Need non-FrontPage FP form handling app

[MarkGatESS]

Since FrontPage no longer has support because it has been discontinued, and many webhosting sites no longer offer FP server extensions, I need to find a replacement for the FrontPage form handler that our company has been using quite frequently to gather data from website users.

I need a simple to implement and use form handler that mimics how the FrontPage form handler operates:

• Not a limit to the number of form fields it can handle
• Allows for custom form names and different save-to databases (from the one form-handling application)
• Multiple options for form handling (i.e.- saving data to an HTML file, .txt or .csv database file to import into a spreadsheet or database application, e-mail data to one or two e-mail addresses in a "user-friendly"/readable format, etc.)
• Confirmation page that will display whatever data you want to display from what the user entered
• An optional failed submit page redirect (if there is an error with the form).

Basically if anyone has ever used the form handling scripts in FrontPage, I need a Perl/CGI or some other web application to just upload and use that will work as closely as possible to the old FrontPage form handler.

Anyone know of any? A BIG plus would be one that has an integrated CAPTCHA system.

[webracadabra]

We use Attachment Mailer Plus: HTML Form Manager, CGI Formmailer, Perl form script, form upload, file fupload.

They have several versions starting at $25. You could use something like FormMail, but the nice thing about Attachment Mailer (not just for attaching files to a reply form) is that it gets email addresses off the webpage and into a DB so there's less chance of harvesting. More secure.

James

[Orion]

I'm really interested to see what other options everyone else out there uses...

I've used the php formmail for a few years updating as it has, but really would like something with a human question in it or something else to prevent the form spam...

[reebene]

Me too!
I changed from Microsoft's Front Page to their new Expression Web. Now I find that my host, who I have prepaid for 6 sites for 2 years, can't handle ASP.net which is used in the forms.
I need a free and easy solution to tide me over until I can change my hosting.
I also need the name of reliable inexpensive hosting which can handle ASP.net

Any help appreciated.

[joncase]

I've been using a form script called Alien Form for many years now. It's original website and support are no longer available, but I have been able to pimp the script to meet my various needs. Here is a snippet from the installation instructions. I have made it available on my website at http://www.xislegraphix.com/alienform/alienform.zip

Features:

* Fully customizable output formatted by simple text templates.
* Supports both command line mailers (ie Sendmail) and network (SMTP) sending of email.
* Can send any number of different emails on every invocation.
* Can output (append) to any number of files per invocation.
* Can perform mathematical calculations on data supplied in the form- so you can total orders, work out shipping etc.
* Environment Settings (i.e. current time, user's hostname etc.) may be included in the templates.
* Can check that entered data matches a particular format- i.e. all digits, a syntactically correct email address, letters only, etc.
* Does not have to send email on every invocation- so you can have the form take a number of steps to fill out before finally being logged or emailed. (Here's how.)
* Security measures include you being able to specify what forms & sites are allowed to send to the script.
* One script can serve a whole ISP, with individual templates being stored in each user's account.
* Simple, easy to understand error messages.
* It's totally free! Try it today, you'll wonder how you lived without it!

System Requirements:

* A working server, where you can install & execute CGI scripts.
* A working copy of and access to Perl 5 or higher (not perl 4!).
* Either:
o A sendmail command line compatible mailer (e.g. Sendmail), or
o Access to a SMTP server that will relay for you, and the Mail::Sendmail module installed.

Usage License:

* This script is free to use, as long as you link to us, as detailed on the link page.
* You may not redistribute this script without my express, written permission.
* You may not use this script as a basis for your own script, without my express, written permission.
* I (Jon Hedley) retain all copyright and ownership of the script.

[joncase]

One of the changes I made to the script, af.cgi, mentioned above in the alien form post stopped spammers using textareas to send spam using html code.

I changed line 234
From:
if ($prefs =~ /w/i and $value =~ /\W/) { push @only_words, $key }
To:
if ($prefs =~ /w/i and $value =~ /[^A-Za-z0-9.,;"'\s\&\#\$\@\-]/) { push @only_words, $key }

Then made sure my textareas were named starting with the w_ prefix.

[sharonjackson]

I have code to create your own php form with captcha.

I have placed a downloadable pdf with all the instructions here
Website Design, Strategic Internet Marketing, Development, Hosting, Duncan, Cowichan Valley, BC, Vancouver, Victoria Canada

That is my own website, so I am not sending you someplace dangerous. The code is well commented.
As I said, I am ashamed to say I don't know the url of the guy who wrote it, but I have been using this
successfully for a number of years.

[MarkGatESS]

Originally Posted by sharonjackson

I have code to create your own php form with captcha.

I have placed a downloadable pdf with all the instructions here
Website Design, Strategic Internet Marketing, Development, Hosting, Duncan, Cowichan Valley, BC, Vancouver, Victoria Canada

That is my own website, so I am not sending you someplace dangerous. The code is well commented.
As I said, I am ashamed to say I don't know the url of the guy who wrote it, but I have been using this
successfully for a number of years.

Thanks Sharon, but our web hosting provider doesn't support PHP on their servers (I know, it sucks but it's what I have to work with).

In fact, other than straight HTML, ASP is the only thing these servers can handle. The site still uses FP Server Extensions, but we're planning on moving to another web host (hopefully this year) that won't have FPSE. Problem is, I need something I can use on the current website so all I have to do is upload the site on the new (as yet unknown) web host's servers when the time comes. I don't want to be scrambling to re-write/re-code all the forms on the site to a non-FPSE solution during the transition.

[CarolSLC]

I've never used FrontPage so not really familiar with exactly what you're trying to replace, but I'm using a cgi/perl script called BizMail for the user to submit a form of information that gets put into a text file and sends an email to me and to the customer. I download the text file and load it into MS Access. You can google and find it. I paid for the version that allows you to post to a database. I wouldn't highly recommend it though - I've found bugs in it, but I did get it to work to suit my purposes. I'd love a better option. I used a modified version of FormMail prior to that. I'm surprised that there haven't been more options posted here. Thanks Sharon for the PHP option!

[MarkGatESS]

Thanks for the info Carol, but I really don't want to deal with a quasai-"buggy" form handler. I'm not a coder and don't want to have to play around with the code to get it to work properly.

I've tried searching online and most form handlers I've found are either e-mailers or databases, but none seem to do the function of both (FrontPage Server Extensions form handler function would allow you to send form results to an e-mail, a .TXT file, an HTML file, or all three at once).

I had tried going to Microsoft.com and looking for an Expression Web 2 form handler. The only thing that came up was a tutorial on how to build a form in Expression Web, but it was still relying on FrontPage Server Extensions. Not even Microslop is offering a replacement script to their FPSE form handler - and their not supporting FPSE anymore!

I guess with how the economy is, Microshaft isn't going to give away templates/codes for free to their customers anymore like how they used to do in previous iterations of Office/O.S./FrontPage.

[CarolSLC]

Yea, I was surprised how difficult it was to find a script that did both - an email and a post to a txt file. Seems like this is an under-served market and an opportunity for someone? I was thinking that to get something better I would have to hire someone to code it for me.

good luck finding something.

[MarkGatESS]

Originally Posted by CarolSLC

Yea, I was surprised how difficult it was to find a script that did both - an email and a post to a txt file. Seems like this is an under-served market and an opportunity for someone? ...

Hmmmmmmm....

Anyone out there willing to make an ASP or PHP form handler that e-mails form submissions AND also files them in an external .TXT or some other database/Excel-usable comma/character delimited database format?

Carol & I are looking for just such an app!