This "FORM" did not work very well

[Raymond SCHMIT]

Hello everybody,
On an outing site, there is a FORM used to ask to receive a
login/password for accessing to the "co-voiturage" (car-sharing) part
of the site.
After entering data in the form's zones, clicking the "Envoi" button
will sent transparently a mail containing the request with all the
form's zones in the mail. (two people saying that)

Using my pc, i got only an opened mail ready to be sent, but with only
the mail-adress filled. If i sent this mail, i will sent an empty mail
without any subject. So, this is not "tranparent" and the mail is not
filled with the usefull values from the filled FORM.

How is that possible that the FORM work for 2 persons, and not for me
?
Hereafter is an extract of the html page(i have changed the
mail-adress for "not sending mail to the webmaster )
(Say me if you need the complete html page.)


<FORM ACTION="mailto:[email protected]" METHOD=POST name=forme
enctype="text/plain">
<P><FONT FACE="Comic Sans MS"><INPUT TYPE=text NAME=Nom
VALUE="Acc&egrave;s au co-voiturage" SIZE=25></FONT></P>

<P><FONT FACE="Comic Sans MS">Nom
<INPUT TYPE=text NAME=Nom VALUE="" SIZE=30></FONT></P>

<P><FONT FACE="Comic Sans MS">Pr&eacute;nom
<INPUT TYPE=text NAME=Prenom VALUE="" SIZE=30></FONT></P>

<P><FONT FACE="Comic Sans MS">E_mail
<INPUT TYPE=text NAME=email VALUE="" SIZE=50></FONT></P>

<P><FONT FACE="Comic Sans MS">Ville
<INPUT TYPE=text NAME=ville VALUE="" SIZE=30></FONT></P>

<DL>
<DD><CENTER><INPUT TYPE=button NAME=Envoi VALUE="Envoi"
onclick="verif();">
<INPUT TYPE=reset VALUE="Effacer"></CENTER></DD>
</DL>

</FORM>

 

[rf]

Hello everybody,
On an outing site, there is a FORM used to ask to receive a
login/password for accessing to the "co-voiturage" (car-sharing) part
of the site.

<FORM ACTION="mailto:[email protected]" METHOD=POST name=forme
enctype="text/plain">

mailto: is broken.

Apart from your problem, what about somebody who uses, say, gmail, or
somebody in a public library. In both cases there is no email client for
mailto: to launch.

Use a server side process.

 

[Raymond SCHMIT]

mailto: is broken.

Thanks for answering. but...
I don't understant this sentence.

Apart from your problem, what about somebody who uses, say, gmail, or
somebody in a public library. In both cases there is no email client for
mailto: to launch. Correct !

Use a server side process.

This is what i tried to convince the webmaster to do this way- but he
say: It works correctly for me and for another people, therefore you
must have a problem with your pc....grrr....

I remberred that i used in the past <FORM
ACTION="http://home.scarlet.be/cgi-bin/FormMail.pl" METHOD=POST>
but .....the webmaster doenot like perl and is convinced that his
method should work for everybody...

The question is : Why this construction works with this "another
people" and not with me ?

 

[rf]

Thanks for answering. but...
I don't understant this sentence.

action="mailto:... is broken. It does not work reliably. It may work
sometimes but it does not work every time. Even if it does appear to work
for your viewer it may not do what you think it does, as you have found. Not
working 100% of the time is termed broken.

Correct !

Ah, I'm glad you agree

This is what i tried to convince the webmaster to do this way- but he
say: It works correctly for me and for another people, therefore you
must have a problem with your pc....grrr....

So, politely ask said "webmaster", and I emphasise the quotation marks, to
start his/her own thread here extoling the virtues of mailto:. Said
webmaster will be soundly denounced. Just might be an educational experience
for the "webmaster".

I remberred that i used in the past <FORM
ACTION="http://home.scarlet.be/cgi-bin/FormMail.pl" METHOD=POST>

Yes, that is how it is done, but please to not use Matts formail stuff. It
is riddled with security problems (that is it will be used to send spam from
your server). Build your own server side process. It is only about twelve
lines of PHP. Ask over at comp.lang.php or simply visit the PHP manual where
an example is provided.

but .....the webmaster doenot like perl and is convinced that his
method should work for everybody...

A webmaster who doesn't like Perl? That I can handle but the implication is
that the webmaster does not like server side stuff. This is an oxymoron
these days.

Tell this so called webmaster that the *ONLY* reliable way, for every
viewer, is to do this server side.

The question is : Why this construction works with this "another
people" and not with me ?

Your browser is not connected correctly to your email client. The browser
does not pass all the required info. The email client does not accept all
the required info. Any number of things. This is why mailto: is broken. Just
like it is broken for those gmail and library people.

And remember, you will never get a complaint from those who fill in your
"form" and get no response. They have already gone to your opposition.

 

[Chaddy2222]

action="mailto:... is broken. It does not work reliably. It may work
sometimes but it does not work every time. Even if it does appear to work
for your viewer it may not do what you think it does, as you have found. Not
working 100% of the time is termed broken.


Ah, I'm glad you agree


So, politely ask said "webmaster", and I emphasise the quotation marks, to
start his/her own thread here extoling the virtues of mailto:. Said
webmaster will be soundly denounced. Just might be an educational experience
for the "webmaster".


Yes, that is how it is done, but please to not use Matts formail stuff. It
is riddled with security problems (that is it will be used to send spam from
your server). Build your own server side process. It is only about twelve
lines of PHP. Ask over at comp.lang.php or simply visit the PHP manual where
an example is provided.


A webmaster who doesn't like Perl? That I can handle but the implication is
that the webmaster does not like server side stuff. This is an oxymoron
these days.

Tell this so called webmaster that the *ONLY* reliable way, for every
viewer, is to do this server side.


Your browser is not connected correctly to your email client. The browser
does not pass all the required info. The email client does not accept all
the required info. Any number of things. This is why mailto: is broken. Just
like it is broken for those gmail and library people.

And remember, you will never get a complaint from those who fill in your
"form" and get no response. They have already gone to your opposition.

Yeah, what he said +.
If you are going to use a mailto link you should use a form to send a
request with that same message (with some kind of server side script )
as a back-up.

 

[Raymond SCHMIT]

Yeah, what he said +.
If you are going to use a mailto link you should use a form to send a
request with that same message (with some kind of server side script )
as a back-up.

So the webmaster, if the mailto method is functioning, will receive
two identical mails ?

 

[HughPugh]

So the webmaster, if the mailto method is functioning, will receive
two identical mails ?

To put it simply, do not use mailto as a form action. It will never
work as expected. I don't think you are understanding what you are
being told, so know that your 'webmaster' does not know what s/he is
saying.

 

[Raymond SCHMIT]

To put it simply, do not use mailto as a form action. It will never
work as expected. I don't think you are understanding what you are
being told, so know that your 'webmaster' does not know what s/he is
saying.

I agree 200% with you, i am convinced that the "mailto" solution is
*not* a solution. the only correct way using a form to sent a mail is
to use a php or a perl routine to do it by the server. I have proposed
at the webmaster that i will create for him(heu...pardon ....her )
the needed php pages.... I am waiting their answer....
If i have the job(no retribution ), i will probably asking help
here to do it in "the best way"

 

[dorayme]

I agree 200% with you,

and showed it by quoting everything at length...

 

[Raymond SCHMIT]

and showed it by quoting everything at length...

Sorry, i had not realised