[Versed]

I need to secure a single web page so that it only allows access from a followed link.

Basically I don't want some one typing in http://www.mysite.com/page and being able to access it.

I was pretty sure that you could put a code into the <header> tag that restricted access.

I know about htaccess files but I was under the impression these only work for the whole website and not a single page.

[Drunken F00l]

Why wouldn't you want people to be able to directly access a page? Seems strange.

You're going to want to use an htaccess file.

[Redneck]

I don't know if you mean that you want to only allow authenticated access to a file/dir or provide access to a link without authentication, but I think the latter is a bad idea.

Cox Communications provides a service called the "Digital Vault" where you can share private media with other people. The trouble is, it's based merely on security by obscurity - the link is obfuscated in such a way that you don't know what it's going to pull up, but a million monkeys typing on a million typewriters would find most of the files in a short amount of time without previously having been given the link. It's just a long series of characters. Not truly private!

PHP or CGI perl can handle the former as well, albeit not as well as htaccess (or NTFS permissions or ASP in IIS). So, I would use an authentication scheme.

[Versed]

I'm trying to secure my eBook I'm going to be putting up soon. To get it you need to pay through PayPal and then PayPal sends you to the download page.

I don't want people to be able to bypass the PayPal part. I want to set it up so they have to come from the PayPal checkout in order to get access.

[Drunken F00l]

Gotcha. But then if I or any other malicious user figures out where people are coming from, I can just fake the referrer. Not the most secure way, but will probably stop most people. Htaccess should be able to do it, I just don't know the specifics and I'm sure you're good at Googling.

[JasonMaverick]

I would suggest joomla. Check it out, you might like it. Just google it.

[Redneck]

I dunno, honestly I would just self-publish the book on Amazon. Low maintenance for you, and you'd instantly have a larger audience.

Btw, you going to give us a free copy? What's the subject matter, anyway?

[avy]

All I know is, it better have more pictures than words.

[chernobyl_blessing]

I wants a free copy if possible.

[Hell-met]

I wants a free copy if possible.

you don't even know what it is you enormous tard