Using forms in web pages?

zoombini · 19-12-2003, 10:36

A colleague is asking me questions about how to have a form included in his company web page, where when it is sent to the recipient it can then appear in another form when read.

Looking at his Macromedia suite form, it generates the email with everything on one line & seperated by "&" signs.

What we would like to do is change that to using a new line for each item of data.

Also how do we make it so that the server send the forum rather than the viewing clients email package?

And finally, when we have the data in an email, any suggestions on how to then extract that text file to another similar viewable form easily?

Suggestions of where we may look for help on this appreciated.
He's the webpage designer for the co & he dont do coding.... doh!
Thankyou,
Zoombini

Jon M · 19-12-2003, 10:56

This is one of the simplest methods I know of:
http://www.javascript-coder.com/html...rm-email.phtml

It would help though if we knew what the webserver is running.. (IIS, Apache, etc) as each webserver has it's own in-built mail scripts. Also, what scripting language is your developer using if at all.. I presume he's trying to use plain html if he's not a coder?

zoombini · 19-12-2003, 11:07

er.... I can post the code if that answers one question, as to what is running on the server thats another that I just rang Up and have asked, someone is going to get back to me.

I think that the page is in HTML with som Javascript - here is a snip.

Code:

<html>
<head>
<title>Untitled Document</title>
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1">
<script language="JavaScript">
<!--
function MM_callJS(jsStr) { //v2.0
  return eval(jsStr)
}
//-->
</script>



<form name="commission" method="post" action="mailto:emailhere@isp.com" onSubmit="return validateForm(this)" >
  <table width="634" border="0" cellspacing="1">
    <tr> 
      <td width="300" valign="top"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2"><b>1.0 
        Purchaser of equipment</b></font><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="1"><br>
        </font> <font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="1"> 
        <textarea name="textfield" cols="30"></textarea>
        </font> </td>
      <td width="325" valign="top"> 
        <div align="left"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2"><b>2.0 
          Site Address <font size="1">(if unadopted road, enclose details).</font></b></font><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="1"><br>
          </font></div>
        <div align="left"> <font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="1"> 
          <textarea name="textfield2" cols="30"></textarea>
          </font></div>
      </td>
    </tr>
    <tr> 
      <td width="300" height="219" valign="top"> 
        <p><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2"><b>3.0 System Category</b></font><b><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="1"> 
          TICK APPROPIATE BOX</font></b></p>
        <p><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="1">M 
          <input type="checkbox" name="checkbox" value="checkbox">
          L1

cutting out the mass of the middle - Ending in

Code:

 <tr> 
      <td width="300">
        <input type="submit" name="Submit" value="Submit" onClick="MM_callJS('processForm()')">
        <br>
      </td>
      <td width="325"> 
        <div align="left"></div>
      </td>
    </tr>
  </table>
</form>
</body>
</html>

Whats running on the server may be a big problem as its being designed & initially shown/used on the company servers that are running unix. Eventually going up onto our internet providers server but the IT dept think that we only have webspace & nowt else (shows how cheap they are!).

Cheers,
Zoombini

zoombini · 19-12-2003, 11:11

The bit where it calls

Code:

function MM_callJS(jsStr) { //v2.0
  return eval(jsStr)

Where does this go/come from?
Is it calling another file? if so what would it be, or is it calling a normal JS function thats part of IE etc?
(me know nothing - I'm from Barcelona!"

zoombini · 19-12-2003, 11:18

By the way, what would the host need to have in order to use webforms & have it emailed by them to us?

zoombini · 19-12-2003, 12:15

Ok I have found out that it is airtime.co.uk & thatthey are running win2000 IIS 5

MikeyB · 19-12-2003, 13:02

This is a very simple form-to email, it will use the email client on the users pc, it uses no server side (asp etc)

This line:
<form name="commission" method="post" action="mailto:emailhere@isp.com" onSubmit="return validateForm(this)" >

the mailto:emailhere@isp.com simply tells it to fill in the to box in the email.

zoombini · 19-12-2003, 13:25

But doesnt that just open a new email for the client to fill in.

This needs to be a form that has data in, selected by the client.

Having found an example of what airtime use & the formmail stuff from Matss script archive I passed it back to him & it went Vrooom as it passed over his head while he muttered "I'm a media designer - I do brochures etc not a webpage designer"...... lol

Ah well, thanks anyway, I think that it will just have to be farmed out & payed for to get it to work. (ite neither my job to do it or his).

Merry Christmas all...

Jon M · 19-12-2003, 13:55

if it's going to be used on an IIS server.. try this:
http://www.chilkatsoft.com/webMailSend.asp

it's fairly self explanitory.. but you can always PM me if you need help with it

MikeyB · 21-12-2003, 11:40

Quote:

Originally Posted by zoombini

But doesnt that just open a new email for the client to fill in.

This needs to be a form that has data in, selected by the client.

Yes, that is exactly what that code does, if there are other fields on the form that are filled in, it will attach a text file in the email, but it is very hit & miss as to if it works.

You had the right idea by going to Matts Scripts, but you shouldn't use them, he hasn't updated them in years, and even says himself on his pages that they are not really best!

As even your host seems to no nothing about scripting, it might be best to use a 3rd party form script
Try this one http://www.response-o-matic.com follow the instructions, should be fairly straight forward. Nothing needs doing on your server or host, you just link to it