My very first form

Question

For my very first form I want to create one where a visitor
can submit an email address. I've been on the net learning as much
as I can but I'd like to verify I'm understanding what I'm reading.
I want to verify for a valid email address. It looks like
there are a number of scripts that will do that. I'm studying the
scripts that are available to see if I can understand them. Then I
want the form sent via email. I've read that the new browsers don't
support mailto so I went to my host (GoDaddy) and they seem to have
a couple handlers. The cgi email handler I assume is the one I
want. All they ask for is an email address set up on the account.
How does the form get sent to the email handler?
And can someone help me understand what this example is
doing? Found it while doing research.
function emailinput_on()
if(document.getElementById("email-addr").value=="Your email
address")
document.getElementById("email-addr").value = "";
function emailinput_off()
if(document.getElementById("email-addr").value=="")
document.getElementById("email-addr").value = "Your email
address";
function validate_email()
var alertbg = "#345f91";
var okbg = "#ffffff";
var email_regex =
/^\w+([\.-]?\w+)*@\w+([\.-]?\w+)*(\.\w{2,})+$/;
if(!email_regex.test(document.getElementById("email-addr").value))
document.getElementById("email-addr").style.background =
alertbg;
document.getElementById("email-addr").focus();
return false;
else
document.getElementById("email-addr").style.background =
okbg;
return true;
It goes with this form:
<form id="email-signup" action="email-thankyou.htm"
method="post" onSubmit="return validate_email()">
<p>
<input id="email-addr" name="email-addr" value="Your
email address" onFocus="emailinput_on()"
onBlur="emailinput_off()">
<input id="sbmt-image" name="sbmt-image" type="image"
src="images/go_light_bg.gif" alt="Go">
</p>
</form>
Tom

Answer 1

There are only two ways to process form data -
1. Use mailto:[email protected] as the action of the form
2. Use a server-side scripting method to a) harvest the
form's data, b)
process it in some manner, e.g., enter it into a database, c)
formulate and
send an email to one or more email recipients, and d)
redirect the visitor
to some ending page
Method 1 is quite simple, and is also the least reliable. It
depends both
on your visitor having an email client already installed on
their computer -
this eliminates public computers, or home users without email
clients
installed (more and more it seems) - and on the installed
email client
responding to
the mailto call. It is not possible to use this method *and*
send the
visitor to a
thank you page as well.
Method 2 is the preferred method, since it eliminates the
problems of method
1, but it means that you have to grapple with
server-scripting somehow (ASP,
CF, PHP, perl, etc.).
You would have to decide which of these methods is best for
your needs,
but if it's Method 2, then start by asking your host what
they provide for
form
processing.
Murray --- ICQ 71997575
Adobe Community Expert
(If you *MUST* email me, don't LAUGH when you do so!)
==================
http://www.dreamweavermx-templates.com
- Template Triage!
http://www.projectseven.com/go
- DW FAQs, Tutorials & Resources
http://www.dwfaq.com - DW FAQs,
Tutorials & Resources
http://www.macromedia.com/support/search/
- Macromedia (MM) Technotes
==================
"TCarp" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> For my very first form I want to create one where a
visitor can submit an
> email
> address. I've been on the net learning as much as I can
but I'd like to
> verify
> I'm understanding what I'm reading.
>
> I want to verify for a valid email address. It looks
like there are a
> number
> of scripts that will do that. I'm studying the scripts
that are available
> to
> see if I can understand them. Then I want the form sent
via email. I've
> read
> that the new browsers don't support mailto so I went to
my host (GoDaddy)
> and
> they seem to have a couple handlers. The cgi email
handler I assume is
> the one
> I want. All they ask for is an email address set up on
the account.
>
> How does the form get sent to the email handler?
>
> Tom
>