As merlin states above, it is all about the browser.

Your apache configuration defines a mapping that creates a virtual directory tree in web space. In it's stock form, I believe that apache maps something like this (images directory from your example):

Web pathDisk path
/$SERVER_ROOT/htdocs
/cgi-bin$SERVER_ROOT/cgi-bin
/my_imgs/pic.jpg $SERVER_ROOT/htdocs/my_imgs/pic.jpg

So, when your cgi script (href=/cgi-bin/myscript.cgi) runs, the relative path "../my_imgs/pic.jpg" would refer, from the browser's perspective, to /cgi-bin/../my_imgs/pic.jpg, or /my_imgs/pic.jpg, which is what you have as the absolute path.

Hope this helps.

Update (2009/11/20 11:36 GMT-0500): Whoops. s/\$DOCUMENT_ROOT/$SERVER_ROOT/g; $SERVER_ROOT == ServerRoot setting in httpd.conf. $DOCUMENT_ROOT = $SERVER_ROOT/htdocs.

--MidLifeXis

In reply to Re^2: (OT) cgi: relative v. absolute paths, Apache by MidLifeXis
in thread (OT) cgi: relative v. absolute paths, Apache by 7stud

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