Need help! Web design, CGI and simple forms

[Piratecat]

Hi, all! I have a question.

With (contact)'s help, I'm working to get a web page up for my company within the next day or two. He's primarily a graphic designer and not a web coder, and isn't sure how to make a page with a simple form that someone can fill out for more information. I'd be deeply indebted if someone can explain or demonstrate for him.

If you're a wiz at web design and coding, we may want to talk more; I'll eventually want to get an online store in place. But for the moment, I need something less sophisticated.

Can you help? If so, thank you! Either post here or email (contact), aka Chris, at cklarock AT hotmail.com.

Thanks - I owe you one.

 

[Hand of Evil]

I cheat and use an editor.


But see...


http://www.htmlgoodies.com/tutors/fm.html

or

http://www.auburn.edu/helpdesk/html/formtags.html

 

[(contact)]

Thanks, Hand O' Evil! (I assume the other hand actually typed such a helpful and charitable post)

 

[Plane Sailing]

how to make a page with a simple form that someone can fill out for more information. I'd be deeply indebted if someone can explain or demonstrate for him.

The exact mechanism depends a little bit on whether you are running the website on an Apache (or similar) web server or on a microsoft IIS web server.

The basic mechanism is to create a page with a FORM on it, and then include several named text input fields. Give the FORM as submit button and set the FORM attribute to tell it where the form data is going to be sent to.

If it is on IIS it will probably be sent to an ASP page which will use CDONTS to parcel the stuff up into an email and send it out.

If it is on Apache or another type of web server it will probably be sending it to a CGI program which will do the parcelling up and emailing out. Different CGI programs will have different expectations in terms of the data which is available. If you are on this kind of server it is likely that your service provider has some canned CGI scripts available for you to use.

If the site can use ASP on IIS (unlikely I'd guess) I can help you directly because I do a lot of that stuff. If you are on a unix server and the web host provider does provide sendmail.cgi or something similar and it doesn't make any sense to you I'd be happy to try and disentangle any instructions.

Cheers

 

[Ayrk]

More than likely, your hosting service already has a script that will mail the form and parse it out. In the form tag you just enter that file name (post=cgiform.php or something like that).

A really quick and dirty method that will email it but the results are ugly and it is a little clunky is to put the email address where you want the form to go in the post (post=mailto:erik@erikdewey.com). When the submit button is pressed, the data is emailed directly but there is no parsing.

If your host does not have a script and you can use php, let me know and I can recommend some excellent free scripts.

 

[(contact)]

Hey, thanks fellas. I'll holler at you in a day or three when I can get with the host and find out which acronyms we are working with.

 

[Psionicist]

Hey, thanks fellas. I'll holler at you in a day or three when I can get with the host and find out which acronyms we are working with.

Ask him if you have support for PHP, ASP, SSI, CFM, SQL (there are different flavours) and SSI then tell us.

 

[Martin]

Feel free to give me a yell if you like. I've got books on HTML and stuff up the waz . . . well, no, I've got books. I keep them on shelves or sometimes the floor next to my computer desk.

 

[Piratecat]

Guys, thank you! I'll check with my hoster, and we'll get back to you.