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Creating Forms Was Never Easier

forms1.gif (4958 bytes)Want to send form results to a database?  You will need a custom script.

Cannon1.wmf (2724 bytes)Let me just get the hard part over with first.  And please don't shoot the messenger ... that's me, by the way.

While FrontPage will create forms that can input data to a database, you or someone you hire must write the custom script to send form results to the database.   FrontPage's built in database connectivity supports extracting not inputting data.

On the Form Properties dialog box (example above) select the radio button .. Send to other for Custom Script.

forms2.gif (8010 bytes)There is another Option

Easy now.  I know that isn't what you wanted to hear.  There is another option.  Under [Options...], the form results file format can be set to a database compatible format.  For example ... Text database using comma as a separator. Then the form results can be imported into the database from the text file.

Whew!!

Ready to move on to creating forms?  Good, me too.  Forms can be created in a variety of ways.  FrontPage has several pre-made forms.  Choose [File] [New] and look at the list of available templates.  There is a wide variety of forms on the list.  And each will create a new page.  If you want your form on an existing page, just copy and paste and be sure to delete the new forms page.

For example:

Confirmation Form - Use to create a confirmation page to be displayed after another form has been submitted.
Feedback Form - Just what it sounds like.
Form Page Wizard - The only hard part about the Form Page Wizard is the third dialog box.  It has one active button ... [add].  Since that's all there is ... select it and you are off and running.
Guest Book - This template wizard creates a viewable guest book.    The comments submitted by users will go to a different page, 'guestlog.htm' by default.  I use one in this site to collect your web site URLs for sharing with others.   Want to submit your web site so others can view it and send their compliments to you. Okay, here you go ... Guest Book / Add URL
Search Page - This form searches the web site for matches to keywords.   This is also a FrontPage feature that doesn't always work all that well.  Use the search page template wizard or easier, go to the [Insert] menu and choose Active Element, Search Form.  Search results are returned to the page with the search form so I use a separate page.  SEARCH
User Registration - This one can be a little tricky.
First, it must be stored in the Root Web.  And remember, unless you specifically created you web site differently (see Creating Web Sites), the FrontPage default is to make all new web sites a sub web of the root web that was created when the program was installed.  Second, you will set user registration, password entry only,  for an entirely different web site.  So, we are not really limiting who can view the site.   But, we are gathering information from those who enter.  Make sure your web host allows sub webs.  There is a User Registration on this site for access to the Photo Gallery.

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