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Using the CGI Form-Mailer

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Last Updated: March 5, 2008 1:02 PM

NOTE: This article applies only to Linux Deluxe and Premium Shared Hosting accounts.

To use the CGI form-mailer create a Web form in HTML that links to the gdform.cgi script, located in the cgi directory of your hosting account.

NOTE: The cgi directory of your hosting account is reserved for cgi scripts. Do not upload the HTML file that contains your Web form into the cgi directory.

Remember to specify the email address you want to use with the form-mailer in your account manager. For more information, see Specifying an Email Address for the CGI Form-Mailer.

To Use the CGI Form-Mailer

  1. Create your Web form as normal and assign unique names to your form items.

    NOTE: Keep in mind that our form-mailer script will sort the names of your form items alphabetically when it composes the email message. This is the order of precedence: uppercase letters, lowercase letters, numbers.

  2. For the form action line, enter /cgi/gdform.cgi. For example:
    <form action="/cgi/gdform.cgi" method="post">
  3. Set the form method to "post."
  4. In addition to the fields you create in your form, there are three special fields that you use: subject, redirect, and email.

    Subject. Controls the subject line in the form email.

    Redirect. Controls the page that your visitors will see after they submit the form.

    Email. Controls the return address for the form email.

    For example:

    <form action="/cgi/gdform.cgi" method="post">
    <input type="hidden" name="subject" value="Form Submission" />
    <input type="hidden" name="redirect" value="thankyou.html" />
    <p>First Name:<input type="text" name="FirstName" /></p>
    <p>Last Name:<input type="text" name="LastName" /></p>
    <p>E-Mail:<input type="text" name="email" /></p>
    <p>Comments:<textarea name="comments" cols="40" rows="10">
    Type comments here.</textarea></p>
    <input type="submit" name="submit" value="submit"/>
    </form>
  5. Save and upload your form to your hosting account.

For information on reinstalling your default scripts, see Reinstalling the Default Scripts Directory