Data Extraction

G

gesully

I am using FP 2003 and my web site is on a Windows server with extension.
I want to gather data from a form page filled out by a web site user and
transfer it back to my computer. Once I get the data I don't want it left on
the server.
What is the easiest way to set this up? Thank you.
 
G

gesully

I am reluctant to put an email address in my website because it can be
harvested and just increases my spam.
George
 
G

gesully

I tried putting an email address in but I got a message saying the server is
either disk-based or does not send outgoing emails.
George
 
T

Tom Willett

Your local pc does not have a mail server, so if you are using it to test,
it won't work.

Your host must have the forms to email transport enable for your account,
with the proper email address set up by them. You need to contact them.

Once your web is http published to the remote server, it will work...if it's
set up properly by the host.

How to configure the FrontPage Server Extensions for Email Transport
http://www.spiderwebwoman.com/tutorials/email_stuff.htm
 
G

gesully

I tried putting in an emailaddress but I get a message saying, "This form
cannot be configured to send results via email. The web site may be located
at a disk-based location, or on a server that has not been configured to send
email." My email address is within my site's domain...my site name and email
address both end with the same .com name.
 
C

Clark

Another way is to have the form data sent to an Access database named,
for example, NewData

You can do this by using the wizard to create a database for you in
the fpdb folder of your web. Once you have done that, publish your
website and then go fill out the form to test it on the server.

Then you can use an ftp program to download the NewData database to
your desktop computer.

Make a copy of that database, and call it, for example, MasterData, so
now MasterData has the exact same fields and datatypes as the NewData
database does. This is the main database you will be keeping on your
computer

Delete the records in the NewData database and ftp it back to the
website, so you now have a empty NewData database waiting for the
form to be filled out again.

So the steps in adding new data would be:

1. ftp NewData.mdb database from the site to your computer

2. Immediatedly ftp back up to the site and empty NewData.mdb (it is
easiest to just keep an empty copy of it in a handy folder for this
purpose)

3. Open the NewData database and select all the new records and do
Edit / Copy

4. Open the MasterData database and do a Paste / append to add the new
data to it.

Now you are done, you have the master with updated data on your
computer and an empty NewData database back on the site waiting for
more signups.
 
A

Andrew Murray

Except you would "http:" the file not FTP it, else risk breaking the server
ext.
 
K

Kevin Spencer

Actually, publishing the database with the web is one way of accidentally
overwriting the existing database on the server. When I did webs with Access
and other file-based databases, I never included them in publishing.
Instead, I would upload and download them individually. And FTP is as good a
method for that sort of activity as anything. Since the database file itself
is not in any way connected to FrontPage server extensions, and even the ASP
code does not use the server extensions (only the WebBots in pages that
interact with the database), there is no danger in doing this. Or perhaps I
should say there is *less* danger in doing this than in publishing.

--
HTH,

Kevin Spencer
Microsoft MVP
Software Composer
http://unclechutney.blogspot.com

A watched clock never boils.
 
C

Clark

No -- ftp'ing the database file to and from the site will not mess up
the extensions. And it is simpler and faster than using the frontpage
publish feature. I use the method routinely.
 
P

philogynist

I have recently done much the same at my website. Take a look at
www.amatas.com on the register tag and the feedback tag at the bottom. I used
a freeware program script available at http://www.form2email.net/ that you
install in your cgi-bin to send the return email. That way the email address
is not visible on the web. It was very simple once i ran a test. The major
difficulty I had was understanding that once you have copied the script you
have to change the CHMOD on both the html form page and the form2email script
to 755. Since then, works like a charm.
 
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