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-7.4.5.19. +send-vanilla-wafer
+9.5.19. +send-vanilla-wafer
Type:
@@ -2406,7 +2433,7 @@ Notes:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-7.4.5.20. +send-wafer
+9.5.20. +send-wafer
Type:
@@ -2433,31 +2460,56 @@ Notes:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-7.4.5.21. Actions Examples
+9.5.21. Summary
+
+Note that many of these actions have the potential to cause a page to
+misbehave, possibly even not to display at all. There are many ways a site
+designer may choose to design his site, and what HTTP header content, and other
+criteria, he may depend on. There is no way to have hard and fast rules for all
+sites. See the Appendix for a brief example on troubleshooting actions.
+
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+9.5.22. Sample Actions Files
+
+Remember that the meaning of any of the above references is reversed by
+preceding the action with a "-", in place of the "+". Also, that some actions
+are turned on in the default section of the actions file, and require little to
+no additional configuration. These are just "on".
+
+But, other actions that are turned on in the default section do typically
+require exceptions to be listed in the latter sections of one of our actions
+file. For instance, by default no URLs are "blocked" (i.e. in the default
+definitions of default.action). We need exceptions to this in order to enable
+ad blocking in the lower sections. But we need to be very selective about what
+we do block. Thus, the default is "off" for blocking.
-Note that the meaning of any of the above examples is reversed by preceding the
-action with a "-", in place of the "+". Also, that some actions are turned on
-in the default section of the actions file, and require little to no additional
-configuration. These are just "on". But, other actions that are turned on the
-default section do typically require exceptions to be listed in the latter
-sections of one of our actions file. For instance, by default no URLs are
-"blocked" (i.e. in the default definitions of default.action). We need
-exceptions to this in order to enable ad blocking in the lower sections. But we
-need to be very selective about what we do block.
+Below is a liberally commented sample default.action file to demonstrate how
+all the pieces come together. And to show how exceptions to the default
+policies can be handled. This is followed by a brief user.action with similar
+examples.
-Below is a liberally commented default.action file to demonstrate the pieces
-all come together. And to show how exceptions to the default policies can be
-handled. This is followed by a user.action with similar examples.
+# Sample default.action file
+
+# Settings -- Don't change! For internal Privoxy use ONLY.
+{{settings}}
+for-privoxy-version=3.0
##########################################################################
# Aliases must be defined *before* they are used. These are
-# easier to remember, and combine several actions into one:
+# easier to remember, and can combine several actions into one. Once
+# defined they can be used just like any built-in action -- but within
+# this file only! Aliases do not require a + or - sign.
##########################################################################
# Some useful aliases.
- +prevent-cookies = +prevent-setting-cookies +prevent-reading-cookies
- -prevent-cookies = -prevent-setting-cookies -prevent-reading-cookies
+# Alias to turn off cookie handling, ie allow all cookies unmolested.
+ -prevent-cookies = -prevent-setting-cookies -prevent-reading-cookies \
+ -session-cookies-only
+
+# Alias to both block and treat as if an image for ad blocking
+# purposes.
+imageblock = +block +handle-as-image
# Fragile sites should have the minimum changes:
@@ -2465,15 +2517,17 @@ handled. This is followed by a user.action with similar examples.
-prevent-cookies -kill-popups
# Shops should be allowed to set persistent cookies
- shop = -filter -prevent-cookies -prevent-keeping-cookies
+ shop = -filter -prevent-cookies -session-cookies-only
##########################################################################
# Begin default action settings. Anything in this section will match
-# all URLs -- UNLESS we have exceptions defined below this section.
-# We will show all potential actions here whether they are on or off.
-# We could omit any disabled action if we wanted, since all actions are
-# 'off' by default anyway. Shown for completeness only.
+# all URLs -- UNLESS we have exceptions that also match, defined below this
+# section. We will show all potential actions here whether they are on
+# or off. We could omit any disabled action if we wanted, since all
+# actions are 'off' by default anyway. Shown for completeness only.
+# Actions are enabled if preceded by a '+', otherwise they are disabled
+# (unless an alias has been defined without this).
##########################################################################
{ \
-add-header \
@@ -2507,22 +2561,24 @@ handled. This is followed by a user.action with similar examples.
-send-vanilla-wafer \
-send-wafer \
}
- / # forward slash will match all potential URLs patterns.
+ / # forward slash will match *all* potential URL patterns.
##########################################################################
-# Default behavior is now set. Time for some exceptions to our
-# default actions.
+# Default behavior is now set. Now we will define some exceptions to our
+# default action policies.
##########################################################################
# These sites are very complex and require very minimal interference.
-# We'll disable most actions with our 'fragile' alias.
- {fragile}
- .office.microsoft.com
+# We'll disable most actions with our 'fragile' alias:
+ { fragile }
+ .office.microsoft.com # surprise, surprise!
.windowsupdate.microsoft.com
-# Shopping sites - not as fragile. We still want to block ads.
- {shop}
+# Shopping sites - not as fragile but require some special
+# handling. We still want to block ads, and we will allow
+# persistant cookies via the 'shop' alias:
+ { shop }
.quietpc.com
.worldpay.com # for quietpc.com
.jungle.com
@@ -2531,15 +2587,14 @@ handled. This is followed by a user.action with similar examples.
# These sites require pop-ups too :( We'll combine our 'shop'
# alias with two other actions into one rule to allow all popups.
- {shop -no-popups -filter{popups}}
+ { shop -kill-popups -filter{popups} }
.dabs.com
.overclockers.co.uk
# The 'Fast-redirects' action breaks some sites. Disable this action
-# for these known sensitive sites.
- {-fast-redirects}
- www.ukc.ac.uk/cgi-bin/wac\.cgi\?
+# for these known sensitive sites:
+ { -fast-redirects }
login.yahoo.com
edit.europe.yahoo.com
.google.com
@@ -2550,16 +2605,16 @@ handled. This is followed by a user.action with similar examples.
# Define which file types will be treated as images. Important
# for ad blocking.
- {+handle-as-image}
+ { +handle-as-image }
/.*\.(gif|jpe?g|png|bmp|ico)
# Now lets list some domains that are known ad generators. And
-# our alias here will block these as well as force them to be
-# treated as images. This combination of actions is important
-# for ad blocking. What the browser will show instead is
+# our alias that we use here will block these as well as force
+# them to be treated as images. This combination of actions is
+# important for ad blocking. What the browser will show instead is
# determined by the setting of "+set-image-blocker"
- {+imageblock}
+ { +imageblock }
ar.atwola.com
.ad.doubleclick.net
.a.yimg.com/(?:(?!/i/).)*$
@@ -2572,8 +2627,8 @@ handled. This is followed by a user.action with similar examples.
