"Making a Fully Customizable FORM via HMTL and have it published via Wrapper in Mambo"
In reference to:
1. http://forum.mamboserver.com/showthread.php?t=43912 (Creating formail forms the easy way; a brief TIP/Trick how to do it)
2. http://forum.mamboserver.com/showthread.php?p=231525 (Need a form that works!!!; a general question on implementing FORMS on Mambo)
I. CONS:
1. it will take sometime for you to learn how to configure the form(for the php form handler)
2. purely email submission, data submitted from the FORM cant be automatically inserted to the mysql database.
3. no other cons i can think of(as of now june 15, 2005). but other cons is warmly welcomed.
II. PROS:
1. A highly CUSTOMIZABLE form that would suit your needs.
2. Unlimited control on the layout, design and css of the FORM page.
3. Unlimited form fields, includes field handling of all known types; i.e: text box, check box, drop down, text fields, multi line text fields, FILE ATTACHMENTS,.. virtually all known form fields.
4. a total control on what ever FILE ATTACHEMENT and/or FILE TYPE is allowed to be attached.
5. automatic attachment of photos/images to your email that has been submitted thru the FORM page.
6. A total control on what form fields you wish to be required.
7. Allows multiple FORM PAGES to use one configuration file.
8. Allows multiple recipient of the submitted form.
9. allows "specific" recipient for a specific form.
10. allows submitters (hidden)report of:
a.) browser being used
b.) i.p. used
c.) url referrer
d.) platform/operating system used
11. recipients email is in the config file so that email spiders are less likely to find your email for possible spamming.
12. others that i might have missed citing.
III. Requirements:
1. a wyswyg editor such as; dreamweaver, frontpage or any wyswyg editor
2. a basic knowledge on how to use the wyswyg editor cited in requirement #1
3. a knowledge in editing config files(text files) for the phpform handler to be used.
Things to be used/needed:
1. a wyswyg editor as mentioned in REQUIREMENT #1
2. of course: HiQformmail by Richard Harkrider @ www.hiqformmail.com. you can download the formhandler HERE
IV. The walkthrough:
1. download the HiQFM.zip in the url given above.
2. unzip the HiQFM.zip
3. assuming that we will be using dreamweaver as the wyswyg HTML editor, open the test.html in the unzipped HiQFM folder.
4. edit the test.html according to the layout, design, colors, general look and the FORM FIELDS you wish the FORM PAGE will be.
5. in the "code view" of dreamweaver you can add "Optional Form Fields" such as:
a.) Field: subject
b.) Field: email
c.) Field: redirect
d.) Field: attachment[]
e.) etc.. for a complete list of "Optional Form Fields", go HERE
6. open HiQFMConfg.conf in any text editor.. or you can use dreamweaver to open and edit the configuration according to your needs.I STRONGLY suggest that you point your [redirect] to a Mambo STATIC Page(create a static page in Mambo for the redirect URL, its usually a THANK YOU message, or FORM submission SENT page). so that after clicking the submit button the submitter will be still be lead to a mambo page.
7. after editing the layout and other things you will be editing as mentioned in step #4, #5 and #6...upload the entire folder (HiQFM) via ftp to your webhost. assuming that you have uploaded the folder to: www.yourdomain.com,.. so the file structure will now be http://www.yourdomain.com/HiQFM
8. log-in to your mambo administrator(back end).
9. in the "menu" TAB, click on any menu item, but on this walk thru lets just pressume that you will click "mainmenu".. click the icon in the top which is labeled "New"
10. it will now lead you to: "New Menu Item",.. tick on the radio button "Wrapper" then click "Next" on the icon located at the top.
11. it will now lead you to: "Add Menu Item :: Wrapper",.. fill in the details boxes, such as NAME, Wrapper Link, Url, etc.
a.) "Wrapper link" is to be pointed where your FORM PAGE is located.. so for our walkthru having as an example, point it to: http://www.yourdomain.com/HiQFM/test.html
b.) for this walkthru, fill the "Name:" field to "Form Test"
c.) generally, tick the NO radio button on "Scroll Bars:".. this is so that the FORM page will be wrapped properly without the scroll bars.
d.) set the "Auto Height:" to yes
e.) set " Published:" to "yes"
f.) click "Save" icon on top.
12. Proceed to your frontend, i.e.: www.yourdomain.com, you will now see a new menu item in the "mainmenu" labeled as "Form Test". click on it, you should see now your FORM PAGE wrapped in that page.
13. (assuming you got the configuration correct on the: a.) test.html and b.) HiQFMConfg.conf) test the form page by filling in the fields! if you get errors or the FORM PAGE didnt work as what you expected it to happen.. then there MUST be wrong in your configuration of test.html and/or HiQFMConfg.conf.
NOW, i'll leave the tinkering to you.
V. Further Notice
*For further information and configuration documentation you can visit the "HiQFM" documentation HERE
**Further inquiries you can visit their(HiQFM) forums HERE. or discuss the concerns/inquiries directly on THIS THREAD. I MAY(or may not) suggest other solutions to the problems/inquiries you may encounter.
***I currently dont have a "testing" site for you to have a preview on how the result of this walkthru would look and function. the FORMS in kanocorp.com are live and NOT a testing FORM PAGES. Please dont use the FORMS in the u.r.l given above for TESTING.
****Feel Free to discuss this short walkthru in THIS THREAD.. to reiterate(as mentioned); "I may or may not" have a solution to your concern.
~guilliam roque~
sunny city, cebu!
- Philippines -
CROSSED REFERENCED from: http://forum.m*mboserver.com/showthread.php?t=48471
^^obviously change the "*" character in the URL given.
.
by proposing his solution...on your site and in the docs the redirect is done in the config.......this statement here is totally different with all respect.......(and I think it should be somehwere in the test.html.....) I kindly advise with all respcts for the effort to adjust the docs accordingly..... 
