Using Form Mailers in Publisher 2007 with webhost GoDaddy.com

[New Earth Design]

Hello Everyone,

Even though I'm fully aware that this particular issue has been discussed
extensively in this group, all of the various suggestions, recommendations,
and workarounds I've researched, read, and applied from the numerous threads
have not worked for me on a very simple Mailing List Sign-up form on the
"Contact Us" page of a fairly basic Publisher 2007 website.
(www.ArtisticDesignations.org) I've tried enabling FrontPage Extensions on my
GoDaddy webhost server and then specified in the "Form Properties" data
retrieval methods that the form data be sent to a specific email address...
all without success. (When the "Submit" button is hit, it goes immediately
to a GoDaddy "Page Not Found" announcement.) I've also tried the "Use a
program from my ISP" in the "Form Properties" and specified the "Action" as
<form action="_gdForm/webformmailer.asp" method="post"> and set the "Form
Method" to "Post" as instructed in the "Using Windows Hosting Form Mailers"
article from GoDaddy (http://help.godaddy.com/article/512?) and as
recommended by this discussion group. I've also added the three hidden
elements as specified on the "Using Windows Hosting Form Mailers" article...
and clearly specified the target email address and reinstalled the Default
Scripts Directory in my GoDaddy Account Manager... and and still no success.
(Again, when the "Submit" button is hit, it goes immediately to a GoDaddy
"Page Not Found" announcement.) I've spoken with GoDaddy support reps and
I've attempted to edit the HTML on the "Contact Us" page of our Publisher
2007 website per their recommendations... and still no success.

So, the operative question is "What am I doing wrong?" My HTML coding skills
are admittedly limited... so any coding advice you may offer needs to be very
specific... including where the code needs to appear on the page and what the
exact sequence of the commands needs to be in order for the lines of code to
function properly.

Thanks for any and all advice, suggestions, and/or recommendations you may
have to offer with this "form" issue. Your previous discussion threads have
been helpful on a number of other issues with Publisher 2007 web pages... so
your efforts are not taken for granted and they are greatly appreciated!
Normally, we design and build our websites in Dreamweaver, but this client
prefers Publisher 2007... and we have found it problematic to open and edit
the Publisher web pages in either "Code View", "Design View", or "Split View"
in Dreamweaver... hence this request for your assistance. Thanks again and
keep up the good work... even in the face of the unmerited opposition and
criticism that some of you receive from the malcontents who appear now and
then.

 

[Spike]

David

The first thing I saw was that the submit operation is looking for the
mailer in the "index_files" folder.

<form action="_gdForm/webformmailer.asp" method="post">

http://www.artisticdesignations.org/index_files/_gdForm/webformmailer.asp

If the mailer "webformmailer.asp" is in the folder "_gdform"
then the form action should be /_gdForm/webformmailer.asp
the first / tells us to go to the root directory and then the directory
_gdForm

Let's start with this and see where it takes us

Spike

 

[Spike]

David

I just tested your form at
http://www.artisticdesignations.org/_gdForm/webformmailer.asp
It appears to be there ready for data from your form

Spike

 

[New Earth Design]

Hello Spike,

Thanks much for your assistance. Your tests of my form came through to my
email address, but when I visited the site just now and attempted to complete
and submit the form, I received the same "Page Not Found" announcement using
both IE 8 and Safari browsers. Is there something specific that I'm needing
to do on my end to further enable the form? Also, do you know how I would
redirect it to a "Thank You" page and/or the site's "Home" page after the
user submits the form?

Thanks again for your assistance!

 

[Spike]

The contact us page on your site still needs to be fixed
The / is missing from the front of _gdForm/webformmailer.asp
You need to fix that in publisher and republish to the server

Redirect to thank you
In the form properties
under item put in redirect
under item value put in thankyou.htm (that is if your thank you pub was
published as thankyou,htm and is is the same directory as the contact page)
If the thankyou.htm were in the root directory then it would be
/thankyou.htm.