# These will just simply be blocked. They will generate the BLOCKED
# banner page, if matched. Heavy use of wildcards and regular
-# expressions in this example.
- {+block}
+# expressions in this example. Enable block action:
+ { +block }
ad*.
.*ads.
banner?.
@@ -2583,121 +2638,91 @@ handled. This is followed by a user.action with similar examples.
.hitbox.com
-# The above block section will catch some sites we DO NOT want
-# blocked via wildcards and regular expressions. Now set exceptions
-# to the exceptions so the good guys get better treatment.
- {-block}
+# The above block section will probably inadvertantly catch some
+# sites we DO NOT want blocked via the wildcards and regular expressions.
+# Now let's set exceptions to the exceptions so the good guys get better
+# treatment. Disable block action:
+ { -block }
advogato.org
adsl.
ad[ud]*.
advice.
-# Let's just trust universities
+# Let's just trust all .edu top level domains.
.edu
www.ugu.com/sui/ugu/adv
# We'll need to access to path names containing 'download'
.*downloads.
/downloads/
-# 'adv' is for globalintersec means advanced, not advertisement
+# 'adv' is for globalintersec and means advanced, not advertisement
www.globalintersec.com/adv
# Don't filter *anything* from our friends at sourceforge.
# Notice we don't have to name the individual filter
-# identifiers -- we just turn them all off.
- {-filter}
+# identifiers -- we just turn them all off in one fell swoop.
+# Disable all filters for this one site:
+ { -filter }
.sourceforge.net
-
-Some examples:
+So far we are painting with a broad brush by setting general policies. The
+above would be a reasonable starting point for many situations. Now, we want to
+be more specific and have customized rules that are more suitable to our
+personal habits and preferences. These would be for narrowly defined situations
+like your ISP or your bank, and should be placed in user.action, which is
+parsed after all other actions files and should not be clobbered by upgrades.
+So any settings here, will have the last word and over-ride any previously
+defined actions.
-Turn off cookies by default, then allow a few through for specified sites
-(showing an excerpt from the "default" section of an actions file ONLY):
+Now a few examples of some things that one might do with a user.action file.
- # Excerpt only:
- # Allow cookies to and from the server, but
- # for this browser session ONLY
- {
- # other actions normally listed here...
- -prevent-setting-cookies \
- -prevent-reading-cookies \
- +session-cookies-only \
- }
- / # match all URLs
+# Sample user.action file.
- # Exceptions to the above, sites that benefit from persistent cookies
- # that are saved from one browser session to the next.
- { -session-cookies-only }
- .javasoft.com
- .sun.com
- .yahoo.com
- .msdn.microsoft.com
- .redhat.com
+# Any aliases you want to use need to be re-defined here.
+# Alias to turn off cookie handling, ie allow all cookies unmolested.
+ -prevent-cookies = -prevent-setting-cookies -prevent-reading-cookies \
+ -session-cookies-only
-
+# Fragile sites should have the minimum changes:
+ fragile = -block -deanimate-gifs -fast-redirects -filter -hide-referer \
+ -prevent-cookies -kill-popups
-Now turn off "fast redirects", and then we allow two exceptions:
+# Allow persistent cookies for a few regular sites that we
+# trust via our above alias. These will be saved from one browser session
+# to the next. We are explicity turning off any and all cookie handling,
+# even though the prevent-*-cookie settings were disabled in our above
+# default.action anyway. So cookies from these domains will come through
+# unmolested.
+ { -prevent-cookies }
+ .sun.com
+ .yahoo.com
+ .msdn.microsoft.com
+ .redhat.com
- # Turn them off (excerpt only)!
- {
- # other actions normally listed here...
- +fast-redirects
- }
- / # match all URLs
-
- # Reverse it for these two sites, which don't work right without it.
- {-fast-redirects}
- www.ukc.ac.uk/cgi-bin/wac\.cgi\?
- login.yahoo.com
-
-Turn on page filtering according to rules in the defined sections of
-default.filter, and make one exception for Sourceforge:
+# My ISP uses obnoxious self promoting images on many pages.
+# Nuke them :) Note that "+handle-as-image" need not be specified,
+# since all URLs ending in .gif will be tagged as images by the
+# general rules in default.action anyway.
+ { +block }
+ www.my-isp-example.com/logo[0-9].gif
- # Run everything through the filter file, using only certain
- # specified sections:
- {
- # other actions normally listed here...
- +filter{html-annoyances} +filter{js-annoyances} +filter{kill-popups}\
- +filter{webbugs} +filter{nimda} +filter{banners-by-size}
- }
- / #match all URLs
-
- # Then disable filtering of code from all sourceforge domains!
- {-filter}
- .sourceforge.net
-
-
-Now some URLs that we want "blocked" (normally generates the "blocked" banner).
-Typically, the "block" action is off by default in the upper section of an
-actions file, then enabled against certain URLs and patterns in the lower part
-of the file. Many of these use regular expressions that will expand to match
-multiple URLs:
-
- # Blocklist:
- {+block}
- ad*.
- .*ads.
- banner?.
- count*.
- /.*count(er)?\.(pl|cgi|exe|dll|asp|php[34]?)
- /(?:.*/)?(publicite|werbung|rekla(ma|me|am)|annonse|maino(kset|nta|s)?)/
- .hitbox.com
- /.*/(ng)?adclient\.cgi
- /.*/(plain|live|rotate)[-_.]?ads?/
- /.*/abanners/
- /autoads/
-
+# Say the site where you do your homebanking needs to open
+# popup windows, but you have chosen to kill popups by
+# default. This will allow it for your-example-bank.com:
+#
+ { -filter{popups} -kill-popups }
+ .my-example-bank.com
-Note that many of these actions have the potential to cause a page to
-misbehave, possibly even not to display at all. There are many ways a site
-designer may choose to design his site, and what HTTP header content, and other
-criteria, he may depend on. There is no way to have hard and fast rules for all
-sites. See the Appendix for a brief example on troubleshooting actions.
+# This site is delicate, and requires kid-glove
+# treatment.
+ { fragile }
+ .forbes.com
+
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-7.4.6. Aliases
+9.6. Aliases
Custom "actions", known to Privoxy as "aliases", can be defined by combining
other "actions". These can in turn be invoked just like the built-in "actions".
