I am building a website (www.hvit-llc.com) and will need multiple "Request Information" forms. We will be selling metal working equipment that include cutoff equipment, powder compaction equipment, blanking equipment and powder compaction services. These area each have their own section on the website, for example, www.hvit-llc.com/Applications.html or www.hvit-llc.com/HVC_Applications.html and will each have their own REQUEST INFORMATION form where the website visitor will provide some detail about their application and requirements.
When a form is completed and submitted by the potential customer, we will want to receive the email but we will also want to add that information to something similar to the Contacts database in Outlook.
It is a tricky thing to do and my tree looks like this
now I guess I will have another form with a tree that resembles
public_html
-hvit-llc
--requestinfo
---use
----HVC_RFI (HVC is our name for the powder compaction equipment)
-----form1.html
The problem with this approach is that I keep copying my .css file to the directory with the _RFI ending and I copy the Images folder so that Cutoff_RFI and HVC_RFI each will have a copy of the .css file and a copy of the Images folder. As far as I can tell, I will have to duplicate this for each of the forms I create. Is this correct? I used templates for the website and now I have to create a new page, add the form, detach the template, and reconnect all of the links on the page. It is either that or have the form be a blank page with no links and simply a close the page button.
When I was a chile, my oldest brother taught me how to drive a team of mules - regardless of the bad press on mules and their alleged stubbornness, they could not hold a candle to computers and software.
If you would like to refer to this comment somewhere else in this project, copy and paste the following link:
The computer is a VERY powerful tool but it will only do what YOU tell it to do. Nothing more, nothing less. It is your job to tell the computer exactly what to do. There are many ways to tell the computer to do the same thing and there are many tools to help you tell the computer what to do.
You can have the form or forms do anything you want but you must be prepared to be capable of defining exactly what you need the computer to do.
If you are not prepared to provide the right instructions to the computer then you must decide how to accomplish your task with a minimum set of instructions. Sometimes this requires the same, if not a higher, level of expertise to do the latter so I can understand your problem.
Your forms can all be located in the same place and your html or php files that display your forms can be common but all this requires some careful planning.
Here is how I do it:
1.) Use the generator to create the form.
2.) Decide how and where I will use the form.
3.) Move, and/or rename, and/or cut and paste the form into it's new location.
4.) Decide if the form will be co-located with other forms.
5.) Rename form1.html and/or rename the proicess.php file.
6.) Copy other required files if necessary to the new form location.
7.) Decide if the form admin is required to manage the form data.
8.) Move, and/or rename, the form admin such that it does not interfere with any other form.
9.) Make any required process.php or admin file changes required to support the new form admin location.
There is alot to consider/manage but none of these decisions or modifications are difficult.
If you would like some help I can give you some guidance but without access to your web design you will still be required to make all the necessary changes.
There is also a very powerful tool that I use all the time to create and test new forms. It's a web server simulator. It includes everything necessary to test html and php files without putting them on a live web site. You can find the server and details about how to use it at the following URL: http://www.uniformserver.com/
If you would like to refer to this comment somewhere else in this project, copy and paste the following link:
I am building a website (www.hvit-llc.com) and will need multiple "Request Information" forms. We will be selling metal working equipment that include cutoff equipment, powder compaction equipment, blanking equipment and powder compaction services. These area each have their own section on the website, for example, www.hvit-llc.com/Applications.html or www.hvit-llc.com/HVC_Applications.html and will each have their own REQUEST INFORMATION form where the website visitor will provide some detail about their application and requirements.
When a form is completed and submitted by the potential customer, we will want to receive the email but we will also want to add that information to something similar to the Contacts database in Outlook.
It is a tricky thing to do and my tree looks like this
public_html
- hvit-llc
--requestinfo
---use
----Cutoff_RFI
-----form1.html
now I guess I will have another form with a tree that resembles
public_html
-hvit-llc
--requestinfo
---use
----HVC_RFI (HVC is our name for the powder compaction equipment)
-----form1.html
The problem with this approach is that I keep copying my .css file to the directory with the _RFI ending and I copy the Images folder so that Cutoff_RFI and HVC_RFI each will have a copy of the .css file and a copy of the Images folder. As far as I can tell, I will have to duplicate this for each of the forms I create. Is this correct? I used templates for the website and now I have to create a new page, add the form, detach the template, and reconnect all of the links on the page. It is either that or have the form be a blank page with no links and simply a close the page button.
When I was a chile, my oldest brother taught me how to drive a team of mules - regardless of the bad press on mules and their alleged stubbornness, they could not hold a candle to computers and software.
The computer is a VERY powerful tool but it will only do what YOU tell it to do. Nothing more, nothing less. It is your job to tell the computer exactly what to do. There are many ways to tell the computer to do the same thing and there are many tools to help you tell the computer what to do.
You can have the form or forms do anything you want but you must be prepared to be capable of defining exactly what you need the computer to do.
If you are not prepared to provide the right instructions to the computer then you must decide how to accomplish your task with a minimum set of instructions. Sometimes this requires the same, if not a higher, level of expertise to do the latter so I can understand your problem.
Your forms can all be located in the same place and your html or php files that display your forms can be common but all this requires some careful planning.
Here is how I do it:
1.) Use the generator to create the form.
2.) Decide how and where I will use the form.
3.) Move, and/or rename, and/or cut and paste the form into it's new location.
4.) Decide if the form will be co-located with other forms.
5.) Rename form1.html and/or rename the proicess.php file.
6.) Copy other required files if necessary to the new form location.
7.) Decide if the form admin is required to manage the form data.
8.) Move, and/or rename, the form admin such that it does not interfere with any other form.
9.) Make any required process.php or admin file changes required to support the new form admin location.
There is alot to consider/manage but none of these decisions or modifications are difficult.
If you would like some help I can give you some guidance but without access to your web design you will still be required to make all the necessary changes.
There is also a very powerful tool that I use all the time to create and test new forms. It's a web server simulator. It includes everything necessary to test html and php files without putting them on a live web site. You can find the server and details about how to use it at the following URL:
http://www.uniformserver.com/