On your thank you pub place the following code using the HTML code fragment
tool
<meta http-equiv="Refresh" content="4; url=index.htm">
that will send the user back to the home page
Modify the destination index.htm if you want them to end up somewhere
else
Modify the time before it sends them there by changing the 4 to another
number (# of seconds before being sent back somewhere)

Spike

Hello Spike,

Thanks much for your assistance. Your tests of my form came through to my
email address, but when I visited the site just now and attempted to
complete
and submit the form, I received the same "Page Not Found" announcement
using
both IE 8 and Safari browsers. Is there something specific that I'm
needing
to do on my end to further enable the form? Also, do you know how I would
redirect it to a "Thank You" page and/or the site's "Home" page after the
user submits the form?

Thanks again for your assistance!

 

[DavidF]

You are getting really good with these 'forms' questions ;-)

DavidF

 

[Spike]

TKS

I Try

Spike

You are getting really good with these 'forms' questions ;-)

DavidF

 

[Spike]

David

I see that you are working on your contact us page
You have http://_gdForm/webformmailer.asp
And it should be /_gdForm/webformmailer.asp
take off the http:/ and you will have it
I also see that you are using the redirect thankyou.htm
In this case the thankyou.htm file should be in the "index_files" folder
I did not see it there or in your root directory (assume you are working on
it)

Spike

 

[New Earth Design]

Hello again Spike,

Yes indeed, I've been attempting to work on the proverbial "Contact Us" page
in between meetings and other distractions. (I apologize for not responding
earlier... but it has been a little hectic on my end.) I've seen a couple
more of your tests via my "Mailing List Sign-Up" form arrive in my email box
(without text or content, but with the information that it originated in the
web form), but I'm still not able to make it function properly from the site
itself. I've changed the code as you instructed and republished the files to
the GoDaddy.com server. I also created a "Thank You" page in the same
Publisher 2007 file as the other pages of the site and saved it as
"thankyou.htm" but it doesn't appear to have saved into the "index_files"
folder with the rest of the site. (It is not linked to the Navigation Bar in
the site, so maybe that is why it didn't save into the "index_files" folder
with the other pages. I've been running my tests on the form via IE 8,
Safari, and FireFox web browsers... all without success thus far.

One other question regarding the "form" and the GoDaddy.com server... and
that is whether or not I have to uninstall "FrontPage Extensions" in order
for the /_gdForm/webformmailer.asp to function correctly? Just a thought.

Also, I've been using the code </head><table border="0" cellpadding="2"
width="1056" align="center"><tr><td> to center my pages (as recommended by
one of the guys in this Discussion Group), but I've been unable to make the
"Replace Files" utility work for me. I've been replacing the code on each
individual page via NotePad... which is an exhausting process each time I
republish the site to the web server. Is there any other workaround for the
centering command that becomes a permanent part of the file?

As always, your assistance is greatly appreciated. Thanks much... and
please forgive my ignorance regarding the Publisher 2007 web page processes.
I'm learning... slowly... but I am learning.

 

[Spike]

David

Here is the code I see"
<form action=/_gdForm/webformmailer.asp" method=post>

Have you been editing the htm page or are you changing the code in
publisher?

There is a " missing after the = sign (which leads me to think your are
tinkering in the htm file)
should be <form action="/_gdForm/webformmailer.asp" method=post>
You should not modify the code after the page is published because if you
republish it will be incorrect again. You MUST insert the
/_gdForm/webformmailer.asp in the form properties in publisher. Publisher
adds the rest of the information to the code when published.

Now where tinkering is OK:
As far as replace in files:
Most common problem is that the options are not all filled in.
File Types: *.htm
Replace in Subfolders needs to be checked
Find: </head>
Replace with </head><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="2"
width="760"align="center"><tr><td>
All on one line

The thankyou,htm file is a stand alone publisher file. Publish it the same
way you would publish any site page.

I do not use "FrontPage Extensions" and I am using GoDaddy Linux service and
their CGI form programs along with PHP mailers with no problems. FPSE is
not necessary for the form that you are using to work. There are others
here on the forum that are more familiar with FPSE that I am. (jump in here
someone).