@@ -2705,7 +2730,8 @@ Currently, an alias can contain any character except space, tab, "=", "{" or "}
". But please use only "a"- "z", "0"-"9", "+", and "-". Alias names are not
case sensitive, and must be defined before other actions in the actions file!
And there can only be one set of "aliases" defined per file. Each actions file
-may have its own aliases, but they are only visible within that file.
+may have its own aliases, but they are only visible within that file. Aliases
+do not requir a "+" or "-" sign in front, since they are merely expanded.
Now let's define a few aliases:
@@ -2753,12 +2779,12 @@ require most actions to be disabled in order to function properly.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-7.5. The Filter File
+10. The Filter File
Any web page can be dynamically modified with the filter file. This
modification can be removal, or re-writing, of any web page content, including
-tags and non-visible content. The default filter file is default.filter,
-located in the config directory.
+tags and non-visible content. The default filter file is oddly enough
+default.filter, located in the config directory.
This is potentially a very powerful feature, and requires knowledge of both
"regular expression" and HTML in order create custom filters. But, there are a
@@ -2820,57 +2846,55 @@ Kill those pesky little web-bugs:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-7.5.1. The +filter Action
+10.1. The +filter Action
Filters are enabled with the "+filter" action from within one of the actions
files. "+filter" requires one parameter, which should match one of the section
identifiers in the filter file itself. Example:
+filter{html-annoyances}
-
This would activate that particular filter. Similarly, "+filter" can be turned
-off for selected sites as: "-filter{html-annoyances}". Remember, all actions
-are off by default, unless they are explicity enabled in one of the actions
-files.
+off for selected sites as: "-filter{html-annoyances}". Remember too, all
+actions are off by default, unless they are explicity enabled in one of the
+actions files.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-7.6. Templates
+11. Templates
When Privoxy displays one of its internal pages, such as a 404 Not Found error
-page, it uses the appropriate template. On Linux, BSD, and Unix, these are
-located in /etc/privoxy/templates by default. These may be customized, if
-desired. cgi-style.css is used to control the HTML attributes (fonts, etc).
+page (Privoxy must be running for link to work as intended), it uses the
+appropriate template. On Linux, BSD, and Unix, these are located in /etc/
+privoxy/templates by default. These may be customized, if desired.
+cgi-style.css is used to control the HTML attributes (fonts, etc).
-The default "Blocked" banner page with the bright red top banner, is called
-just "blocked". This may be customized or replaced with something else if
-desired.
+The default Blocked (Privoxy needs to be running for page to display) banner
+page with the bright red top banner, is called just "blocked". This may be
+customized or replaced with something else if desired.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-8. Contacting the Developers, Bug Reporting and Feature Requests
+12. Contacting the Developers, Bug Reporting and Feature Requests
We value your feedback. However, to provide you with the best support, please
note the following sections.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-8.1. Get Support
+12.1. Get Support
To get support, use the Sourceforge Support Forum:
http://sourceforge.net/tracker/?group_id=11118&atid=211118
-
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-8.2. Report bugs
+12.2. Report bugs
To submit bugs, use the Sourceforge Bug Forum:
http://sourceforge.net/tracker/?group_id=11118&atid=111118.
-
Make sure that the bug has not already been submitted. Please try to verify
that it is a Privoxy bug, and not a browser or site bug first. If you are using
@@ -2883,16 +2907,15 @@ reproduce the bug.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-8.3. Request new features
+12.3. Request new features
To submit ideas on new features, use the Sourceforge feature request forum:
http://sourceforge.net/tracker/?atid=361118&group_id=11118&func=browse.
-
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-8.4. Report ads or other filter problems
+12.4. Report ads or other filter problems
You can also send feedback on websites that Privoxy has problems with. Please
bookmark the following link: "Privoxy - Submit Filter Feedback". Once you surf
@@ -2904,12 +2927,11 @@ your feedback. These will be announced on the ijbswa-announce list.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-8.5. Other
+12.5. Other
For any other issues, feel free to use the mailing lists:
http://sourceforge.net/mail/?group_id=11118.
-
Anyone interested in actively participating in development and related
discussions can also join the appropriate mailing list. Archives are available,
@@ -2917,9 +2939,9 @@ too. See the page on Sourceforge.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-9. Copyright and History
+13. Copyright and History
-9.1. Copyright
+13.1. Copyright
Privoxy is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the
terms of the GNU General Public License as published by the Free Software
@@ -2938,7 +2960,7 @@ Place, Suite 330, Boston, MA 02111-1307 USA.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-9.2. History
+13.2. History
Privoxy is evolved, and derived from, the Internet Junkbuster, with many
improvments and enhancements over the original.
@@ -2952,7 +2974,7 @@ grown whiskers ;-).
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-10. See Also
+14. See Also
Other references and sites of interest to Privoxy users:
@@ -2964,8 +2986,8 @@ Sourceforge.
http://p.p/, access Privoxy from your browser. Alternately, http://
config.privoxy.org may work in some situations where the first does not.
-http://p.p/, and select "actions file feedback system" to submit "misses" to
-the developers.
+http://p.p/, and select "Privoxy - Submit Filter Feedback" to submit "misses"
+to the developers.
http://www.junkbusters.com/ht/en/cookies.html
@@ -2979,9 +3001,9 @@ http://www.squid-cache.org/
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-11. Appendix
+15. Appendix
-11.1. Regular Expressions
+15.1. Regular Expressions
Privoxy can use "regular expressions" in various config files. Assuming support
for "pcre" (Perl Compatible Regular Expressions) is compiled in, which is the
@@ -3120,7 +3142,7 @@ perl5.6/pod/perlre.html
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-11.2. Privoxy's Internal Pages
+15.2. Privoxy's Internal Pages
Since Privoxy proxies each requested web page, it is easy for Privoxy to trap
certain special URLs. In this way, we can talk directly to Privoxy, and see how
@@ -3171,7 +3193,7 @@ These may be bookmarked for quick reference. See next.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-11.2.1. Bookmarklets
+15.2.1. Bookmarklets
Below are some "bookmarklets" to allow you to easily access a "mini" version of
some of Privoxy's special pages. They are designed for MS Internet Explorer,
@@ -3201,7 +3223,7 @@ www.bookmarklets.com. They have more information about bookmarklets.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-11.3. Chain of Events
+15.3. Chain of Events
Let's take a quick look at the basic sequence of events when a web page is
requested by your browser and Privoxy is on duty:
@@ -3264,7 +3286,7 @@ requested by your browser and Privoxy is on duty:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-11.4. Anatomy of an Action
+15.4. Anatomy of an Action
The way Privoxy applies "actions" and "filters" to any given URL can be
complex, and not always so easy to understand what is happening. And sometimes
@@ -3349,7 +3371,7 @@ Then, for our user.action file, we again have no hits.
