Topic: Forms on SME5.6? (both primary & virtual domain webpages

[Robert Harlow]

Sirs

How may I (securely?) implement a form on SME 5.6 (server-gateway) for both the primary website and also any of its virtual domain websites?

Searching the database using AllForums/SubjectOnly/All dates with...
form -format -perform -informix -formmagick -former -platform -formally -"report form" -"overlay a form" -"switch form" -"connect form"
...supplies about 30 appropriate hits. All relating to formmail and most of the recent ones relating to its vulnerability for use as an open relay:-|

Have finally succeeded in bringing *home* some websites of mine. They have always had to be hosted elsewhere. Now I have the technology, so to speak, but not the mechanism to implement forms:-(

One thought I came up with was to have a go at some specialised public/private flavour [nearly said form there] of a BBS. Elsewhere I've implemented the excellent open source BBS, Phorum, found at...
http://phorum.org/.

Other suggestions would be welcomed;~/

best wishes, Robert

[Dan Brown]

What exactly do you mean by "form"?  It sounds like you're referring to web forms, but that really doesn't say much.  Forms themselves are simply a matter of HTML coding, but you presumably want them to do something.  What?

If you're looking for a discussion board, you could use Phorum, or you could try one of the other boards available like phpbb (which I prefer to phorum).  If you're looking for something else, well, the sky's the limit.

[Dave Liquorice]

> All relating to formmail and most of the recent ones relating to its
> vulnerability for use as an open relay:-|

Out of the box formail allows the "user" to enter the address to send the contents of the form to, as you say an open relay... However it is fairly easy to adjust to that the  recipients address is hardcoded into the formail script , note the script not the HTML used to present the form to the user. I *think* this would close the open relay security problem.

Formail is also being devloped on from were the orginal author left it, try searching around for that development website.

Cheers
Dave.

[Robert Harlow]

Dan

Sorry I normally speak here using my server-administrator hat, but this time I was speaking using my website designer hat;~/

For instance one of my sites, that I've now brought *home*, used the host's cgiemail functionality. Attempting to reuse, so to speak, the same code hasn't worked on my SME, hence my post.

I am looking for a form (a webform) - a simple something that allows a user to submit a little text and which is then routed here.

I agree! I have already implemented a Phorum flavour of BBS/forum. It's a very good facility and one that I note e-smith/Mitel have also implemented here:-)

best wishes, Robert

[Robert Harlow]

Dave

I hear you. Wanted to know if there was an accepted *solution* for SME5.6 or even whether it carried a built-in solution for forms' use on the server's webpages. Will search and append findings to this thread.

best wishes, Robert

[Dan Brown]

It'd be easy enough to toss together a page that would do this in PHP, which is probably what I'd do if I needed this functionality.  I don't know of an "accepted solution" as such, though.

[Robert Harlow]

Dan

I've found a lot of stuff out there on that old script of Matts and various others aiming to continue where his left off. Wading through it all. Also, as you hinted, some stuff about doing it the PHP way (vice the Perl way). I'm veering to the PHP side of things as I'll need to get to grips with PHP (from the server side) to get my hosted Phorum back here onto the SME in due course...
http://prdownloads.sourceforge.net/phpformmail/phpformmail_classic-1.06.0.zip?download

NMS appear to be the ones who aim to take over the reins of Matt's Perl script etc...
http://nms-cgi.sourceforge.net/formmail.tar.gz

Also found this linker...
http://www.stormerhosting.net/support/addonhelp/cgilib/pgpformmail/
Any input on doing it, what looks like it might be the old insecure v1.6 Perl way, but via  PGP?

best wishes, Robert

[Paul]

Robert,

I found a great website a couple of months ago.  You input the form layout you want and it outputs an HTML and PHP script that you copy and paste into your own pages on your website.  I found it usefull because I didn't understand PHP.

Since then I have used it several times to construct my basic form and I now understand enough to customize them the way I need them.  It's a great starting place and a good learning tool.  The site is:

http://c-u-online.co.uk/generators/formgeneratorpro-v2_2/

The PHP and HTML mail forms are free.  It also has Mysql insert and browse forms generators.

Good Luck,

Paul