page cannot be displayed after hitting submit on sign up form

[Ozzyfyi]

I made my own web site and the last page is a sign up form for a news letter.
When you hit the submit botton the next page is the page cannot be displayed
message. And also the form doesnt go to my email like I have it set to do. I
tried to add a thank you page with a link that takes you back to my home page
and put it after the sign up form page to see if that works but still the
same thing happened. I am using microsoft publisher 2003. How can I fix this?

 

[Spike]

Post the web address please so we may look at it

Spike

 

[Ozzyfyi]

www.clrowan.ws
and you just have to hit the feedback/mailing list link on the home page on
the left to get to the form

 

[Colormadera]

Im checking your post and let me tell you that there are many users with the
same problem... and none knows the right answer. Your explanation is cristal
like water. Let see if Spike can help you and then us.

 

[DavidF]

Are you running Vista or XP?
IE6 or IE7?
What ISP are you using for hosting?

DavidF

 

[Colormadera]

1- XP
2- IE6
3- www.110mb.com and www.fhpanel.com
4- By the way... Im using this free hostings due I want to test first how my
page works then use a fee hosting. Do you think the free sites have some
limitations like no images just text? My page is just 378kb load. Im
checking some sites at these hostings and they have images and no problem and
they are more than mine in loading therms.

 

[Spike]

110MB.com does not support cgi unless you upgrade
CGI is needed to make the forms work

fhpanel.com ???? could not find any info on that one

When you get an ISP that supports CGI you will need to modify your form
properties to shown the cgi path
Right now it is pointing to:
<form action=--WEBBOT-SELF-- method=post>

On your form right click on the comments window
Select format form properties
Select form properties
Action should read /cgi/........ (whatever the ISP uses for forms)

Bottom Line FREE you get what you pay for

Spike

 

[DavidF]

First of all, it appears that 110mb.com does not support FPSE which are
essential to get the forms to work in a Publisher web page. This is typical
of the free hosting services. I don't know about the second, as I could not
get the site to load, which says something about whether you would want to
host a site there. If you want to use one of these then chances are you will
need to use the ISP's form program or perhaps a javascript form.

Otherwise as long as you are using XP and IE6, then these references will
explain HTTP uploading and the basics about forms. And if you aren't using a
form, then I would suggest using FTP uploading.

reference: Publisher web publication forms 101:
http://msmvps.com/blogs/dbartosik/archive/2006/01/07/80564.aspx
And:

Web forms:
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/publisher/CH063576891033.aspx

Reference: How to publish a Publisher web in HTTP:
http://msmvps.com/blogs/dbartosik/pages/80557.aspx

How to trouble-shoot Publisher web upload issues :
http://msmvps.com/blogs/dbartosik/pages/80560.aspx

There are always trade offs and nothing is really free. GoDaddy is great for
registering domains, and its paid hosting is ok, but its free hosting has an
advertising banner across the top of the page that is incompatible with the
absolute positioning code that Publisher uses. Other free hosts give you
free hosting but charge you an arm and a leg for domain registration. I
would use GoDaddy for registering any domain, and then if you want to
experiment with free hosts go for it, but there will be trade offs. If you
are only doing a personal site, no business, then who cares if the site
doesn't load all the time, or it is super slow, or that you have to
advertise other sites on your site. But if you get serious or are doing a
business site, then cough up the $5 a month for paid hosting that is
available at many hosts. I use GoDaddy to register my domains, but host my
sites with http://www.webhost4life.com/

As per your pictures not showing, that is probably because you did not
upload all your web files. Assuming that you are using 2003 or 2007 and
haven't changed the default, then when you Publish to the web, Publisher
will produce an index.htm file (your home page) and an index_files folder
that contains your other pages and all the images. You probably did not
upload that folder.

Hope that answers some of your questions.

DavidF

 

[DavidF]

Spike,

I think you are mixing up posters...or I am. Colormadera jumped into the
thread and did not post a website...only the two ISPs. I suspect you are
talking about the OP's site?? Also FWIW Publisher forms are dependent upon
FPSE, not an code that is in the CGI bin....that's a different form program.

DavidF

 

[Spike]

Oops!

My error

Thanks

Spike

Spike,

I think you are mixing up posters...or I am. Colormadera jumped into the
thread and did not post a website...only the two ISPs. I suspect you are
talking about the OP's site?? Also FWIW Publisher forms are dependent upon
FPSE, not an code that is in the CGI bin....that's a different form
program.

DavidF

 

[Colormadera]

Sorry ... you right Spike... I though I was in my question place and Im
having problems with images too. Sorry. But about the mather of this ... Im
agree with David... Free sites... you get what you pay for. thanks David.
Im sure this solve the issue for the original question began.

 

[Ozzyfyi]

Now back to my actual problem about the submit button sending to page cannot
be displayed...Im running XP and IE7 and my host is Global Domains
International (GDI)

 

[Ozzyfyi]

Well I just heard back from my host of my web site and they do no support
front page extensions which means I cant add the sign up form on my site. I
guess its on to plan B
THanks for all your help

 

[DavidF]

The reason I asked about your webhost was that when I tested your site to
see if FrontPage server extensions were installed:
http://www.clrowan.ws/_vti_inf.html It the FPSE were installed and
functioning correctly then when you click that link, you would get a
confirmation page...you don't. I hoped to find an answer to whether your GDI
host provided FPSE support, but couldn't find anything. You need to find out
whether your host supports FPSE for web forms. Find out how to install them.
You have to have FPSE for Publisher forms to work.