And finally we pull it all together in the bottom section and summarize how
Privoxy is applying all its "actions" to "google.com":
- Final results:
+ Final results:
-add-header -block +deanimate-gifs{last} -downgrade-http-version -fast-redirects
-filter{popups} -filter{fun} -filter{shockwave-flash} -filter{crude-parental}
+filter{html-annoyances} +filter{js-annoyances} +filter{content-cookies}
@@ -3364,7 +3386,7 @@ and "session-cookies-only".
Now another example, "ad.doubleclick.net":
- { +block +handle-as-image }
+ { +block +handle-as-image }
.ad.doubleclick.net
{ +block +handle-as-image }
@@ -3390,7 +3412,7 @@ and make it more readable.
One last example. Let's try "http://www.rhapsodyk.net/adsl/HOWTO/". This one is
giving us problems. We are getting a blank page. Hmmm...
- Matches for http://www.rhapsodyk.net/adsl/HOWTO/:
+ Matches for http://www.rhapsodyk.net/adsl/HOWTO/:
{ -add-header -block +deanimate-gifs -downgrade-http-version +fast-redirects
+filter{html-annoyances} +filter{js-annoyances} +filter{kill-popups}
@@ -3409,7 +3431,7 @@ see why we get the blank page. We could now add a new action below this that
explicitly does not block ("{-block}") paths with "adsl". There are various
ways to handle such exceptions. Example:
- { -block }
+ { -block }
/adsl
Now the page displays ;-) Be sure to flush your browser's caches when making
@@ -3418,7 +3440,7 @@ such changes. Or, try using Shift+Reload.
But now what about a situation where we get no explicit matches like we did
with:
- { +block +handle-as-image }
+ { +block +handle-as-image }
/ads
That actually was very telling and pointed us quickly to where the problem was.
@@ -3428,7 +3450,7 @@ and maybe a little trial and error to isolate the offending rule. One likely
cause would be one of the "{+filter}" actions. Try adding the URL for the site
to one of aliases that turn off "+filter":
- {shop}
+ {shop}
.quietpc.com
.worldpay.com # for quietpc.com
.jungle.com
@@ -3438,7 +3460,7 @@ to one of aliases that turn off "+filter":
"{shop}" is an "alias" that expands to "{ -filter -session-cookies-only }". Or
you could do your own exception to negate filtering:
- {-filter}
+ {-filter}
.forbes.com
This would probably be most appropriately put in user.action, for local site
diff --git a/doc/webserver/developer-manual/contact.html b/doc/webserver/developer-manual/contact.html
index 15c89a23..2ab0bcb7 100644
--- a/doc/webserver/developer-manual/contact.html
+++ b/doc/webserver/developer-manual/contact.html
@@ -93,8 +93,7 @@ CLASS="LITERALLAYOUT"
HREF="http://sourceforge.net/tracker/?group_id=11118&atid=211118"
TARGET="_top"
>http://sourceforge.net/tracker/?group_id=11118&atid=211118
-
The actions files are used to define what actions
+ Privoxy takes for which URLs, and thus determines
+ how ad images, cookies and various other aspects of HTTP content and
+ transactions are handled, and on which sites (or even parts thereof). There
+ are three such files included with Privoxy,
+ with slightly different purposes. default.action sets
+ the default policies. standard.action is used by
+ Privoxy and the web based editor to set
+ pre-defined values (and normally should not be edited). Local exceptions
+ are best done in user.action. The content of these
+ can all be viewed and edited from http://config.privoxy.org/show-status.
+
+ Anything you want can be blocked, including ads, banners, or just some obnoxious
+ URL that you would rather not see is done here. Cookies can be accepted or rejected, or
+ accepted only during the current browser session (i.e. not written to disk),
+ content can be modified, JavaScripts tamed, user-tracking fooled, and much more.
+ See below for a complete list of available actions.
An actions file typically has sections. Near the top, "aliases" are
+ optionally defined (discussed below), then the default set of rules
+ which will apply universally to all sites and pages. And then below that,
+ exceptions to the defined universal policies.
Note that some actions, like cookie suppression
+ or script disabling, may render some sites unusable that rely on these
+ techniques to work properly. Finding the right mix of actions is not always easy and
+ certainly a matter of personal taste. In general, it can be said that the more
+ "aggressive" your default settings (in the top section of the
+ actions file) are, the more exceptions for "trusted" sites you
+ will have to make later. If, for example, you want to kill popup windows per
+ default, you'll have to make exceptions from that rule for sites that you
+ regularly use and that require popups for actually useful content, like maybe
+ your bank, favorite shop, or newspaper.
We have tried to provide you with reasonable rules to start from in the
+ distribution actions files. But there is no general rule of thumb on these
+ things. There just are too many variables, and sites are constantly changing.
+ Sooner or later you will want to change the rules (and read this chapter again :).
The easiest way to edit the "actions" files is with a browser by
+ using our browser-based editor, which can be reached from http://config.privoxy.org/show-status.
If you prefer plain text editing to GUIs, you can of course also directly edit the
+ the actions files.
Actions files are divided into sections. There are special sections,
+ like the "alias" sections which will be discussed later. For now
+ let's concentrate on regular sections: They have a heading line (often split
+ up to multiple lines for readability) which consist of a list of actions,
+ separated by whitespace and enclosed in curly braces. Below that, there
+ is a list of URL patterns, each on a separate line.
To determine which actions apply to a request, the URL of the request is
+ compared to all patterns in this file. Every time it matches, the list of
+ applicable actions for the URL is incrementally updated, using the heading
+ of the section in which the pattern is located. If multiple matches for
+ the same URL set the same action differently, the last match wins. If not,
+ the effects are aggregated (e.g. a URL might match both the
+ "+handle-as-image"
+ and "+block" actions).
+
The matching of the domain part offers some flexible options: if the
+ domain starts or ends with a dot, it becomes unanchored at that end.
+ For example:
.example.com
matches any domain that ENDS in
+ .example.com
+
www.
matches any domain that STARTS with
+ www.
+
.example.
matches any domain that CONTAINS.example.
+ (Correctly speaking: It matches any FQDN that contains example as a domain.)