I publish my sites to the hard drive and FTP to the server using FileZilla.
(personal preference)

Spike

Hello again Spike,

Yes indeed, I've been attempting to work on the proverbial "Contact Us"
page
in between meetings and other distractions. (I apologize for not
responding
earlier... but it has been a little hectic on my end.) I've seen a couple
more of your tests via my "Mailing List Sign-Up" form arrive in my email
box
(without text or content, but with the information that it originated in
the
web form), but I'm still not able to make it function properly from the
site
itself. I've changed the code as you instructed and republished the files
to
the GoDaddy.com server. I also created a "Thank You" page in the same
Publisher 2007 file as the other pages of the site and saved it as
"thankyou.htm" but it doesn't appear to have saved into the "index_files"
folder with the rest of the site. (It is not linked to the Navigation Bar
in
the site, so maybe that is why it didn't save into the "index_files"
folder
with the other pages. I've been running my tests on the form via IE 8,
Safari, and FireFox web browsers... all without success thus far.

One other question regarding the "form" and the GoDaddy.com server... and
that is whether or not I have to uninstall "FrontPage Extensions" in order
for the /_gdForm/webformmailer.asp to function correctly? Just a thought.

Also, I've been using the code </head><table border="0" cellpadding="2"
width="1056" align="center"><tr><td> to center my pages (as recommended by
one of the guys in this Discussion Group), but I've been unable to make
the
"Replace Files" utility work for me. I've been replacing the code on each
individual page via NotePad... which is an exhausting process each time I
republish the site to the web server. Is there any other workaround for
the
centering command that becomes a permanent part of the file?

As always, your assistance is greatly appreciated. Thanks much... and
please forgive my ignorance regarding the Publisher 2007 web page
processes.
I'm learning... slowly... but I am learning.

 

[Spike]

David

Another comment:

The forms are less venerable to spammers than the email links you also have.
The web crawlers love email links and the spammers do too. The CGI, ASP and
PHP mailers use hidden email addresses.

Spike

Hello again Spike,

Yes indeed, I've been attempting to work on the proverbial "Contact Us"
page
in between meetings and other distractions. (I apologize for not
responding
earlier... but it has been a little hectic on my end.) I've seen a couple
more of your tests via my "Mailing List Sign-Up" form arrive in my email
box
(without text or content, but with the information that it originated in
the
web form), but I'm still not able to make it function properly from the
site
itself. I've changed the code as you instructed and republished the files
to
the GoDaddy.com server. I also created a "Thank You" page in the same
Publisher 2007 file as the other pages of the site and saved it as
"thankyou.htm" but it doesn't appear to have saved into the "index_files"
folder with the rest of the site. (It is not linked to the Navigation Bar
in
the site, so maybe that is why it didn't save into the "index_files"
folder
with the other pages. I've been running my tests on the form via IE 8,
Safari, and FireFox web browsers... all without success thus far.

One other question regarding the "form" and the GoDaddy.com server... and
that is whether or not I have to uninstall "FrontPage Extensions" in order
for the /_gdForm/webformmailer.asp to function correctly? Just a thought.

Also, I've been using the code </head><table border="0" cellpadding="2"
width="1056" align="center"><tr><td> to center my pages (as recommended by
one of the guys in this Discussion Group), but I've been unable to make
the
"Replace Files" utility work for me. I've been replacing the code on each
individual page via NotePad... which is an exhausting process each time I
republish the site to the web server. Is there any other workaround for
the
centering command that becomes a permanent part of the file?

As always, your assistance is greatly appreciated. Thanks much... and
please forgive my ignorance regarding the Publisher 2007 web page
processes.
I'm learning... slowly... but I am learning.

 

[New Earth Design]

Thanks for all of the valuable advice, instruction, and information Spike!

