FrontPage Form Problems

You are running this from a disked based web vice an actual webserver. Try publishing the site and then viewing it from the actual webserver.

RCMB

Sorry, going to sound stupid but I am not sure what you mean,

Are you talking about where the website is actually stored in our office? if so it is on an NT server then uploaded to http://onlywebhosting.co.uk via my PC.

is it better to have the site stored locally on my PC?

Once uploaded to the web the form works fine, its just that I cannot make chages to validations without getting this problem.

Something which should be said is that I have FP2003 at home and some of the form was designed there and uploaded from home. Could this affect it?

Thanks
Jack

The reason it works fine after you upload is because the server is an actual webserver running FrontPage server extensions. If your PC is win2000 or win XP then install IIS and frontpage server extensions on the PC and your PC will then function as a webserver and you can actually open the website via http vice navigating to a local or shared drive.

Try just opening the website directly from the webserver vice the shared drive.

Close all and then click on File, Open Site and in the url enter http://onlywebhosting.co.uk or whatever your actual url to your site is. Enter valid user name and password if required and then work on the site.

What you are attempting to do will not work from a disked based web (a website fetched from a drive vice an actual webserver).

Always open your site via http not via c:\, s:\, etc. This will ensure you are working from an actual webserver.

RCMB

Ok did this, I made some validation changes which worked nicely but then saved and closed the form, opened it again to find the <?> thing at the top, I made some more changes anyway, now when I press submit on the form I get:

Cannot run the FrontPage Server Extensions on this page: "http://www.infolog.co.uk/onlinebooking.htm"

stuck again :(

I tried the form,  I pressed submit button and got a message that a letter will be issued within 48 hours.  I think you form is OK.

It works now because I re-uploaded the one that does not have any validation settings,

story is, the form can be uploaded with working validation settings, but if I try open the form to change something either from my work server or a web server I get what you can see in the picture and the form settings seem to be messed up.

Hope someone out there knows a fix or can tell me what I am doing wrong(I know using FP is one of them), thanks for the contributions so far :)

Did you install frontpage server extensions on your PC?

I also notice that the form you have online now is posting to:

action="_vti_bin/shtml.exe/onlinebooking.htm"

right click inside the form and tell the form where you desire it to be posted.

RCMB

I usually upload the form without validation then make the validation online.

Also,  if I am working locally on a PC which has IIS and FPSE I can do the validation and publish it with no problem.

When you say Upload what do you mean by that:

- File > Import?
- File > Publish?

When you make validation for a form it gives a path for the webbot as you see here:
 <!--webbot bot="SaveResults" U-File="C:\Documents and Settings\Administrator\Desktop\_private\form_results.csv" S-Format="TEXT/CSV" S-Label-Fields="TRUE" -->

So when you Import it loses the path.  You have to make sure that:

1- When you create the form locally and validate it, your local web should have http://localhostname/FolderName not
C:\My Documents\My Webs ....etc.
2- When you publish make sure that you copy the _private folder with it.

If you open the website locally as http://localhost,  nothing should go wrong.

hh

The <?> you are getting is about the validation missing its path.

Right I think this is solved, I entered some validations and printed the HTMLs before closing and after opening, I looked at them and saw that the following went missing:

<form method="POST" action="--WEBBOT-SELF--" onSubmit="" name="Infolog Online Booking Form">
                  <!--webbot bot="SaveResults" U-File="_private/form_results.htm" S-Format="HTML/UL" S-Label-Fields="TRUE" B-Reverse-Chronology="FALSE" S-Date-Format="%d %B %Y" S-Builtin-Fields="Date Time" S-Form-Fields="seminar_selection Sector Sector Sector Sector delegate_cdrom non_delegate_cdrom first_del_title first_del_first_name first_del_surname first_del_organisation first_del_job_title first_del_address first_del_postcode first_del_phone first_del_fax first_del_email first_del_workshop first_del_diet second_del_title second_del_first_name second_del_surname second_del_organisation second_del_job_title second_del_address second_del_postcode second_del_phone second_del_fax second_del_email second_del_workshop second_del_diet first_additional_info third_del_title third_del_first_name third_del_surname third_del_organisation third_del_job_title third_del_address third_del_postcode third_del_phone third_del_fax third_del_email third_del_workshop third_del_diet forth_del_title forth_del_first_name forth_del_surname forth_del_organisation forth_del_job_title forth_del_address forth_del_postcode forth_del_phone forth_del_fax forth_del_email forth_del_workshop forth_del_diet second_additional_info cheque BACS invoice invoice_reference invoice_title invoice_first_name invoice_surname invoice_organisation invoice_address invoice_postcode invoice_phone invoice_fax invoice_email B1 " startspan U-Confirmation-Url="http://www.infolog.co.uk/bookingconfirmation.htm" S-Time-Format="%H:%M" --><input TYPE="hidden" NAME="VTI-GROUP" VALUE="0"><!--webbot bot="SaveResults" endspan i-checksum="43374" -->

it was replaced with:

<form method="POST" action="_vti_bin/shtml.exe/onlinebooking.htm" onSubmit="return FrontPage_Form1_Validator(this)" name="FrontPage_Form1" language="JavaScript" webbot-action="--WEBBOT-SELF--">

I copied and pasted the first code in place of the second code and the form is ok back to the way it should be when I jump back to design view,

But still when I close and re-open the form the <?> comes back, I am definately saving it!!!

