FormMail
FormMail is a very popular method of emailing the
contents of a form to a user. It is relatively easy to
set up and does its job well. However, one thing about
FormMail is the numerous exploits that have come about
since its use. Spammers have found security holes in
previous versions and this allows them to send mail
through whatever server the account is set up on. Since
we have a very strict anti-spam policy, we cannot allow
our users to use their own FormMail scripts. We ask that
you use the server-wide FormMail script. This way, if
there are any exploits found on this version of
FormMail, you will not be held accountable. We
periodically check the servers for insecure FormMail
scripts. If you have a need for a customized FormMail
script, and you have one available, please
contact us,
so that we can ensure that you're FormMail version does
not contain any exploits.
One drawback of using the server-wide FormMail script,
is that you must send the contents of the form to an
address that is on your domain name. If, for some
reason, you need the mail sent to an off site email
address, you can set up an E-Mail Forwarder to forward
any mail to a particular address to your off-site email
address. You would then use the forwarder address as
your recipient in your form.
NOTE:
You must use the server-wide FormMail, unless another
version has been approved by us. This helps to ensure
that no spam is being sent using insecure FormMail
scripts on the server.
If you already have scripts that utilize FormMail, you
will need to change them so that the
ACTION
parameter in the
FORM
tag to read as
/cgi-sys/formmail.pl.
If you are familiar with Matt's FormMail script, most of
the options that are available in that FormMail are
available in the server-wide FormMail. However, the
script is not the same. The server-wide FormMail was
developed by CPanel Developers. Please do not try to
contact the support team for Matt's FormMail concerning
any issues.
All you need to setup FormMail, is to create your form.
A very simple form might look like:
<FORM NAME="test" ACTION="http://www.mydomain.com/cgi-sys/formmail.pl"
METHOD="POST">
<INPUT TYPE="hidden" NAME="recipient"
VALUE="email@mydomain.com">
Enter your Name: <INPUT TYPE="text"
NAME="name"><br>
<INPUT TYPE="SUBMIT">
</FORM> |
The only real requirement to get FormMail to work
properly is the
ACTION="http://www.mydomain.com/cgi-sys/formmail.pl"
and
<INPUT TYPE="hidden" NAME="recipient" VALUE="email@mydomain.com">.
Where email@domain.com is an email address you
have set up on your domain.
Another example of FormMail, which utilizes more of the
special features is listed below:
<FORM NAME="test" ACTION="http://www.mydomain.com/cgi-sys/formmail.pl"
METHOD="POST">
<INPUT TYPE="hidden" NAME="recipient"
VALUE="email@mydomain.com">
<INPUT TYPE="hidden" NAME="subject"
VALUE="This is a test form">
<INPUT TYPE="hidden" NAME="redirect"
VALUE="http://amsnac2.com/redirect.html">
<INPUT TYPE="hidden" NAME="required" VALUE="email,realname">
E-Mail Address: <INPUT TYPE="text"
NAME="email"><br>
Name: <INPUT TYPE="text" NAME="realname"><br>
Favorite Color: <INPUT TYPE="text" NAME="color"><br>
<input type="submit" name="Submit"
value="Submit">
<input type="reset" name="Submit2"
value="Reset">
</FORM> |
In this example, you will notice the same
ACTION=/cgi-sys/formmail.pl
and
<INPUT TYPE=hidden NAME=recipient VALUE=email@domain.com>.
There are other
INPUT TYPE=hidden
types are are listed below:
-
subject
-- This defines what you want the subject of the
email to be. Be sure to use the quotation marks if
it is more than one word.
-
redirect
-- This defines what page you want the visitor to be
taken to, after successfully completing the form.
You will need to specify the full URL.
-
required
-- The parameter takes on a list of the required
fields that must be filled out in order for the form
to be processed.
-
email
-- This is considered a special parameter, because
this is who the form will appear that it was sent
from. This is useful, because in most email clients,
you will be able to hit a Reply button and send a
message back to this email address without having to
type it in.
-
realname
-- This will appear along with the email
parameter. Instead of the mail appearing to come
from just the said email address, this name will
appear to the email address. This allows for a more
personalized touch when replying back to the
address.
Again, these are not required in order to have a
functioning form. The only requirements are that
ACTION=/cgi-sys/formmail.pl
is in your
FORM
tag and
<INPUT TYPE=hidden NAME=recipient VALUE=email@domain.com>
is listed below the opening
FORM
tag.
If you have any questions or comments concerning the
FormMail script, feel free to
contact us.
