MacBoy's
Super Simple FORM TUTORIAL
for GeoCities:
Before we start...

I've received a lot of questions about the forms available on GeoCities, and I wanted to address some of these topics here, so you'll know what you can expect from your form, and what you can't. (More help can be found in the F.A.Q.: Troubleshooting section.)


Entering the Form Results Into Another Page Automatically

Many people would like to have the form automatically enter the results into a specific page on their site.

This is NOT POSSIBLE with the simple GeoCities FORM script. The form WILL send the results over to your home e-mail address only (that's NOT your GeoCities e-mail, but the address you noted in your Profile when you joined, usually your ISP account address).

The results can then be edited and entered into your desired "Replies" page and then uploaded to your directory on GeoCities. This MUST all be done by hand, and by you. The script, no matter how MUCH you may want it to, will NOT do this automatically.

The New GeoCities Guestbook, however, DOES allow you to send input directly ino a special "Read The Guestbook" page. You'll need to consider what sort of info you are trying to get from the readers, whether this info NEEDS to be displayed on a WebPage, and what type of input devices you need on your form. While the GeoGuestbook does enter the info automatically and allows 9 text fields and one Comment box, none of the items mentioned below are available. The Simple form, however, allows NEXT-URL tags (sends the reader to a specific "thank you" page), Radio Buttons, CheckBoxes and lists (scrolling and pull-down) but only sends the results to you via e-mail.

The choice is yours: both have their pros and cons. We will learn the Simple Form here.


Sending the Reader to Another page through a Pull Down Menu

Although you may very well have seen a form-LIKE pull down menu with a list of pages to which you are sent at the click of a"Go" button, this is in fact NOT a form - at least not in the way we're dicussing on these pages.

What you are looking at in those cases is a JavaScript-enabled form, or possibly a cgi-bin script. Neither of these two topics are discussed or explained in this tutorial, other than to direct you to the Java Tip of the Week, and specifically, to the script you need to select a page and jump.

Please note that these links are given in good faith, but that I am NOT a Java Guru, and that any questions you may have regarding these or any other JavaScript problems are to be addressed to the JavaScript Help Forum. All I WILL say is that I've tried a few of these and they did work.

In the case of a cgi-bin script, remember that GeoCities does not allow access to the cgi-bin on their server. This, however, does not mean you CAN'T have a cgi script: If you're willing to pay a bit of cash (for as little as $5 and up per month from places such as VP Developing) you can locate a sever that DOES allow access to their cgi-bin and maybe even offer some pre-installed scripts. You then only need to refer to the script's location from your GeoCities html source code.

To find such service providers, you may want to look through Yahoo or other search engines, perhaps using the search string "cgi access providers".


Front Page | Before we start...
PART ONE: The Basic Form | PART TWO: What Happens
PART THREE: Form Buttons | PART FOUR: Lists
Survey Form | What You've Said...
F.A.Q.: Troubleshooting

Need More Help?

If you need further help with your form, visit the Counters, Forms & Imagemaps Help Forum. Please read the posts that are already up to make sure your question has not already been asked and answered. If you don't see your question covered already, just add it in, making CERTAIN that you add the URL to the problem form, if it's in your directory.
LinkExchange
LinkExchange Member Free Home Pages at GeoCities

© 1997 MacBoy