Form Mailer Guide
1.0
Example Usage
<form
method="POST" action="http://public.registerdirect.co.nz/cgi-bin/formmailer.cgi">
<input type="hidden" name="to"
value="email@mydomain.co.nz">
<input type="hidden" name="subject"
value="The Message Subject">
<input type="hidden" name="next_url"
value="http://www.mysite.co.nz/thankyou.html">
<input type="text" name="comments">
</form>
2.0
Basic Features
Basic parameters include the hidden input fields name
"to", "next_url", "subject",
"cc", and "bcc".
2.1
Reserved Word: "to"
<input type=hidden name="to" value="you@yourdomain.com,
somoneelse@yourdomain.com">
The
input parameter "to" tells what email address(es)
to email the form. You may use multiple email addresses
by separating them with a comma. Typically the value
will be your email address.
Multiple
instances, such as checkboxes, will be parsed.
2.2
Reserved Word: "next_url"
<input type=hidden name="next_url" value="http://www.yourdomain.com/thank_you.html">
The
input parameter "next_url" tells what url
to call after the form is submitted. You must use the
full url. Typically, this will be the full url to your
thank you page, which you would want to tell the person
in your own style and words that the form was submitted
successfully and anything else you might want to say
or do.
2.3
Reserved Word: "subject"
<input type=hidden name="subject" value="any
subject">
The
input parameter "subject" tells Web Email
Lite what the subject of the email message is to be.
You
may print the value of an input parameter by providing
its name in the following form: #Input Tag Name#. The
example
<input
type=hidden name="subject" value="#Name#">
will
print the value of the submitted input field named "Name"
in the subject heading.
2.4
Reserved Word: "cc"
<input type=hidden name="cc" value="someone@somewhere.com">
The
input parameter "cc" tells Web Email Lite
who to carbon copy the email message. Separate multiple
email addresses with a comma.
Multiple
instances, such as checkboxes, will be parsed.
2.5
Reserved Word: "bcc"
<input type=hidden name="bcc" value="someone@somewhere.com">
The
input parameter "bcc" tells Web Email Lite
who to blind carbon copy the email message. Separate
multiple email addresses with a comma.
Multiple
instances, such as checkboxes, will be parsed.
3.0
Checking for Required Input
These parameters allow you to check to make sure certain
input fields are submitted before anything is emailed.
You may specify the required fields and specify the
url to give if fields are not completed so that you
may give further instructions at this url.
3.1
Reserved Word: "required"
<input type=hidden name="required" value="Name,
Email, Any Other Tag">
The
input parameter "required" tells Web Email
Lite what input names on the form are required not to
be blank for correct submission. These input names must
be identical and separated with a comma. Input names
may contain spaces and you may add a space after the
comma.
3.2
Reserved Word: "required_url"
<input type=hidden name="required_url"
value="http://www.yourdomain.com/required.html">
The
input parameter "required_url" tells Web Email
Lite what url to give next if the required input specified
by "required" are blank. This must be a full
url, typically to your website. You should tell the
submitter in your own words and style what input is
needed for correct submission. You typically want a
link back to the form or instruct the person to go back
one url using their browser so that their completed
form thus far is still intact.
4.0
Security Features
I hope you never will have to use this, but I have provided
this feature anyway if someone is sending you spam through
your form.
Reserved
Word: "ignore_ip"
<input type=hidden name="ignore_ip" value="255.255.255.255,
someone.somecomputer.somwhere.somedomain">
You
may provide the remote host address or remote host name
in this field if you wish to have Web Email Lite to
ignore submissions from a host. This will help if anyone
is bothering you. You may use the wildcard "*"
instead of a number or name in any part. You could ignore
everyone from a commercial computer if you wish.
5.0
Autoresponse Feature
These input tags allow you specify an autoresponse message.
Only the first input tag is required. The rest of the
tags allow you to further customize your autoresponse
feature into a higher quality one.