+
Additionally, there are wild-cards that you can use in the domain names
+ themselves. They work pretty similar to shell wild-cards: "*"
+ stands for zero or more arbitrary characters, "?" stands for
+ any single character, you can define character classes in square
+ brackets and all of that can be freely mixed:
ad*.example.com
matches "adserver.example.com",
+ "ads.example.com", etc but not "sfads.example.com"
+
*ad*.example.com
matches all of the above, and then some.
+
.?pix.com
matches www.ipix.com,
+ pictures.epix.com, a.b.c.d.e.upix.com etc.
+
www[1-9a-ez].example.c*
matches www1.example.com,
+ www4.example.cc, wwwd.example.cy,
+ wwwz.example.com etc., but not
+ wwww.example.com.
+
Privoxy uses Perl compatible regular expressions
+ (through the PCRE library) for
+ matching the path.
There is an Appendix with a brief quick-start into regular
+ expressions, and full (very technical) documentation on PCRE regex syntax is available on-line
+ at http://www.pcre.org/man.txt.
+ You might also find the Perl man page on regular expressions (man perlre)
+ useful, which is available on-line at http://www.perldoc.com/perl5.6/pod/perlre.html.
Note that the path pattern is automatically left-anchored at the "/",
+ i.e. it matches as if it would start with a "^" (regular expression speak
+ for the beginning of a line).
Please also note that matching in the path is case
+ INSENSITIVE by default, but you can switch to case
+ sensitive at any point in the pattern by using the
+ "(?-i)" switch:
+ www.example.com/(?-i)PaTtErN.* will match only
+ documents whose path starts with PaTtErN in
+ exactly this capitalization.
All actions are disabled by default, until they are explicitly enabled
+ somewhere in an actions file. Actions are turned on if preceded with a
+ "+", and turned off if preceded with a "-". So a
+ "+action" means "do that action", e.g.
+ "+block" means please "block the following URL
+ patterns".
+ Actions are invoked by enclosing the action name in curly braces (e.g.
+ {+some_action}), followed by a list of URLs (or patterns that match URLs) to
+ which the action applies. There are three classes of actions:
+ Boolean, i.e the action can only be "on" or
+ "off". Examples:
+
{+name} # enable this action
+ {-name} # disable this action
+
+
+
+ Parameterized, e.g. "+/-hide-user-agent{ Mozilla 1.0 }",
+ where some value is required in order to enable this type of action.
+ Examples:
+
{+name{param}} # enable action and set parameter to "param"
+ {-name} # disable action ("parameter") can be omitted
+
+
+
+
+ Multi-value, e.g. "{+/-add-header{Name: value}}" or
+ "{+/-send-wafer{name=value}}"), where some value needs to be defined
+ in addition to simply enabling the action. Examples:
+
{+name{param=value}} # enable action and set "param" to "value"
+ {-name{param=value}} # remove the parameter "param" completely
+ {-name} # disable this action totally and remove param too
+
+
+
If nothing is specified in any actions file, no "actions" are
+ taken. So in this case Privoxy would just be a
+ normal, non-blocking, non-anonymizing proxy. You must specifically enable the
+ privacy and blocking features you need (although the provided default actions
+ files will give a good starting point).
Later defined actions always over-ride earlier ones. So exceptions
+ to any rules you make, should come in the latter part of the file (or
+ in a file that is processed later when using multiple actions files). For
+ multi-valued actions, the actions are applied in the order they are specified.
+ Actions files are processed in the order they are defined in
+ config (the default installation has three actions
+ files). It also quite possible for any given URL pattern to match more than
+ one action!
This action may be specified multiple times, in order to define multiple
+ headers. This is rarely needed for the typical user. If you don't know what
+ "HTTP headers" are, you definitely don't need to worry about this
+ one.
+
Used to block a URL from reaching your browser. The URL may be
+ anything, but is typically used to block ads or other obnoxious
+ content.
+
Possible values:
N/A
Example usage:
{+block}
+ .banners.example.com
+ .ads.r.us
+
Notes:
If a URL matches one of the blocked patterns, Privoxy
+ will intercept the URL and display its special "BLOCKED" page
+ instead. If there is sufficient space, a large red banner will appear with
+ a friendly message about why the page was blocked, and a way to go there
+ anyway. If there is insufficient space a smaller "BLOCKED"
+ page will appear without the red banner.
+ Click here
+ to view the default blocked HTML page (Privoxy must be running
+ for this to work as intended!).
+
+ A very important exception is if the URL matches both
+ "+block" and "+handle-as-image",
+ then it will be handled by
+ "+set-image-blocker"
+ (see below). It is important to understand this process, in order
+ to understand how Privoxy is able to deal with
+ ads and other objectionable content.
+
The "+filter"
+ action can also perform some of the
+ same functionality as "+block", but by virtue of very
+ different programming techniques, and is most often used for different
+ reasons.
+
To stop those annoying, distracting animated GIF images.
+
Possible values:
"last" or "first"
+
Example usage:
{+deanimate-gifs{last}}
+ .example.com
+
Notes:
De-animate all animated GIF images, i.e. reduce them to their last frame.
+ This will also shrink the images considerably (in bytes, not pixels!). If
+ the option "first" is given, the first frame of the animation
+ is used as the replacement. If "last" is given, the last
+ frame of the animation is used instead, which probably makes more sense for
+ most banner animations, but also has the risk of not showing the entire
+ last frame (if it is only a delta to an earlier frame).
+
"+downgrade-http-version" will downgrade HTTP/1.1 client requests to
+ HTTP/1.0 and downgrade the responses as well.
+
Possible values:
N/A
+
Example usage:
{+downgrade-http-version}
+ .example.com
+
Notes:
Use this action for servers that use HTTP/1.1 protocol features that
+ Privoxy doesn't handle well yet. HTTP/1.1 is
+ only partially implemented. Default is not to downgrade requests. This is
+ an infrequently needed action, and is used to help with rare problem sites only.
+
The "+fast-redirects" action enables interception of
+ "redirect" requests from one server to another, which
+ are used to track users.Privoxy can cut off
+ all but the last valid URL in a redirect request and send a local redirect
+ back to your browser without contacting the intermediate site(s).
+
Possible values:
N/A
+
Example usage:
{+fast-redirects}
+ .example.com
+
Notes:
+ Many sites, like yahoo.com, don't just link to other sites. Instead, they
+ will link to some script on their own server, giving the destination as a
+ parameter, which will then redirect you to the final target. URLs
+ resulting from this scheme typically look like:
+ http://some.place/some_script?http://some.where-else.
