How to make my webform submittable?

rotipom · February 16, 2010

Hi there folks!

I made this web form using Microsoft Word 2003 and its web tools, but cannot for the live of me figure out how to make the submit button work.

http://www. treespacestudio.com/custom_invitations. htm

I have it linked to my email but when I tested it all I received was a blank email. What could I be doing wrong? I surfed and surfed the net for something but all information are for creating forms from scratch. I already have a form! Hope someone can help me, I am about to toss my laptop on the floor...

Thanks in advance!

Amy

krillz · February 16, 2010

if you want to preset the body data in the email you need to alter the mailto attributes, otherwise it will remain empty:

Send me an email

Now I checked your html, and I can see that you have more than 1 form in your source code, I would think you need to wrap all those into one form, otherwise when hiting the submit button all the different form elements won't be sent. Not that it matters in your case as you aren't sending them anywhere anyways.

Check this example:

action="mailto:yourname@yoursite.com"

enctype="text/plain">

name=your_comments>

value="Submit Your Comments">

However you have a lot of inputs, that you preferably would wan't formatted into a finnished string that you then attach to the mail body. otherwise you will only get the inputs and not the surounding text.

But yeah anyway check the form to mail example I gave you, and recheck your code as it is not functional, I would rewrite and make it a lot cleaner as right now the sourcecode looks like a big mess, as M$ tends to add a lot of unneeded junk.

Edited February 16, 2010 by krillz

Andrea · February 17, 2010

Microsoft Word is about the WORST software you can possibly use to create a website- it is not meant for that, and the 'web tools' really are anything but. Your website has over EIGHT-HUNDRED validation errors.

rotipom · February 18, 2010

Microsoft Word is about the WORST software you can possibly use to create a website- it is not meant for that, and the 'web tools' really are anything but. Your website has over EIGHT-HUNDRED validation errors.

Krillz, thanks for the suggestion, I tried to clean up the form part a bit, but still not clear what I should do about inserting the body text into the mailto link. Do I insert the mailto link at the top of the document and reference the entire body text that follows, or do I need to copy and paste the entire body text again to include in the link at the end of the document? Sorry, clearly a beginner.

Andrea, I initially used word just to prepare a pdf form for a client and then found out you can't really use that because there is NO way they can save the form after it being filled out because you need some expensive plugin.

Then I read that you can actually publish to web word forms using webtools and tried that.

At this point, I need to send the web form link out to clients pretty urgently and I know its terribly messy and completely the wrong way to go about it and all, but is there ANY way I can just get it to be submittable? I'll clean it up later I promise!!

Thanks so much in advance,

Amy

Edited February 18, 2010 by rotipom

rotipom · February 18, 2010

Still trying to figure this out...can anyone help me? Thanks!!

krillz · February 18, 2010

Still trying to figure this out...can anyone help me? Thanks!!

do you have access to php or any other server side language? If so format it using php and send it through mail().

if not you will need to use javascript to format it into a string and then attach it to the body attribute in the mailto: function.

jbwebdesign · February 18, 2010

lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple style='tab-interval:.5in'>

src="custom_invitations_files/image006.jpg" v:shapes="_x0000_i2068">

style='font-family:Verdana;color:#009999'>A Wedding Invitation Investigation!

style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana'>Fill in the form as detailed as
possible. It’s worth it I promise. Every little question is designed so
that I can find out as much as possible about your big event, what you REALLY
want in your invitations and your (yes, the two of you, don’t surprise
him ) style preferences!

style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:#009999'>Our Special Day
Information:

style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana'>Our wedding will be held in /and

style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana'>It will be held on this date

style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana'>The wedding will have #
of parts. (ceremony, reception, tea-ceremony,
etc).

They are

style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana'>Our wedding would be ( class=GramE>indoor/outdoor?)

style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana'>We want our wedding to be

Traditional

Dinner Banquet

Garden

Cocktails

Fancy Dress

Casual

Country

City/Urban

Vintage

Beach

Destination

Themed/Others

style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana'>We are inviting #
of guests, we would like to send invitations

class=GramE>tostyle='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana'> #of guests

style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana'>We want our invitations to
be:

Traditional

Formal and Classy

Casual

Edgy/Cool

Unique and Alternative

Natural and Rustic

style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana'>We want to send them out by
this date .

style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana'>We are interested in
save-the-dates or RSVPs.

