Using AnyForm for Mailto

Form Development Example

Understanding Form Theory

This is an excellent site for learning about what makes forms work http://www.cwru.edu/help/interHTML/ch4.html. I highly recommend spending some time here.

Common Gateway Interface (CGI):: a script written in a programming or scripting language that processes the Web page user's input.

Hidden Tags to Make This Thing Work

<FORM action="http://www.uky.edu/cgi-bin/AnyForm.cgi" method="POST">
<INPUT TYPE="hidden" NAME="AnyFormMode" VALUE="mail">
<INPUT TYPE="hidden" NAME="AnyFormTo" VALUE="halesr@pop.uky.edu">
<INPUT TYPE="hidden" NAME="AnyFormSubject" VALUE="EDS 643 Form Test">
<INPUT TYPE="hidden" NAME="AnyFormFrom" VALUE="EDS 643 Student">

FORM action="http://www.uky.edu/cgi-bin/AnyForm.cgi" method="POST"
FORM is the tag that indicates that this is an interactive mail to form. ACTION specifies the directory where the AnyForm CGI is located. This is the engine that makes the form work. Trust me. The METHOD is POST.
NAME="AnyFormMode" VALUE="mail"
Sends the form via email
NAME="AnyFormTo" VALUE="halesr@pop.uky.edu"
Fills the TO line in a mail message and provides the correct email address. Please use yours and not mine when you develop your forms.
NAME="AnyFormSubject" VALUE="EDS 643 Form Test"
Fills the SUBJECT part of the email address. Make this something that you will recognize and associate with your form. Otherwise you may have lots of forms coming into your email with the same subject and you will have to sort them by hand.
NAME="AnyFormFrom" VALUE="EDS 643 Student"
This line specifies the FROM part of your email address. I make this specific to the form I am using for the same reasons listed on the subject.

Form Element Types

text fields
text areas
password field
radio buttons
checkboxes
pop-up menus
submit button
reset button
hidden entry elements

Text Fields

Text fields can only contain one line of text (1 - 500 characters in length). They can only be resized horizontally. Text fields are generally used for short answer information (name, email address, phone number, etc.). You can set a maximum entry length. If the maximum length is set at six characters, a user will not be able to enter more than a six character response.

Example
<INPUT TYPE="text" NAME="Name" SIZE=50>
Please enter your name.

<INPUT TYPE="text" NAME="Email" SIZE=50>

Please enter your email address.

Text Areas

Text areas provide for the entry of multiple lines of text by the user. You can specifiy the width and height of the text area (1 - 100 columns wide and 5 - 500 rows high). Do not worry about exact measurements. The width and height set the amount of space seen on the screen. If a user enters additional text, the box will scroll so the user's writing space is not limited to the space you have set. You can set WRAP within the Textarea tag to make the text wrap in the block during entry.

Example
<TEXTAREA NAME="Form use" ROWS=7 COLS=62 WRAP>Describe use
</TEXTAREA>
In the text block below, please describe how you plan to use forms in your Web site.

Describe use

Radio Buttons

Radio buttons are used whenever you want the user to make ONLY ONE choice from a list of items. It is possible to make one of the choices the default selection. However, if you are doing this for research purposes, you would probably not want to stack the deck in favor of one option. If the users does not make a choice the default option would be the one communicated as the selection. Use this option with caution.

Example
<INPUT TYPE="radio" NAME="Assignment Rating" VALUE="Poor">
Poor<BR>
<INPUT TYPE="radio" NAME="Assignment Rating" VALUE="Fair">
Fair<BR>
<INPUT TYPE="radio" NAME="Assignment Rating" VALUE="Good">
Good<BR>
<INPUT TYPE="radio" NAME="Assignment Rating" VALUE="Very Good">
Very Good<BR>
<INPUT TYPE="radio" NAME="Assignment Rating"
VALUE="Excellent"> Excellent
 
The NAME needs to be the same for each of your option in a single the
list. The VALUE can vary and may be a numerical value if you want to 
input the responses in a spreadsheet and perform calculations (e.g., 
find the average rating). The rating out side the tag (Poor, Fair, 
Good, etc.) is what appears on the screen for the viewer. 
Please rate the instruction on Planning Your Web Site. My overall rating of this lesson is:

Poor
Fair
Good
Very Good
Excellent
 

Checkboxes

Checkboxes allow the user to make multiple choices from a list of options. Unfortunately, there does not seem to be a way to limit the choices to a specified number (e.g., 2, 3, 4). This would be very handy at times. Again you can have options preselected. Use this with caution.