+
Sometimes, there are even multiple consecutive redirects encoded in the
+ URL. These redirections via scripts make your web browsing more traceable,
+ since the server from which you follow such a link can see where you go
+ to. Apart from that, valuable bandwidth and time is wasted, while your
+ browser ask the server for one redirect after the other. Plus, it feeds
+ the advertisers.
+
This is a normally "on" feature, and often requires exceptions
+ for sites that are sensitive to defeating this mechanism.
+
Apply page filtering as defined by named sections of the
+ default.filter file to the specified site(s).
+ "Filtering" can be any modification of the raw
+ page content, including re-writing or deletion of content.
+
Possible values:
"+filter" must include the name of one of the section identifiers
+ from default.filter (or whatever
+ filterfile is specified in config).
+
Example usage (from the current default.filter):
+ +filter{html-annoyances}: Get rid of particularly annoying HTML abuse.
+
+ +filter{js-annoyances}: Get rid of particularly annoying JavaScript abuse
+
+ +filter{content-cookies}: Kill cookies that come in the HTML or JS content
+
+ +filter{popups}: Kill all popups in JS and HTML
+
+ +filter{frameset-borders}: Give frames a border and make them resizable
+
+ +filter{webbugs}: Squish WebBugs (1x1 invisible GIFs used for user tracking)
+
+ +filter{crude-parental}: Kill all web pages that contain the words "sex" or "warez"
+
Notes:
This is potentially a very powerful feature! And requires a knowledge
+ of regular expressions if you want to "roll your own".
+ Filtering operates on a line by line basis throughout the entire page.
+
Filtering requires buffering the page content, which may appear to
+ slow down page rendering since nothing is displayed until all content has
+ passed the filters. (It does not really take longer, but seems that way
+ since the page is not incrementally displayed.) This effect will be more
+ noticeable on slower connections.
+
Filtering can achieve some of the effects as the
+ "+block"
+ action, i.e. it can be used to block ads and banners. In the overall
+ scheme of things, filtering is one of the first things "Privoxy"
+ does with a web page. So other most other actions are applied to the
+ already "filtered" page.
+
To block the browser from sending your email address in a "From:"
+ header.
+
Possible values:
Keyword: "block", or any user defined value.
+
Example usage:
{+hide-from-header{block}}
+ .example.com
+
Notes:
The keyword "block" will completely remove the header
+ (not to be confused with the "+block" action).
+ Alternately, you can specify any value you prefer to send to the web
+ server.
+
Don't send the "Referer:" (sic) HTTP header to the web site.
+ Or, alternately send a forged header instead.
+
Possible values:
Prevent the header from being sent with the keyword, "block".
+ Or, "forge" a URL to one from the same server as the request.
+ Or, set to user defined value of your choice.
+
Example usage:
{+hide-referer{forge}}
+ .example.com
+
Notes:
"forge" is the preferred option here, since some servers will
+ not send images back otherwise.
+
+ "+hide-referrer" is an alternate spelling of
+ "+hide-referer". It has the exact same parameters, and can be freely
+ mixed with, "+hide-referer". ("referrer" is the
+ correct English spelling, however the HTTP specification has a bug - it
+ requires it to be spelled as "referer".)
+
To change the "User-Agent:" header so web servers can't tell
+ your browser type. Who's business is it anyway?
+
Possible values:
Any user defined string.
+
Example usage:
{+hide-user-agent{Netscape 6.1 (X11; I; Linux 2.4.18 i686)}}
+ .msn.com
+
Notes:
Warning! This breaks many web sites that depend on this in order
+ to determine how the target browser will respond to various
+ requests. Use with caution.
+
This only has meaning if the URL (or pattern) also is
+ "+block"ed, in which case a user definable image can
+ be sent rather than a HTML page. This is integral to the whole concept of
+ ad blocking: the URL must match both a "+block" rule,
+ and"+handle-as-image".
+ (See "+set-image-blocker"
+ below for control over what will actually be displayed by the browser.)
+
There is little reason to change the default definition for this action.
+
Decide what to do with URLs that end up tagged with both
+ "+block"
+ and "+handle-as-image",
+ e.g an advertisement.
+
Possible values:
There are four available options: "-set-image-blocker" will send a HTML
+ "blocked" page, usually resulting in a "broken
+ image" icon.
+ "+set-image-blocker{blank}" will send a
+ 1x1 transparent GIF image.
+ "+set-image-blocker{pattern}" will send a
+ checkerboard type pattern (the default). And finally,
+ "+set-image-blocker{http://xyz.com}" will
+ send a HTTP temporary redirect to the specified image. This has the
+ advantage of the icon being being cached by the browser, which will speed
+ up the display.
+
Example usage:
{+set-image-blocker{blank}}
+ .example.com
+
Notes:
If you want invisible ads, they need to meet
+ criteria as matching both images and blocked
+ actions. And then, "image-blocker" should be set to
+ "blank" for invisibility. Note you cannot treat HTML pages as
+ images in most cases. For instance, frames require an HTML page to
+ display. So a frame that is an ad, typically cannot be treated as an image.
+ Forcing an "image" in this situation just will not work
+ reliably.
+
By default, Privoxy only allows HTTP CONNECT
+ requests to port 443 (the standard, secure HTTPS port). Use
+ "+limit-connect" to disable this altogether, or to allow
+ more ports.
+
Possible values:
Any valid port number, or port number range.
+
Example usages:
+limit-connect{443} # This is the default and need not be specified.
+ +limit-connect{80,443} # Ports 80 and 443 are OK.
+ +limit-connect{-3, 7, 20-100, 500-} # Port less than 3, 7, 20 to 100 and above 500 are OK.
+
Notes:
The CONNECT methods exists in HTTP to allow access to secure websites
+ (https:// URLs) through proxies. It works very simply: the proxy connects
+ to the server on the specified port, and then short-circuits its
+ connections to the client and to the remote proxy.
+ This can be a big security hole, since CONNECT-enabled proxies can be
+ abused as TCP relays very easily.
+
+ If you want to allow CONNECT for more ports than this, or want to forbid
+ CONNECT altogether, you can specify a comma separated list of ports and
+ port ranges (the latter using dashes, with the minimum defaulting to 0 and
+ max to 65K).
+
If you don't know what any of this means, there probably is no reason to
+ change this one.
+
Prevent the specified websites from compressing HTTP data.
+
Possible values:
N/A
+
Example usage:
{+prevent-compression}
+ .example.com
+
Notes:
Some websites do this, which can be a problem for
+ Privoxy, since
+ "+filter",
+ "+kill-popups"
+ and "+gif-deanimate"
+ will not work on compressed data. This will slow down connections to those
+ websites, though. Default typically is to turn
+ "prevent-compression" on.