BTW - I am working off the webserver now,

sorry to say I do not have FPSE installed on my PC and not sure how to get them,
what is ISS?

Sorry, you have a very amateur web designer here, but you have to start somewhere ;)

Thanks again

IIS is internet information server. If you have win XP you can add this by going to control panel, add remove programs, add windows components.

To get fpse go to:

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=5cc0a845-1884-4a16-a8cb-25d2f0815fa3&displaylang=en

Do you have frontpage server extensions installed on the webserver?

yes, version 2003

There is not a 2003 server extensions. The latest version is 2002. FrontPage server extensions are a serparate program that you need to install.

RCMB

It is done by our web provider, they say

"FrontPage 2003/2002/2000/98 Support
We install FrontPage extensions for free so you can create your website using Microsoft Frontpage without the need to learn web programming.

All of our plans support Microsoft Frontpage and you can use Frontpage to publish your website to our servers."

Im sure they are working as the form does work ok but wipes out some HTML when it is saved and re-opened.

You must activate the server extensions on the webhost to use them. You will have some type of control panel with your hosting service that allows you to activate the server extensions. Check with your hosting service on the process for installing the server extensions on your site.

THEY ARE NOT AUTOMATICALLY INSTALLED!!

RCMB

They are defo installed I checked  with them already, this problem i have is happenig whether the website is being edited locally or on the web server. I can fix the problem by copying and pasting this back in.

<form method="POST" action="--WEBBOT-SELF--" onSubmit="" name="Infolog Online Booking Form">
               <!--webbot bot="SaveResults" U-File="_private/form_results.htm" S-Format="HTML/UL" S-Label-Fields="TRUE" B-Reverse-Chronology="FALSE" S-Date-Format="%d %B %Y" S-Builtin-Fields="Date Time" S-Form-Fields="seminar_selection Sector Sector Sector Sector delegate_cdrom non_delegate_cdrom first_del_title first_del_first_name first_del_surname first_del_organisation first_del_job_title first_del_address first_del_postcode first_del_phone first_del_fax first_del_email first_del_workshop first_del_diet second_del_title second_del_first_name second_del_surname second_del_organisation second_del_job_title second_del_address second_del_postcode second_del_phone second_del_fax second_del_email second_del_workshop second_del_diet first_additional_info third_del_title third_del_first_name third_del_surname third_del_organisation third_del_job_title third_del_address third_del_postcode third_del_phone third_del_fax third_del_email third_del_workshop third_del_diet forth_del_title forth_del_first_name forth_del_surname forth_del_organisation forth_del_job_title forth_del_address forth_del_postcode forth_del_phone forth_del_fax forth_del_email forth_del_workshop forth_del_diet second_additional_info cheque BACS invoice invoice_reference invoice_title invoice_first_name invoice_surname invoice_organisation invoice_address invoice_postcode invoice_phone invoice_fax invoice_email B1 " startspan U-Confirmation-Url="http://www.infolog.co.uk/bookingconfirmation.htm" S-Time-Format="%H:%M" --><input TYPE="hidden" NAME="VTI-GROUP" VALUE="0"><!--webbot bot="SaveResults" endspan i-checksum="43374" -->

I am a bit confused. Just to clear things up -- this form will not work on the local machine without having IIS and frontpage server extensions install. If you attempt to edit it locally (this means on your local hard drive) then it will malfunction.

Edit everything from the webserver -- What I mean by this is to open the website in frontpage via http not via a drive letter.

Once you have the site open build a generic form for opening a blank page and click on insert, form, text box.

Save the file on the webserver and then open it in Internet Explorer. type something in the text boxt and click on submit.

Tell me what happens.

RCMB

Ok thanks, I have been working from the web server (http://.....)in FP2003 since you told me how to do it today :)

I made the new form, results are:

Form Confirmation
Thank you for submitting the following information:

T1: THIS IS A TEST
B1: Submit


Return to the form.

Thanks

Okay this is great news. All is setup correctly. You can delete the test form.

Now when you open your form do you have everything like you desire?

Good stuff,

I almost have everything like i want, but the frist drop down menu which has to have a validity setting is likely to change every week.

I just have to set the validities that I want in the other fields then correct the HTML that goes missing when I save a re-open and i am done, should take 5mins hopefully.

Right, its how I want it, but the form HTML code keeps changing back to this everytime I save, close then open it again for editing:

<form method="POST" action="_vti_bin/shtml.exe/onlinebooking.htm" onSubmit="return FrontPage_Form1_Validator(this)" name="FrontPage_Form1" language="JavaScript" webbot-action="--WEBBOT-SELF--">


Is it just something I will have to live with? shouldnt be too much of a problem if it is.

Thanks

Hi,

Go to:

Tools > Page Options > HTML Source
Select Preserve Existing HTML if it is not already selected

hh

Hi, I looked but there does not seem  to be the option for this in any of the Page Options tabs, it is version 2003 if that makes a difference.

Thanks

Ok no probs, it may be because I designed the form on two different PCs etc, but it is something that I can get around until the time comes that either is tart using dreamweaver or design a new form in FP2003,

many thanks for you help, you have given a lot of time to this and I am very very grateful to you,

Jack