5.1
Reserved Word: "autoresponse"
<input type=hidden name="autoresponse"
value="[see table]">
This
input parameter "autoresponse" tells Web Email
Lite that you wish to automatically email a reply to
the submitter of the the form. The autoresponse will
include all the contents of the submitted form similiar
to what you see. In addition, it automatically prints
a message. You may use the following values.
thank_you
- tells the submitter to review the what was submitted.
verify
- tells the submitter to send an email to verify submission.
generic
- very brief message.
custom
- no automatic message provided unless provided by "autoresponse_hidden"
input tags. this will include the contents of the form.
This
is the only input tag necessary for autoresponses, but
you may wish to customize it further with the follow
input tags.
5.2
Reserved Word: "autoresponse_name"
<input type=hidden name="autoresponse_name"
value="Your Name or Company Name">
This
input parameter "autoresponse_name" tells
Web Email Lite to to set the email header "From:"
to include the name you specify as the value.
You
may print the value of an input parameter by providing
its name in the following form: #Input Tag Name#. The
example
<input
type=hidden name="autoresponse_name" value="#First
Name#">
will
print the value of First Name submitted as the name
of who the autoresponse is from in the header.
5.3
Reserved Word: "autoresponse_email"
<input type=hidden name="autoresponse_email"
value="you@yourdomain.com">
This
input parameter tells Web Email Lite to set the email
header "Reply-to:" to the custom email address(es)
provided as the value instead of the default email addresses
specified in who the email is sent to. Separate multiple
email addresses with a comma.
5.4
Reserved Word: "autoresponse_subject"
<input type=hidden name="autoresponse_subject"
value="any line to print as the autoresponse email
subject">
This
input parameter tells Web Email Lite to set the email
header "Subject:" to the custom value of this
input tag instead of the default subject heading.
You
may print the value of an input parameter by providing
its name in the following form: #Input Tag Name#. The
example
<input
type=hidden name="autoresponse_subject" value="#First
Name#">
will
print the value of First Name submitted in the email
autoresponse subject heading.
5.5
Reserved Word: "autoresponse_verbose"
<input type=hidden name="autoresponse_verbose"
value="Yes">
This
input parameter tells Web Email Lite to suppress including
the contents of the submitted form in the autoresponse
email message.
5.6
Reserved Word: "autoresponse_hidden"
<input type=hidden name="autoresponse_hidden"
value="any line to print in email">
This
input parameter tells Web Email Lite to provide the
value in the body of the autoresponse email message.
This allows you to customize the autoresponse message.
You may include multiple tags for multiple lines. Provide
a value of " " to print a blank line.
You
may print the value of an input parameter by providing
its name in the following form: #Input Tag Name#. The
example
<input
type=hidden name="autoresponse_hidden" value="#First
Name#,">
will
print the value of First Name submitted and a comma
on one line of the the email message.
6.0
Reserved Input Tags within the Form
There are also other input fields that you may wish
to use in your form. These allow the submitter to provide
their name and return email address to you in the
email header (so that you can automatically reply to
the message by email) and to allow you to format the
contents of the form when its emailed to you.
6.1
Reserved Word: "hidden"
<input type=hidden name="hidden" value="any
line to print in email">
This
tag will tell Web Email Lite to prints its value without
printing its name "hidden:" in the email that
is emailed to you and in autoresponses. The value "hr"
has special meaning and will print a horizontal rule,
around 70 dashes.
6.2
Reserved Word: "Email" or "E-mail"
<input name="Email"> Email Address
Any
input field with this name will provide its value as
the return email address in the email message header.
Case is ignored meaning that you may use capital letters
if you wish. Web Email Lite checks to make sure a valid
email address is provided. If it is not, "[Invalid]"
will appear as the persons name in the "From:"
email header and the "Reply-to" field will
be set to the hidden input field "to" as a
means of sending the email back to sender.
6.3
Reserved Word: "Name"
<input name="Name"> Name
Any
input field with this name will provide its value as
who the email message is from in the email message header.
Case is ignored meaning that you may use capital letters
if you wish.
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