How did you upload your files to your site? Did you use FTP uploading? You
must use HTTP uploading along with FPSE if you want the forms to work
correctly. You will have to learn how to upload using HTTP and that is
probably complicated by the fact you are using IE7. Ask your host for
instructions for how to use HTTP uploading with FPSE? This process is
different that FTP.

As you are getting that information, read the following references and you
should have enough information to get your form to work.

Reference: Publisher web publication forms 101:
http://msmvps.com/blogs/dbartosik/archive/2006/01/07/80564.aspx

Reference: Web forms:
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/publisher/CH063576891033.aspx

Reference: How to publish a Publisher web in HTTP:
http://msmvps.com/blogs/dbartosik/pages/80557.aspx
These instructions work with 2003 and 2007 with IE6 on XP, but might not
with IE7, and won't work with Vista.

Reference: How to trouble-shoot Publisher web upload issues :
http://msmvps.com/blogs/dbartosik/pages/80560.aspx

And one final one. Reference: Prepare, publish, and maintain your Publisher
Web site:
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/publisher/HA100947601033.aspx
It is written for Pub 2007, but if you are using IE7 instead of IE6, then
the directions for using Vista also would apply to Pub 2003. FTP and HTTP
uploading has changed with the introduction of IE7 and Vista.

There are no good instructions for how to use HTTP uploading with
Vista...and probably IE7. I can talk about this more if you get to this
point.

Before you get too overwhelmed with this all, just find out if your host
even has FPSE. If they don't then the rest of it is moot.

DavidF

 

[Ozzyfyi]

Thanks for the help David but I found out that my host does not support front
page so I had to do it another way. I just added a page and put my email link

 

[Spike]

David

Again I am learning something new (Thanks)
I am a bit confused on the form issue and I may have confused others with
some of my comments.
I do not have FPSE installed on my space at (godaddy.com) but use their cgi
(linux) functions and upload my forms using FTP and have no problems. I set
the form properties to /cgi/gdform.cgi and the forms work fine. What am
I missing?

Spike

 

[DavidF]

Hi Spike,

I said "You have to have FPSE for Publisher forms to work." but that is not
always true. You can use the Publisher forms with other form control
programs offered by your ISP, but that is not the default.

GoDaddy offers FPSE mail form handlers, but they also offer ASP, PHP and the
gdform.cgi scripts. You have set up your form to work with the cgi script.
If you right click the submit button, format form properties, and select the
Send data to me in an email message, then the form will only work with the
FPSE installed and functional on the ISP, and you must use HTTP uploading
protocol. You also put your email address and subject in that dialog. If you
choose the Use a Program from my ISP option, and then under action point
toward the ISP server side script, then the form will be "powered" by that
script. You pointed toward your cgi folder containing the gdform.cgi script.
But you also configured that script via your webhost control panel to email
the results to you.

As more and more ISPs drop support for FPSE, and with Vista and IE7 changing
the way a user has to upload using HTTP uploading and even FTP uploading, I
think we will have to suggest to people that they start using the option of
an ISP form mail control. One drawback to that is that the incremental
upload option only works with FPSE, but that is a convenience that most
people can live without. FPSE are finicky and even MS Expression which has
replaced FrontPage no longer uses FPSE...sort of. The point is that even MS
is moving away from FPSE. The difficulty is that now the method to get the
form to work correctly will depend upon what mail form control
script/programs the ISP offers, where it is located, and how to set it up on
the server, which will of course vary from ISP to ISP and complicate
matters.

I have not spent much time working with forms as I build my sites with
multiple Pub files, and organized with lots of subfolders on the host. This
makes it easier for me to manage a large site, but it also means that using
a third party FTP client has been the best way for me to upload and manage
the site. FTP uploading can break or corrupt the FPSE. So, I have simply
designed around the need for a form. I am going to have to change the way I
help people...just telling them to use FPSE and HTTP uploading is not going
to work in the future with Publisher. We have had two posters in a row now
who are using ISP hosts that don't offer FPSE mail handler support, plus I
still haven't worked out a good way to use HTTP uploading with IE7 and
Vista. It will require mapping a drive to the network, publishing to the
local computer and then dragging a dropping the web files and folder to the
network drive. This is as complicated or more so then asking a user to use a
different server side script than FPSE.

But I ramble...your help in educating people, and me about how to set up the
form to use a cgi script instead of FPSE will be invaluable. Keep on jumping
in there...tis appreciated. If the user is still using XP and IE6, and their
ISP offers FPSE, then the old way will probably be the easiest for people.
But as I suggested above, we are finding more and more people where that
simply won't work.

DavidF

 

[Spike]

David

Thanks (make more sense now). When you find something that works stick
with it I guess. I started with cgi long ago and never ventured from it.
If it isn't broke ....... I was not totally satisfied with the ftp function
in windows XP and VISTA so I switched to FileZilla (much easier and more
reliable). As a side note I have used the windows hosting and the Linux
hosting with GoDaddy. I prefer the the linux as it allows more options.
One is the option of giving family members an FTP folder and a unique
password so they can upload pictures etc rather than emailing them. I saw
posts asking for a method for a user to upload files. I only give out
permission to trusted family or clients and they get a single directory that
is scanned for infectious files. I trust them but there is still a chance
that they may have a corrupted file on their system that could be
transferred. The last two posts on the forms subject using FREE accounts
was interesting. First time I have encountered those. Wow. talking about
getting off topic! Oh well. Have a great week end.

Spike