Help please : Setting up email on my site

[Metal Man]

I don't think anyone is quite getting what I'm saying.
All I want to do is give people a way of emailing me from my site, be it a form or whatever else.
I have looked at the wiki pages and find it very unclear how to set up a form to do this.
The last time I setup email on a site was years ago but very simple to do.
All you did was place the email component on a page add your graphic to show it was email and link to forward it to your own email, all that showed was an email form, no address or anything else.

[RayC]

In NOF, there are a couple of ways to set up a form.

1. If you use the "Custom Components" and select "Form Handler" component, NOF wants you to set up what it calls a "Form Handler Suite". I've always found this confusing, and don't really understand the benefit of a "suite". I think it's attempting to automatically create a form for you from information you provide. The downside is you can't see anything until you publish to your web server/host.

2. The other way is to simply use the Form Tools. The instructions are here:
http://wiki.netobjects.com/Designing...ementing_Forms

Basic instructions:

• Under the View menu, place a check by "Form Tools" to show the form tools toolbox.
• Click on the "Form Area" tool and draw a box on your page where you want the form to be
• It will ask you to choose what type of layout item to use for the form. I suggest either the first (Layout Region) or third (Table) for better layout flexibility. The fourth option will turn your entire page into a form.
• Add your form items to the form from the Form Tools. E.G. A "Forms Edit Field" for name, another for email address and a "Forms Multi Line" for the message. Don't forget a "Forms Button" for your submit button.
• You can select each field in the form, and give it a meaningful name in the "Forms Edit Field Properties" panel by selecting "Form Textbox Inspector". NOF will auto-assign names like "FormsEditField1". You can change that to things like "Name", "Email", etc. (Optional) This will allow you to change other parameters of the form field as well. Similarly, you can change the text on the button from the default "Text" to something like "Submit".
• When you have your form set up the way you want, click on blank space within the form, or on the little box at the top of the form that says [Form]. This will bring up the "Form Properties" panel. You need to change the following, as a minimum:
• In the "Action" drop-down, select "Form Handler (PHP)"
• In the list of parameters, double-click each one to edit:
• SMTP Server - The default should work 99.9% of the time.
• From - A valid email address which will show up as the "From" email address in the email sent to you.
• To - The email address that you want the form data sent to.
• Subject - The subject line that will appear in the email.
• Success URL - You can set up a page on your site to send the visitor to after completing the form. Place the URL to that page here.
  
  Play around a bit, as there are lots of things you can tweak. But that should get you a basic, functional form.
  

[Metal Man]

You have been very helpful,
I've set up the form and all looks OK when I publish my site. The thing I'm having trouble with is actually sending the form as an email.
I put two buttons on the form I've set the forms button properties, one for send & one for re-set but it then says "Open the Object HTML dialog so you can add a script that runs when site visitors click the custom button".
I know nothing about script's etc. which is why I bought an automated site builder.

[RayC]

Do you have the Form Action set to Form Handler (PHP) in the Form Properties panel? FormHandler.php (the form script) should be published automatically by NOF.

Is it the "Reset" button that asks for this? I've never used one, so I don't know. Can you remove elements of your form one by one to see which one is causing this?

I am not getting this message on a quickie test form I've set up...

[Metal Man]

Do you have the Form Action set to Form Handler (PHP) in the Form Properties panel? FormHandler.php (the form script) should be published automatically by NOF.

Is it the "Reset" button that asks for this? I've never used one, so I don't know. Can you remove elements of your form one by one to see which one is causing this?

I am not getting this message on a quickie test form I've set up...

No it's not the buttons, it's in the instructions about how to set up the buttons

Attachment 2418
Yes the form Handler php is set up.

At the moment if I local Publish and click on either the send or reset button I get a page full of HTML come up.

I am not hosted yet as I am trying to get the site running before I start paying for it to be hosted, could that be a problem in that there is no actual email set up with a hosting company

[franko]

I'd say that's almost certainly the case unless you are running a web server on your development machine with mailserver enabled. Most scripting needs to be tested on a webserver to work and you can either install and configure a webserver on your local machine or test your site on your host. Since web hosting is so cheap these days I'd recommend you sign up with a hosting company. You simply cannot develop a web site without a web server.

[RayC]

OK. The reference to using the HTML button is just information if you want to add a script. It is not required. The documentation is simply explaining what all of the various entries and buttons do in that panel.

And, yes, since the NOF FormMail script is in PHP, it will need to be published to a server to make it even pretend to work. You cannot run PHP "locally" unless, as Franko points out, you've installed server software on your local machine. Not for the faint of heart.

[Metal Man]

OK. The reference to using the HTML button is just information if you want to add a script. It is not required. The documentation is simply explaining what all of the various entries and buttons do in that panel.

And, yes, since the NOF FormMail script is in PHP, it will need to be published to a server to make it even pretend to work. You cannot run PHP "locally" unless, as Franko points out, you've installed server software on your local machine. Not for the faint of heart.

I have now signed up and my site is on line.
Problems now are the whole background is grey instead of a Graded Orange as set up in my style (it is all OK in NOF and in my local publish) Background is a jpg slightly bigger than my pages.
The other problem remains the mail button and the reset buttons still don't work, I don't see anything explaining how to make the button trigger the php script If it helps I can send a private message with my site address.

[RayC]

I suggest starting a separate thread for your other issues. You'll get better responses if it is broken out separately.

Also, don't be shy about posting a URL to your work in progress. We've all been there, and the more people that can lay eyes on what's happening, the more likely someone will spot the issue.

Do you have your submit button set up as follows:

[Metal Man]

I suggest starting a separate thread for your other issues. You'll get better responses if it is broken out separately.

Also, don't be shy about posting a URL to your work in progress. We've all been there, and the more people that can lay eyes on what's happening, the more likely someone will spot the issue.

Do you have your submit button set up as follows:

I cannot upload my URL yet as I'm waiting for my Domain to re-direct to my new isp's named servers. However I had a temporary url so I could see my site before this is completed but that is now finished.
My submit and reset buttons were set up the same as your pictures, except for the submit I had image as I was using an image for my buttons. If I change to submit the button disappears so I assume I cannot use my image as the button.
I will upload my URL as soon as I can, apparently may take 48hrs to transfer.