Yes, because you never provided code that does such customization w/o opening up the server to denial of service (or worse) attacks. (insert emoticon)

DOS attacks? This (looks like it) is a straight text substitution. I provide a list of however many linker types I want with a parameter for the stuff between linker:// and |. When I use foo://, you look up foo:// in my list and substitute, as appropriate. If foo:// doesn't exist, it's handled as it would be default.

Maybe I'm missing something, but that shouldn't open you up to a DOS ...

---

• In general, if you think something isn't in Perl, try it out, because it usually is. :-)
• "What is the sound of Perl? Is it not the sound of a wall that people have stopped banging their heads against?"

Here are the current link-handling settings:

Setting	Value
cpan	my $escapedname=$query->escape($nodeloc); my $cpantitle= $title || $nodeloc; return qq[<a href="http://search.cpan.org/search?mode=module&query=$escapedname">$cpantitle</a>];
dict	my $escapedname = $query->escape($nodeloc); my $x = $title || $nodeloc; return qq[<a href="http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary?book=Dictionary&va=$escapedname">$x</a>];
doc	if ($escapedname =~ /^perl/) {qq[<a href="http://perldoc.perl.org/$escapedname.html">$cpantitle</a>];} else {qq[<a href="http://perldoc.perl.org/functions/$escapedname.html">$cpantitle</a>];}
ftp	return $title ? qq[<a href="ftp://$nodeloc">$title</a>] : qq[<a href="ftp://$nodeloc">$nodeloc</a>];
google	my $escapedname=$query->escape($nodeloc); my $cpantitle= $title || $nodeloc; return qq[<a href="http://www.google.com/search?q=$escapedname">$cpantitle</a>];
href	return qq[<a href="$nodeloc">$cpantitle</a>]
http	return $title ? qq[<a href="http://$nodeloc">$title</a>] : qq[<a href="http://$nodeloc">http://$nodeloc</a>];
https	return $title ? qq[<a href="https://$nodeloc">$title</a>] : qq[<a href="https://$nodeloc">https://$nodeloc</a>];
id	if($nodeloc=~/\D/) {return "[$inner]"} else {return $title ? linkNode($nodeloc, $title) : linkNode($nodeloc)};
isbn	$nodeloc =~ tr/0-9Xx//cd; my $cpantitle = $title || "ISBN $nodeloc"; "<a href='http://isbn.nu/$nodeloc'>$cpantitle</a>";
jargon	return qq[<a href="http://www.science.uva.nl/cng/search/htsearch.CGI?words=$escapedname&restrict=%2F%7Emes%2Fjargon%2F">$cpantitle</a>];
kobe	return qq[<a href="http://cpan.uwinnipeg.ca/search?query=$escapedname&mode=module">$cpantitle</a>];
kobes	return qq[<a href="http://cpan.uwinnipeg.ca/search?query=$escapedname&mode=module">$cpantitle</a>];
link	return qq[<a href="$nodeloc">$cpantitle</a>]
lj	return qq[<a href="http://livejournal.com/users/$nodeloc">$cpantitle</a>];
localtime	$nodeloc="" if $nodeloc=~/now/i; return htmlcode('parseTimeInString', '', $nodeloc);
lucky	my $escapedname = $query->escape($nodeloc); my $cpantitle= $title || $nodeloc; return qq[<a href="http://www.google.com/search?q=$escapedname&btnI=I">$cpantitle</a>];
node	return htmlcode('node_link', '', $inner, $nodeloc, $title, $cpantitle);
pad	return htmlcode('scratchpad_link', '', $nodeloc||$AUTHOR->{title}, $title, {});
perldoc	return qq[<a href="http://www.perldoc.com/cgi-bin/htsearch?&words=$escapedname">$cpantitle</a>];
pmdev	return htmlcode('pmdev_link', '', $inner);

Much of the complexity has been factored out already but there are still a lot of improvements for the infrastructure of link handling that are desired and partially implemented. But even what we have now isn't a simple text substitution. Provide the start of an enhancement to get your customization and it might get into the queue with the other enhancements that have yet to be deployed. Sometimes such a kick-start is exactly what is needed.

If you are missing something, then implementing it will probably rectify that situation. I don't see the obvious right way to do something like what you have asked for that I'd consider flexible to the point of being worth implementing, but I haven't sat down and tried to design it (but it appears you haven't sat down and tried to design it in any detail either so I don't feel particularly lazy in comparison).

- tye