+
Allow cookies for the current browser session only.
+
Possible values:
N/A
+
Example usage (disabling):
{-session-cookies-only}
+ .example.com
+
Notes:
If websites set cookies, "+session-cookies-only" will make sure
+ they are erased when you exit and restart your web browser. This makes
+ profiling cookies useless, but won't break sites which require cookies so
+ that you can log in for transactions. This is generally turned on for all
+ sites, and is the recommended setting.
+
"+prevent-*-cookies" actions should be turned off as well (see
+ below), for "+session-cookies-only" to work. Or, else no cookies
+ will get through at all. For, "persistent" cookies that survive
+ across browser sessions, see below as well.
+
Explicitly prevent the web server from reading any cookies on your
+ system.
+
Possible values:
N/A
+
Example usage:
{+prevent-reading-cookies}
+ .example.com
+
Notes:
Often used in conjunction with "+prevent-setting-cookies" to
+ disable cookies completely. Note that
+ "+session-cookies-only"
+ requires these to both be disabled (or else it never gets any cookies to cache).
+
For "persistent" cookies to work (i.e. they survive across browser
+ sessions and reboots), all three cookie settings should be "off"
+ for the specified sites.
+
"+kill-popups" uses a built in filter to disable pop-ups
+ that use the window.open() function, etc. This is
+ one of the first actions processed by Privoxy
+ as it contacts the remote web server. This action is not always 100% reliable,
+ and is supplemented by "+filter{popups}".
+
Sends a cookie for every site stating that you do not accept any copyright
+ on cookies sent to you, and asking them not to track you.
+
Possible values:
N/A
+
Example usage:
{+send-vanilla-wafer}
+ .example.com
+
Notes:
This action only applies if you are using a jarfile
+ for saving cookies. Of course, this is a (relatively) unique header and
+ could conceivably be used to track you.
+
Note that many of these actions have the potential to cause a page to
+ misbehave, possibly even not to display at all. There are many ways
+ a site designer may choose to design his site, and what HTTP header
+ content, and other criteria, he may depend on. There is no way to have hard
+ and fast rules for all sites. See the Appendix for a brief example on troubleshooting
+ actions.
Remember that the meaning of any of the above references is reversed by preceding
+ the action with a "-", in place of the "+". Also,
+ that some actions are turned on in the default section of the actions file,
+ and require little to no additional configuration. These are just "on".
But, other actions that are turned on in the default section do
+ typically require exceptions to be listed in the latter sections of
+ one of our actions file. For instance, by default no URLs are
+ "blocked" (i.e. in the default definitions of
+ default.action). We need exceptions to this in order to
+ enable ad blocking in the lower sections. But we need to
+ be very selective about what we do block. Thus, the default is "off"
+ for blocking.
Below is a liberally commented sample default.action file
+ to demonstrate how all the pieces come together. And to show how exceptions
+ to the default policies can be handled. This is followed by a brief
+ user.action with similar examples.
# Sample default.action file <developers@privoxy.org>
+
+# Settings -- Don't change! For internal Privoxy use ONLY.
+{{settings}}
+for-privoxy-version=3.0
+
+
+##########################################################################
+# Aliases must be defined *before* they are used. These are
+# easier to remember, and can combine several actions into one. Once
+# defined they can be used just like any built-in action -- but within
+# this file only! Aliases do not require a + or - sign.
+##########################################################################
+
+# Some useful aliases.
+# Alias to turn off cookie handling, ie allow all cookies unmolested.
+ -prevent-cookies = -prevent-setting-cookies -prevent-reading-cookies \
+ -session-cookies-only
+
+# Alias to both block and treat as if an image for ad blocking
+# purposes.
+ +imageblock = +block +handle-as-image
+
+# Fragile sites should have the minimum changes:
+ fragile = -block -deanimate-gifs -fast-redirects -filter -hide-referer \
+ -prevent-cookies -kill-popups
+
+# Shops should be allowed to set persistent cookies
+ shop = -filter -prevent-cookies -session-cookies-only
+
+
+##########################################################################
+# Begin default action settings. Anything in this section will match
+# all URLs -- UNLESS we have exceptions that also match, defined below this
+# section. We will show all potential actions here whether they are on
+# or off. We could omit any disabled action if we wanted, since all
+# actions are 'off' by default anyway. Shown for completeness only.
+# Actions are enabled if preceded by a '+', otherwise they are disabled
+# (unless an alias has been defined without this).
+##########################################################################
+ { \
+ -add-header \
+ -block \
+ -deanimate-gifs \
+ -downgrade-http-version \
+ +fast-redirects \
+ +filter{html-annoyances} \
+ +filter{js-annoyances} \
+ -filter{content-cookies} \
+ -filter{popups} \
+ +filter{webbugs} \
+ -filter{refresh-tags} \
+ -filter{fun} \
+ +filter{nimda} \
+ +filter{banners-by-size} \
+ -filter{shockwave-flash} \
+ -filter{crude-prental} \
+ +hide-forwarded-for-headers \
+ +hide-from-header{block} \
+ -hide-referrer \
+ -hide-user-agent \
+ -handle-as-image \
+ +set-image-blocker{pattern} \
+ -limit-connect \
+ +prevent-compression \
+ -session-cookies-only \
+ -prevent-reading-cookies \
+ -prevent-setting-cookies \
+ -kill-popups \
+ -send-vanilla-wafer \
+ -send-wafer \
+ }
+ / # forward slash will match *all* potential URL patterns.
+
+##########################################################################
+# Default behavior is now set. Now we will define some exceptions to our
+# default action policies.
+##########################################################################
+
+# These sites are very complex and require very minimal interference.
+# We'll disable most actions with our 'fragile' alias:
+ { fragile }
+ .office.microsoft.com # surprise, surprise!
+ .windowsupdate.microsoft.com
+
+
+# Shopping sites - not as fragile but require some special
+# handling. We still want to block ads, and we will allow
+# persistant cookies via the 'shop' alias:
+ { shop }
+ .quietpc.com
+ .worldpay.com # for quietpc.com
+ .jungle.com
+ .scan.co.uk
+
+
+# These sites require pop-ups too :( We'll combine our 'shop'
+# alias with two other actions into one rule to allow all popups.