Example
<INPUT TYPE="checkbox" NAME="Favorite Fruits"
VALUE="Apples">Apples</P>
 
<P><INPUT TYPE="checkbox" NAME="Favorite Fruits"
VALUE="Grapes">Grapes</P>
 
<P><INPUT TYPE="checkbox" NAME="Favorite Fruits"
VALUE="Bananas">Bananas
 
And so forth through the list of options
Please select your three favorite fruits from the list below.

Apples
Grapes
Bananas
Cherries
Oranges
Grape fruit
Kiwi
Apricots
Peaches

Select List: Pop-up menu items

These menu lists allow the user to make a single choice from a list of options. This format is useful if you want to have multiple options, but do not want to use a great deal of screen for the selection item list. A SELECT list is functionally equivalent to a radio-button input. The user can only select one choice, and selecting a new choice de-selects the old choice.

Example
<SELECT NAME="Access Method">
   <OPTION VALUE="0">No response
   <OPTION VALUE="1">Compuserve
   <OPTION VALUE="2">America On-Line
   <OPTION VALUE="3">Local ISP
   <OPTION VALUE="4">National ISP
   <OPTION VALUE="5">Straight Internet connection
   <OPTION VALUE="6">Beats me, my kids set up this thingamajig
   <OPTION VALUE="7">None o' yer beeswax
   <OPTION VALUE="8">Other
</SELECT>lt
How are you reaching this page?

Select List: Scrolling Lists

This type of list is used to allow users to make a selection from a list of items. Unfortunately, there does not seem to be a way to limit the choices to a specified number (e.g., 2, 3, 4). This would be very handy at times. Again you can have options preselected. Use this with caution. Readers can choose one item at a time or make multiple selections. This type of list is equivalent to a checkbox input, but it doesn't use a new tag. Instead, it's a variant on SELECT. The SIZE tag indicates how many items will be visable in the Scroll Box and the MULTIPLE allows multiple selections to be made by the user.

Example
<SELECT NAME="Assignments Completed" SIZE=6 MULTIPLE>
   <OPTION>Lab Assignment #1
   <OPTION>Lab Assignment #2
   <OPTION>Lab Assignment #3
   <OPTION>Lab Assignment #4
   <OPTION>Lab Assignment #5
   <OPTION>Lab Assignment #6
   <OPTION>Lab Assignment #7
   <OPTION>Lab Assignment #8
   <OPTION>Lab Assignment #9
   <OPTION>Lab Assignment #10
</SELECT>
Please check all of the lab assignments you have completed and submitted thus far in the semester (use the MAC Command Key or the PC Control Key to select more than one option).

Submit and Reset Buttons

<INPUT TYPE="submit" NAME="name" VALUE="Send this puppy.">

 <INPUT TYPE="reset" NAME="name" VALUE="Help! Wait Reset.">

This is what the output looks like immediately after submitting the form.

Here Is the Information That You Submitted:

       Name = Rene Hales 
       Email = halesr@pop.uky.edu 
       Form use = USE USE USE 
       Assignment Rating = Fair 
       Favorite Fruits = Apples 
       Favorite Fruits = Cherries 
       Favorite Fruits = Grapefruit 
       Access Method = 5 
       Assignments Completed = Lab Assignment #1 
       Assignments Completed = Lab Assignment #2 
       Assignments Completed = Lab Assignment #3 
       Assignments Completed = Lab Assignment #4 
       Assignments Completed = Lab Assignment #5 
       Assignments Completed = Lab Assignment #6 
       name = Send this puppy.

This is what the email output looks like in my mailbox.

Date: Thu, 14 Nov 1996 13:59:07 -0500
To: halesr@pop.uky.edu
From: EDS.643.Student@service2.uky.edu
Subject: EDS 643 Form Test

AnyForm User: druid.facts.uky.edu (128.163.18.126)
AnyForm Document: file:///Druid/Desktop%20Folder/EDS643/forms/Preview.html
AnyForm Server: www.uky.edu (/cgi-bin/AnyForm.cgi)

Name = Rene Hales
Email = halesr@pop.uky.edu
Form use = USE USE USE
Assignment Rating = Fair
Favorite Fruits = Apples
Favorite Fruits = Cherries
Favorite Fruits = Grapefruit
Access Method = 5
Assignments Completed = Lab Assignment #1
Assignments Completed = Lab Assignment #2
Assignments Completed = Lab Assignment #3
Assignments Completed = Lab Assignment #4
Assignments Completed = Lab Assignment #5
Assignments Completed = Lab Assignment #6
name = Send this puppy.

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AnyForm HTML Form Processor Version 3.1

Page developed and maintained by Rene M. Hales, University of Kentucky FACTS Center. Please send comments, suggestions or questions to halesr@pop.uky.edu.

UPDATED on November 15, 1996.