Huggins'
Email Form Script
Objectives
Email Forms
email Web Forms on websites have common characteristics:
- They accept input from the Form User
- They assemble this input into emails which they send to
predefined addresses
- They send the Form User a confirmation email
email Form Problems
Achieving these email functions requires either that the Form
Designer rely on a predefined script or, alternatively, use a scripting
tool like PHP to construct his own script and/or pages.
FrontPage offers FrontPage Server extensions to process these types
of Web Forms. However, not all FrontPage developers use these
extensions.
Some scripts which are available for this type of processing expose
the email addresses to web spiders which harvest the email addresses for
spam.
And, existing scripts may not provide the flexibility the Form
Designer requires such as the ability to format the email or email
multiple people.
Inspiration for the Huggins' Email Form Script
I wrote this script to address some of these problems.
The inspiration was a discussion of similar problems encountered by
fellow FrontPage users in August and September 2005 and discussed on
some email lists, including one FrontPage list I co-moderate , another
FrontPage list on which I am active and also lists related to an SEO
training class I co-moderate.
However, even though I use FrontPage and even though discussions on
the FrontPage list, I wrote the script to be completely independent of
FrontPage or any other authoring system.
General Objectives of the Huggins' email Form Script
The general objectives of this script are:
- Be usable without knowing the underlying scripting language (PHP)
- Be usable without making modifications to the script
- Be usable with a minimal knowledge of how Web Forms work
- Be usable just by following the directions
- Hide all email addresses from spiders
- Allow two different emails to be sent to “static” addresses
- Allow an optional confirmation email
- Allow the Form Designer some control over the layout of all
emails
- Allow each of the three emails to have a different format
- Allow the Form Designer to specify the destination URL to
display after processing
Detailed Objectives of the Huggins' email Form Script
- It should send an email containing the values submitted through
the Web Form by the Form User.
- It should also (optionally) report values for the IP Address,
Browser Name and Referring Page.
- It should use external specifications of the Field Names in the
Web Form. That is, adding a field to the Web Form should not require
a change to the script itself.
- It should use external specifications of the Field Reporting
Labels used in the email to report the Field Values. That is,
changing a Field Reporting Label should not require a change to the
script itself.
- It should permit some limited external specification of email
formatting (e.g., blank lines between groups of Field Reporting
Labels and Field Values).
- It should use external specifications of all email addresses.
That is, changing any email address used, should not require a
change to the script itself.
- All email addresses should be specified in “parts”, to defeat
spiders scanning websites for email addresses.
- It should permit an optional copy of the email to be sent back
to the Form User as a confirmation email.
- It should permit externally specified text as the subject line
of all emails sent.
- All emails should permit externally specified text at the top
and bottom of the email.
- Provide multiple protections against abuse by spambots.*
- Provide validation of fields through external specifications of
field edits.*
- Provide extensive customization options for the error page to permit the
website owner to have the error page emulate other pages on the website**
- Optionally keep a CSV File (Comma Separated Values) containing the
submitted information.**
- After processing, the script should go to the URL specified by
the Form Designer.
NB: Asterisks indicate a Version 2.0 objective;
Double Asterisks indicate a Version
2.1 objective.
More Pages About Huggins' Email Form Script
 Huggins'
Email Form Script:
I created the Huggins' Email Form Scriptto provide an easy to use but highly
flexible script to process email forms while protecting email addresses. It is
free to use with extensive documentation.
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Huggins'
Email Form Script, Suggested Improvements:
These are suggested improvements. I am soliciting feedback on these
suggestions.
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Huggins'
Email Form Script, Samples:
Shows some sites using the script.
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Huggins'
Email Form Script, Version
2 enhancements:
enhancements which were developed for Version 2 of the script.
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Huggins'
Email Form ScriptTestimonials:
Testimonials sent to me from script users.
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Huggins'
Email Form ScriptAcknowledgements:
My acknowledgements to others for their assistance with development and
deployment of the script.
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example
Form:
This example form shows some (though clearly not all) of the features
of the script.
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More Pages About HEFS Bulletin
HEFS
Bulletin: Bugs, Fixes and enhancements:
I have set up the HEFS Bulletin to provide future notices of changes to the
Huggins' Email Form Script. Please sign up for this ezine. This
ezine will be used only to provide information on this script. And it is the
only way I have to let you know of bugs, fixes and enhancements.
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History of Changes to HEFS Bulletin:
Describes the history of HEFS Bulletin,
with emphasis on the technical changes I've made since starting it, including
moving to
Gammadyne, adding double-opt-in and complying with CAN-SPAM.
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HEFS Bulletin Privacy Policy:
The short version of my privacy policy for my HEFS Bulletin ezine. It explains that I do not spam. Period. And, I do not sell, lend or release your subscription
information to anyone for any reason.
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 Free Adobe Acrobat PDF Reader:
Reading Adobe Acrobat PDF files requires the free Adobe Acrobat PDF Reader. Be sure you have the latest version
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A Tutorial: Creating HTML Email Forms
The reference manual available for this script (see above) assumes that the user is familiar with the basics of Web Forms.
For those users looking for instruction in the creation of Web Forms, particularly Email Formssuch as those processed by Huggins' Email Form Script, there is an ebook tutorial: Creating HTML Email Forms.
The tutorial is available in two ways:
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