+ { shop -kill-popups-filter{popups} }
+ .dabs.com
+ .overclockers.co.uk
+
+
+# The 'Fast-redirects' action breaks some sites. Disable this action
+# for these known sensitive sites:
+ { -fast-redirects }
+ login.yahoo.com
+ edit.europe.yahoo.com
+ .google.com
+ .altavista.com/.*(like|url|link):http
+ .altavista.com/trans.*urltext=http
+ .nytimes.com
+
+
+# Define which file types will be treated as images. Important
+# for ad blocking.
+ { +handle-as-image }
+ /.*\.(gif|jpe?g|png|bmp|ico)
+
+
+# Now lets list some domains that are known ad generators. And
+# our alias that we use here will block these as well as force
+# them to be treated as images. This combination of actions is
+# important for ad blocking. What the browser will show instead is
+# determined by the setting of "+set-image-blocker"
+ { +imageblock }
+ ar.atwola.com
+ .ad.doubleclick.net
+ .a.yimg.com/(?:(?!/i/).)*$
+ .a[0-9].yimg.com/(?:(?!/i/).)*$
+ bs*.gsanet.com
+ bs*.einets.com
+ .qkimg.net
+ ad.*.doubleclick.net
+
+
+# These will just simply be blocked. They will generate the BLOCKED
+# banner page, if matched. Heavy use of wildcards and regular
+# expressions in this example. Enable block action:
+ { +block }
+ ad*.
+ .*ads.
+ banner?.
+ count*.
+ /.*count(er)?\.(pl|cgi|exe|dll|asp|php[34]?)
+ /(?:.*/)?(publicite|werbung|rekla(ma|me|am)|annonse|maino(kset|nta|s)?)/
+ .hitbox.com
+
+
+# The above block section will probably inadvertantly catch some
+# sites we DO NOT want blocked via the wildcards and regular expressions.
+# Now let's set exceptions to the exceptions so the good guys get better
+# treatment. Disable block action:
+ { -block }
+ advogato.org
+ adsl.
+ ad[ud]*.
+ advice.
+# Let's just trust all .edu top level domains.
+ .edu
+ www.ugu.com/sui/ugu/adv
+# We'll need to access to path names containing 'download'
+ .*downloads.
+ /downloads/
+# 'adv' is for globalintersec and means advanced, not advertisement
+ www.globalintersec.com/adv
+
+
+# Don't filter *anything* from our friends at sourceforge.
+# Notice we don't have to name the individual filter
+# identifiers -- we just turn them all off in one fell swoop.
+# Disable all filters for this one site:
+ { -filter }
+ .sourceforge.net
+
+
So far we are painting with a broad brush by setting general policies.
+ The above would be a reasonable starting point for many situations. Now,
+ we want to be more specific and have customized rules that are more suitable
+ to our personal habits and preferences. These would be for narrowly defined
+ situations like your ISP or your bank, and should be placed in
+ user.action, which is parsed after all other
+ actions files and should not be clobbered by upgrades. So any settings here,
+ will have the last word and over-ride any previously defined actions.
Now a few examples of some things that one might do with a
+ user.action file.
# Sample user.action file.
+
+# Any aliases you want to use need to be re-defined here.
+# Alias to turn off cookie handling, ie allow all cookies unmolested.
+ -prevent-cookies = -prevent-setting-cookies -prevent-reading-cookies \
+ -session-cookies-only
+
+# Fragile sites should have the minimum changes:
+ fragile = -block -deanimate-gifs -fast-redirects -filter -hide-referer \
+ -prevent-cookies -kill-popups
+
+# Allow persistent cookies for a few regular sites that we
+# trust via our above alias. These will be saved from one browser session
+# to the next. We are explicity turning off any and all cookie handling,
+# even though the prevent-*-cookie settings were disabled in our above
+# default.action anyway. So cookies from these domains will come through
+# unmolested.
+ { -prevent-cookies }
+ .sun.com
+ .yahoo.com
+ .msdn.microsoft.com
+ .redhat.com
+
+
+# My ISP uses obnoxious self promoting images on many pages.
+# Nuke them :) Note that "+handle-as-image" need not be specified,
+# since all URLs ending in .gif will be tagged as images by the
+# general rules in default.action anyway.
+ { +block }
+ www.my-isp-example.com/logo[0-9].gif
+
+# Say the site where you do your homebanking needs to open
+# popup windows, but you have chosen to kill popups by
+# default. This will allow it for your-example-bank.com:
+#
+ { -filter{popups}-kill-popups }
+ .my-example-bank.com
+
+# This site is delicate, and requires kid-glove
+# treatment.
+ { fragile }
+ .forbes.com
+
Custom "actions", known to Privoxy
+ as "aliases", can be defined by combining other "actions".
+ These can in turn be invoked just like the built-in "actions".
+ Currently, an alias can contain any character except space, tab, "=",
+ "{" or "}". But please use only "a"-
+ "z", "0"-"9", "+", and
+ "-". Alias names are not case sensitive, and
+ must be defined before other actions in the
+ actions file! And there can only be one set of "aliases"
+ defined per file. Each actions file may have its own aliases, but they are
+ only visible within that file. Aliases do not requir a "+" or
+ "-" sign in front, since they are merely expanded.
Now let's define a few aliases:
# Useful custom aliases we can use later. These must come first!
+ {{alias}}
+ +prevent-cookies = +prevent-setting-cookies +prevent-reading-cookies
+ -prevent-cookies = -prevent-setting-cookies -prevent-reading-cookies
+ fragile = -block -prevent-cookies -filter -fast-redirects -hide-referer -kill-popups
+ shop = -prevent-cookies -filter -fast-redirects
+ +imageblock = +block +handle-as-image
+
+ # Aliases defined from other aliases, for people who don't like to type
+ # too much: ;-)
+ c0 = +prevent-cookies
+ c1 = -prevent-cookies
+ #... etc. Customize to your heart's content.
+
+
Some examples using our "shop" and "fragile"
+ aliases from above. These would appear in the lower sections of an
+ actions file as exceptions to the default actions (as defined in the
+ upper section):
# These sites are very complex and require
+ # minimal interference.
+ {fragile}
+ .office.microsoft.com
+ .windowsupdate.microsoft.com
+ .nytimes.com
+
+ # Shopping sites - but we still want to block ads.
+ {shop}
+ .quietpc.com
+ .worldpay.com # for quietpc.com
+ .scan.co.uk
+
+ # These shops require pop-ups also
+ {shop -kill-popups}
+ .dabs.com
+ .overclockers.co.uk
+
+
The "shop" and "fragile" aliases are often used for
+ "problem" sites that require most actions to be disabled
+ in order to function properly.