Web Mail forms - Any tips ?

Sticks · #1 (**permalink**) 22-August-2006, 02:07 PM

I have been asked to do a mail form for a website.
when I did one for our church information site, I was only able to do one because I could sign up to a service offered by the company who does the site hit counter.

Now I was looking at a Javascript book and got some simple code, and with some borrowing of code from our church site, I can get it so the test form after you press submit will open an e-mail, addressed to the email address I specify it be sent to in the webform , with the subject blank and the information from the form as a .att file attachment.

Is there simple a way I can have it, so that the information entered into the webform is sent to the target email address with out the user opening up their e-mail programme, without having to sign up to another service. Does anyone have any code that will sit on a webservice that will do this, without the need for a compiler if I need to change the target email address

Sticks · #2 (**permalink**) 22-August-2006, 05:18 PM

Things are even worse now

I was doing my initial testing during slack time at work, which does not use Outlook or Outlook Express as the e-mail program. When I got home and tested the code I had in both Firfox and IE, it opened up the e-mail, but there was no POSTDATA.ATT file

This is the code which mostly came from a book on JavaScipt

Quote:

<HTML)
<HEAD>
<TITLE>Form With feedback</TITLE>
</HEAD>
<BODY>
<h2>Contact SuperSoft</h2>
<HR SIZE=8 WIDTH=75% NOSHADE>
<p>For more details of our software, please complete this form</p>

<form METHOD=Post ACTION = mailto:name@email.com enctype="multipart/form-data">
<p>E-mail: <input type=text NAME=email SIZE=30></p>
<p>Real Name and Address
<BR>
<TEXTAREA NAME=Address rows=4 cols=40>
</TEXTAREA></p>
<p>Platform:
<Select NAME=Platform >
<OPTION selected value="Pcdos">PC/DOS</option>
<OPTION selected value ="Mac"> Mac</option>
<OPTION selected value ="Win">PC/Windows</option>
</SELECT><p>
<INPUT TYPE= submit VALUE="SEND">
<Input TYPE = Reset VALUE="Clear the form">
</FORM>
</BODY>
</HTML>

Nicholas_Bostaph · #3 (**permalink**) 22-August-2006, 05:26 PM

Using JavaScript will be an extremely unreliable way to do this. There are too many variations in visitor browsers and email clients and this will cause a major headache in the end. Even when it works, some visitors will become confused as it is not a common method. I would strongly advise against it.

Your best bet is to use a server side script to take care of this, or use an external service. This will require access to a mail server to relay the mail from your server as well. Do you know what languages your server can support (php, asp, Cold Fusion, etc)? Is this a shared hosting account or a leased/owned server?

Tog_ · #4 (**permalink**) 22-August-2006, 06:11 PM

Get your rotten fruit ready...

Microsoft Frontpage2003 can do this. You need to find a hosting site that plays well with it. www.dotster.com does. At least they say they do. It's about 6 bucks US per month for 5 GB of webspace, but when the form is submitted, it will send the info to an E mail address. The user should have no clue where it went. I've never actually done this, but that is one possible way.

I should add, that Dotster is accessible from the UK. and that FrontPage is very hated by all real web writers. At least all the vocal ones.

*Ducks*

Argos · #5 (**permalink**) 22-August-2006, 06:21 PM

Talking bout Microsoft, it would be very easy to make with Active Server Pages (provided that it is supported by your host) and MS access as the back end, if the website is not designed for big traffic.

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