We will explain in 4 steps how to get the fully functioning cookie script on your own website. Naturally, you must first download the script from the cookie script download page, before you can actually start the installation. The cookie script is only available in PHP scripting language, but you can convert it yourself to another scripting language.
Please note that if the Google spider should come along to crawl your webpage, then after the implementation the Google Analytics script will not be not visible. This will be loaded only after allowing the cookies. Should you use Google Analytics as a verification method for Google Search Console or for Google Shopping, then you need to use a different verification method (to prevent your verification from being rejected).
Step 1 contains the installation: this step explains exactly where on the server you need to upload the files to.
1.1 Folder uploading
- Upload the whole cookie_tool folder from the zip file that you received by e-mail to the root directory of your website.
- This folder can also be uploaded to another location, please note that in step 3 of this manual you need to update the referrals to that folder.
1.2 Log files
Since 1st January, 2013 the Dutch cookie law states that the burden of proof lies with the owner of the website. If you need to prove the acceptance of cookies by certain users, it is important that the acceptance/consent of visitors to your website is kept and maintained in a log file. The cookie script automatically saves and stores log files. This log file saves the IP address, the date and time of the consent of the cookies, a unique timestamp and level accepted by the visitor.
The script stores the data in the following way:
- The data is stored in a text file. This text file contains the following name: 2012-12-05_14.22.48.txt. The file name contains the date and time when the file was created.
- If this text file contains the maximum number of log lines (you can specify the maximum number of lines in the configuration file, see step 2 of this guide), then a new text file will be created once again with the creation date and time as the file name.
- The script stores in the current.txt file in exactly which text files the data is being saved at that moment.
In this way, the text files will not be extremely large and storing the data will not be delayed.
1.3 Instructions
- Make the logs folder writable by giving this folder the permission 777. You can often do this in your FTP client, right-click on the folder and then click on File Permissions.
- If you do not know how to create a writable folder via your FTP client, then please check out the documentation of the program concerned.
- Next, make the current.txt file in the logs folder also writable with the permission 777.
- You will also see the .htaccess file in the logs folder. This ensures that no outsider can enter this folder or access a file in it. If htaccess does not work on your server, then make sure you secure the folder in a different way. For these issues please contact your hosting provider.
Go to step 2: cookie script configuration