Yes

No

style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana'>What information do you
absolutely must have on your invitation?

style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana'>

style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana'>What standard information do
you want on your information?

style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana'>

style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:#009999'>The Story of Us:

style='text-decoration:none'>

style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana'>My favorite colors are style='mso-spacerun:yes'> and style='mso-spacerun:yes'> while he likes style='mso-spacerun:yes'> and .

style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana'>This is the story we TELL others
about how we met:

style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana'>I grew up in ,
he grew up in

style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana'>The awesomest
part of our relationship that we want reflected in our invitations is that

style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:#009999'>Style and Fun

style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana'>We like these types of music
(pick 3)

Blues

Rock and Roll (70s)

Rock and Roll (60s)

Big Band

Heavy Metal

80’s Music

Oldies/Folk/Country

Musicals/Broadway

Classical

Alternative

World Music

Others

style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana'>My favorite city in the whole
wide world is style='mso-spacerun:yes'> his favorite city in the whole wide
world is .

style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana'> style='mso-spacerun:yes'> Our favorite activity together class=GramE>is .

style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana'>Finish this sentence (check
all that applies) : I am a ______kind of girl:

Cotton

Linen

Lace

Silk

Chiffon

Burlap

Muslin

Hi-tech/synthetic fabrics

Wool knits

Cashmere

Velvet

Brocade

style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana'>Finish this sentence (check
all that applies) : I/we prefer ___________

Japanese washi
papers

Handmade paper

Vintage aged papers

Tissue-thin paper

Flecked recycled paper

Textured paper

Refined thick cotton rag paper

Any tree-free papers

Standard cardstock

style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana'>Finish this sentence (pick 3):
We are definitely into _______ :

Polished wood

Vintage, antique or reclaimed wood

Wood Veneer

Brushed metal

Hi-shine metal

Gold

Silver

Copper

Plastic

Anything in the natural world only!

style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana'>We MOST like these movies
(pick 3):

Classic Film Noir

Silent Movies

Musicals/Broadway

Fantasy/Sci-Fi

Period Dramas

80’s Teen Movies

Zombie Movies

Horror Flicks

Romantic Comedies

Edgy Psychological Thrillers

Martial Arts Films

Foreign Art House

Cult/Alternative Movies

Sweeping Epics

Others

style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana'>Which invitation type from
the link below do you most like? (important: make sure to copy and paste
link in new window)

www.etsy.com/shop/treespacestudio

enctype="application/x-www-form-urlencoded">

style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana'>

style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana'>src="custom_invitations_files/image009.jpg" v:shapes="_x0000_i2071">

The class=SpellE>TreeSpace Studio

Personalized
{Functional} Artwork and Design Solutions

For Your Creative,
Business and Everyday Needs

style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana'>1-818-574-6942

style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana'>href="mailto:info@treespacestudio.com">info@treespacestudio.com

style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana'>href="http://www.treespacestudio.com/">http://www.treespacestudio.com

style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana'>href="http://www.treespacestudio.com/blog">http://www.treespacestudio.com/blog

style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana'>

krillz · February 18, 2010

//here is where you will set the variables you want to post from the form

$first_name = $_POST['first_name']; //THIS IS THE NAME OF THE INPUT TYPE INSIDE THE FORM
$last_name = $_POST['last_name']; //THIS IS THE NAME OF ANOTHER INPUT TYPE INSIDE THE FORM

//here you will email the information to yourself

mail("youremail@youremail.com","Subject of email address","message you want to write to yourself\n\r" . $_POST['first_name']; . "\n\r" . $_POST['last_name'] . "\n\r");

?>

Your code is not protecting against header injections, with that code someone could hijack your form and use it to send out spam. Always make sure no headers are being sent via the inputs.

jbwebdesign · February 18, 2010

so krillz how would you hijack the form and send out spam?....this is good, i am not the best programmer but i always like to learn new things

krillz · February 18, 2010

so krillz how would you hijack the form and send out spam?....this is good, i am not the best programmer but i always like to learn new things

if you check how a mail is built up and function and by reviewing the structure of the mail() function in php you could come to the conclusion that by entering values like mail headers you could get the form to act like you wish, let say I inject a header with copies to all the emails in my spam list, ( not massive spam lists but still) I can get that form to send out spam using your adress as sender. This is a common mistake coders do in online mailforms and a lot of famous ones has at one point been known to have this lack of security and been abused.

You should always check all input you are using the mail() function for headers like: TO: CC: CCO: Content-Type.

And if these are found you should abort the script and notify that code injection is not allowed.

Sorry but I've been working with web security for some good years now, and proof hacking applications are one of my tasks at work, kind of have a eye for these things.

jbwebdesign · February 18, 2010

hey don't be sorry, i like to learn from my mistakes.....thanks for the info

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