Help With Forms Setup

D_P

Registered
Hi,

This is my first post here. Seems like a cool forum. I'm new to forms and I've been trying to figure out how to set them up. I've got a million things to do right now and I just don't have the time to keep re-reading instructions that have be kind of puzzled. I hope someone can help!

I really want to learn how to use forms and I've just never taken the time to do that because the CGI thing always intimidated me. So I went to Webmonkey and read their article on CGI. It helped a bit. Then, I went to Matt's Script Archive and downloaded the HTML Form file.

After reading through that, I'm still a bit confused. I know I need to drop the .pl file into the CGI bin on my server, but I'm not quite sure how my forms connect with that file? I know that each form item has a name and a value attached to it and I think I want to use the GET method.

Also, I was trying to talk to the server to set “permissions” so I opened Terminal to telnet my server (whatever that means) and tried entering ssh then the username@server.com and hit return and nothing happened? I'm really confused about the whole “talking to the server and setting permissions” thing, and I guess I'm confused about this whole process of once I set up the forms, how to connect my forms to the .pl file?

Can anyone help with this? I know this may seem like a huge issue, and it kind of is, but maybe with someone here that has experience it will be a breeze to explain?

Here at my agency, we bake Oatis Spunkmeir cookies for our clients. If we had a cookie baker here on this forum, I'd bake you a batch of cookies for helping me. So just imagine your favorite cookie handed to you right at this very moment. There…now will you help me?

Thanks,
Dom
 
Per the message about posting links with questions:

Sorry, I should have know to do that. Here's the link to my form:

http://canyoncomm.com/form/form.html

Here's the link to my form script (.zip file):

http://canyoncomm.com/form/

The instructions on how to use this are there with the .zip file, but I just don't get it. I see that there's two variables you have to change, but I don't know how to get it all to work with the form. Do I link to this code somehow from my form in the GET or POST methods?

I'm stuck on this.
 
In the immortal words of Homer J. Simpson: "Mmmm....cookies...."

Then again I could be shot for helping you on this...<G>...being that I work with a RE company and all, but oh well.

You need to setup your form correctly in the HTML. You need to specify <input type=hidden name="recipient" value="email@your.host.com"> as per the instructions as well as your main <form></form> tags which should wrap the entire form. Don't forget your POST statement. His instructions say use all capitals for POST.

Code:
<form method='post' action="FormMail.pl">
<input type=hidden name="recipient" value="email@your.host.com">

....rest of form here

</form>

Find your path to sendmail and make sure you specify it in the .pl file. You might be able to find this by running a PHPINFO file from your server, or just call them and ask their techies/admin.

As far as permissions, you need to FTP in with either the terminal or a program like Transmit. Find the file a CHMOD it to 777 or whatever is called for in the instructions. You might also want to check out Matt's website, he has an FAQ there that might be of some help.
 
Thanks so much for your help with that! I'll give it a whirl. I'll have to call my techie/server people about “sendmail”. That's one I don't know about. Maybe they can help me with the permissions thing as well. But I think you answered my question with how form links to the .pl file. Thanks so much!
 
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