I've finally corrected the code and the form now works perfectly... albeit
the order of the information is not exactly what I would wish... but that is
minor. However, the "redirect" to the "thankyou.htm" page is not working...
as it now also goes to a "Page Not Found" announcement. No matter what, the
"form" is working and the information is being forwarded properly... so that
is a big win on my end! Thanks again for your patience and your expertise on
that issue.

If there is any advice and/or direction you can offer as to why the "submit"
command is not redirecting the user to the "thankyou.htm" page, that would be
helpful. Thanks very much!

 

[Spike]

David

http://www.artisticdesignations.org/thankyou.htm is where it is looking.

It is looking for the thankyou.htm in your root directory move it there and
it will work. I see that the redirect is at ZERO seconds. I did not see a
thank you page. AND it sends me the home page and it is called thankyou.htm
This may have something to do with the fact that you built it in the pubfile
with the rest of your site. The thank you page should be built in a
separate publication and then published to the web.

One step at a time and you will get there ...

Test it at http://www.artisticdesignations.org/index_files/thankyou.htm
and you will see what I saw.

Spike

 

[New Earth Design]

Hello and thanks again Spike!

Hopefully this will be my final post in this rather elongated thread
regarding my “form†issue. I’ve finally corrected all of the code and
republished the site according to your instructions. The “form†now works
well… other than the fact that the tabulation in the actual form fields is a
little scattered as the user fills out the form itself… and the order of the
data arriving from the server is a tad bit convoluted… but as I stated
earlier, that is minor stuff compared to where I was when I initiated this
thread and request for help with “form mailers†and related issues.

Also, the redirect to the “Thank You†page is now working properly, so I’m
extremely grateful for your assistance with all of my various requests and
issues. Your advice and expertise has been invaluable and it is very greatly
appreciated. Even the “Replace Files†utility functioned perfectly when I
followed your instructions. (Isn’t it amazing how great those little “toolsâ€
are when you use them correctly?)

Thanks again Spike… for all of your patience and advice in this particular
thread. Also, thanks to everyone who has contributed to this Discussion
Group… as your advice, suggestions, and recommendations have been extremely
helpful on a number of my issues with Publisher 2007 web pages. Kudos to you
all… and keep up the good work!

With much gratitude,

 

[DavidF]

If you want to reset the tabbing order in your form, select each form
control in the order you prefer, one by one and go to Arrange > Order >
Bring to Front. You can also right click > Order > bring to front.

DavidF

 

[Spike]

David

Looks like you did it. Thanks for the posting back that you were
successful.

Spike

 

[Spike]

DavidF

I have got a pretty good handle on the CGI , ASP & PHP mailers using
LINUX I believe the windows requires a bit more directive approach with
absolute addressing. My experience is mostly with godaddy servers. Other
servers use slightly different approaches to directing the data and folder
names. As I said in another portion of this thread, I do not use FPSE and I
find that I have no need for it as of yet. I have heard rumors that FPSE
may be going by the wayside.

Spike


I will leave the FPSE up to the heroes of such goings on here

 

[Rob Giordano [MS MVP]]

FPSE is not supported on *nix any longer so you will find some hosts
dropping it. FPSE is still supported on Windows servers though.

You/they only need FPSE if they are using the built in form handler in
Publisher, but you guys know that.



--
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Rob Giordano
Microsoft MVP Expression

DavidF

I have got a pretty good handle on the CGI , ASP & PHP mailers using
LINUX I believe the windows requires a bit more directive approach with
absolute addressing. My experience is mostly with godaddy servers. Other
servers use slightly different approaches to directing the data and folder
names. As I said in another portion of this thread, I do not use FPSE and
I find that I have no need for it as of yet. I have heard rumors that
FPSE may be going by the wayside.

Spike


I will leave the FPSE up to the heroes of such goings on here

 

[Rob Giordano [MS MVP]]

Part of that issue *may* be because the entire page is within the <form>
tags and probably should not be, all that needs to be within the tags is the
form itself.

--
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Rob Giordano
Microsoft MVP Expression

 

[Spike]

Thanks Rob

Now I don't fell bad about eluding it

Spike