Using Webform.cgi

Contents of this Page

Introduction
The Steps
With Secure Server
FrontPage97 Users
FrontPage98 Users
Us Setting up a Form for You

Introduction

Our webform.cgi tutorial shows how to setup an HTML form to send email upon the submission of the form data.  The code calls the preinstalled script webform.cgi, which is in the "cgi-bin" directory of the server, once the web page visitor clicks on the "Submit" button. This program is a derivation of the formmail.cgi program available at Matt's Script Archive.

The Steps

To modify an existing HTML form to work with webform.cgi, please follow the simple instructions below.

We will use the example of an account with XyNexT with the following
account info:

Homepage name: index.htm

Name of page with the form on it: xyz.htm

Name of the thank-you page: thanks.htm

Email address:  abcdefg@xyz.com

First, we will need to make a link to "xyz.htm" from the homepage, "index.htm". The link will need to use this piece of HTML code, inserted into the file, "index.htm":

<A HREF="http://YOURDOMAIN.NAME/xyz.htm">Link to form page.</A>

We can of course substitute other words or an image for, "Link to form page." 

Second, we need to insert some HTML code into the file, "xyz.htm".    We will insert this code:

<form method="post" action="http://YOURDOMAIN.NAME/cgi-bin/webform.cgi">
<input type="hidden" name="recipient" value="abcdefg@xyz.com">
<input type="hidden" name="redirect" value="http://YOURDOMAIN.NAME/thanks.htm">
<input type="hidden" name="subject" value="Form Submission">

Of course, we may we may replace "Form Submission" with some other subject.

With Secure Server

For Secured Server on UNIX the path would be:

<form method="post" action="https://wwwXXXX.xynext.com/cgi-bin/webform.cgi">
<input type="hidden" name="recipient" value=" abcdefg@xyz.com">
<input type="hidden" name="redirect" value="https://wwwXXXX.xynext.com/yourdirectory/thanks.htm">
<input type="hidden" name="subject" value="Form Submission">

where XXXX should be substituted with the number of your server.

FrontPage97 Users

FrontPage97 users should follow a different tutorial.  .

FrontPage98 Users

It is recommended that FrontPage98 users use a FrontPage-based form instead.  The FrontPage98 Form FrontPage Components have much greater functionality.  For more info, click on the word, "Help" on the menubar of FrontPage Editor.  Then select "Microsoft FrontPage Help".  Click on the "Index" tab.  In the box, type "form".  You will see a list of relevant topics.

Us Setting up Forms for You

XyNexT can setup forms for you for a fee of $75/hr, $40 minimum. 

You would need to specify:

• the email address to which the form submission would go

• the name of the thank-you page

• all the categories of boxes for the visitor to fill in.