Email Feedback Form - without the sender typing in their email?

[jtakano]

Is it possible to make an HTML e-mail feedback form without the sender typing his/her e-mail address?

If so, how?

[tedster]

If you mean a form that automatically grabs the email address of the sender, then noo, that can't be done. It would be a major security risk and privacy problem, because form submits can look just like a link - and email addresses could be harvested by the bushel.

[jtakano]

No. I don't need the e-mail address of the sender. I only need the comments and feedback. I don't need to reply anyway. They will just SEND. Is that possible?

[Dudermont]

Yes that is posible. You don't need a sender to send an email unless the mail server is set up to not except them otherwise, and even if it is just create a from address if you want. Maybe your own email address and just set the subject line to FEEDBACK or something.

[jtakano]

Yes. I will just create another e-mail address. Kindly, tell me the HTML code for the entire form. I only need the Subject and Message. Names, etc. are not necessary.

[Dudermont]

The best way to do it is through a script.

You have access to php?

[jtakano]

Sorry, my host don't support php. That is why I need the HTML code for this.

[tedster]

You can also use a cgi script, like perl. And if your host doesn't offer cgi at all (who on earth could that be in 2004?) there are some free cgi remote hosting services. I would strongly encourage this direction, and using cgi on your own host would probably be best.

Sending your form only with html would mean using mailto: as the form's action. That's a tough one. It's going to fail for some of your users, depending on their email client and browser. Plus, there's no way for you to test for those bad situations ahead of time - your visitors will just have it blow up for them when they try to submit - and AFTER they already spent time creating feedback for you. That would be pretty irritating, I think.

But just for the record:

<form method="post" action="mailto:[e-mail]" enctype="text/plain">
<input type=text name=subject>
<input type=text name=message>
<input type=submit value="Submit Your Feedback">
</form>

[jtakano]

Yes. My host supports cgi/perl scripts.

Here are they:
The following is a list of supported Perl v5.6.1 modules:

AnyDBM_File
Apache
Apache::Connection
Apache::Constants
Apache::Constants::Exports
Apache::Debug
Apache::ExtUtils
Apache::FakeRequest
Apache::File
Apache::httpd_conf
Apache::Include
Apache::Leak
Apache::Log
Apache::ModuleConfig
Apache::MyConfig
Apache::Opcode
Apache::Options
Apache::PerlRun
Apache::PerlRunXS
Apache::PerlSections
Apache::RedirectLogFix
Apache::Registry
Apache::RegistryBB
Apache::RegistryLoader
Apache::RegistryNG
Apache::Resource
Apache::Server
Apache::SIG
Apache::SizeLimit
Apache::src
Apache::StatINC
Apache::Status
Apache::Symbol
Apache::Symdump
Apache::Table
Apache::test
Apache::URI
Apache::Util
attributes
attrs
AutoLoader
AutoSplit
autouse
B
B::Asmdata
B::Assembler
B::Bblock
B::Bytecode
B::C::Section
B::CC
B::Concise
B::Debug
B::Deparse
B::Disassembler::BytecodeStream
B::Lint
B::Showlex
B::Stackobj
B::Stash
B::Terse
B::Xref
Baz
Benchmark
blib
Bundle::Apache
Bundle::DBD::mysql
Bundle::DBI
ByteLoader
bytes
Carp
CGI
CGI::Carp
CGI::Cookie
CGI::Fast
CGI::Pretty
CGI::Push
CGI::Util
charnames
Class::Struct
Config
constant
CPAN
CPAN::Mirrored::By
CPAN::Nox
Cwd
Data::Dumper
DB
DBD::ADO
DBD::ExampleP
DBD::Multiplex
DBD::mysql
DBD::NullP
DBD::Proxy
DBD::Sponge
DBI
DBI::FAQ
DBI::Format
DBI::ProxyServer
DBI::Shell
Devel::DProf
Devel::Peek
Devel::SelfStubber
diagnostics
Digest::MD5
DirHandle
Dumpvalue
DynaLoader
English
Env
Errno
Exporter
ExtUtils::Command
ExtUtils::Embed
ExtUtils::Install
ExtUtils::Installed
ExtUtils::Liblist
ExtUtils::MakeMaker
ExtUtils::Manifest
ExtUtils::Miniperl
ExtUtils::Mkbootstrap
ExtUtils::Mksymlists
ExtUtils::MM_Cygwin
ExtUtils::MM_OS2
ExtUtils::MM_Unix
ExtUtils::MM_VMS
ExtUtils::MM_Win32
ExtUtils::Packlist
ExtUtils::testlib
Fatal
Fcntl
fields
File::Basename
File::CheckTree
File::Compare
File::Copy
File::DosGlob
File::Find
File::Glob
File::Path
File::Spec
File::Spec::Epoc
File::Spec::Functions
File::Spec::Mac
File::Spec::OS2
File::Spec::Unix
File::Spec::VMS
File::Spec::Win32
File::stat
File::Temp
FileCache
FileHandle
filetest
FindBin
Getopt::Long
Getopt::Std
I18N::Collate
integer
IO
IO::Dir
IO::File
IO::Handle
IO::Pipe
IO::Poll
IO::Seekable
IO::Select
IO::Socket
IO::Socket::INET
IO::Socket::UNIX
IPC::Msg
IPC::Open2
IPC::Open3
IPC::Semaphore
IPC::SysV
less
lib
locale
Math::BigFloat
Math::BigInt
Math::Complex
Math::Trig
MD5
mod_perl
MY
Mysql
Mysql::Statement
NDBM_File
Net::hostent
Net::netent
Net::Ping
Net::protoent
Net::servent
NF::XML::Comm
NF::XML::Conv
O
Opcode
open
ops
overload
Pod::Checker
Pod::Find
Pod::Functions
Pod::Html
Pod::InputObjects
Pod::LaTeX
Pod::Man
Pod::Parser
Pod::ParseUtils
Pod::Plainer
Pod::Select
Pod::Text
Pod::Text::Color
Pod::Text::Overstrike
Pod::Text::Termcap
Pod::Usage
POSIX
re
Safe
SDBM_File
Search::Dict
SelectSaver
SelfLoader
Shell
sigtrap
Socket
strict
subs
Symbol
Sys::Hostname
Sys::Syslog
Term::ANSIColor
Term::Cap
Term::Complete
Term::ReadLine::Stub
Test
Test::Harness
Text::Abbrev
Text::ParseWords
Text::Soundex
Text::Tabs
Text::Wrap
Tie::Array
Tie::Handle
Tie::Hash
Tie::RefHash
Tie::Scalar
Tie::SubstrHash
Time::gmtime
Time::Local
Time::localtime
Time::tm
UNIVERSAL
URI
URI::_foreign
URI::_generic
URI::_login
URI::_query
URI::_segment
URI::_server
URI::_userpass
URI::data
URI::Escape
URI::file
URI::file::Base
URI::file::FAT
URI::file::Mac
URI::file::OS2
URI::file::QNX
URI::file::Unix
URI::file::Win32
URI::ftp
URI::gopher
URI::Heuristic
URI::http
URI::https
URI::ldap
URI::mailto
URI::news
URI::nntp
URI::pop
URI::rlogin
URI::rsync
URI::snews
URI::telnet
URI::URL
URI::WithBase
User::grent
User::pwent
utf8
vars
warnings
XML::Parser
XML::Parser::Expat

Please tell me the script I should use.

[tedster]

Just so you know, the list of Perl modules is not the same as a script - it's a list of the potential resources that any given script can use.

The most widely used script for this purpose is formmail from Matt's script archive. If you use the latest version, it's relatively secure -- as long as you read the instructions and take all the security steps.

One extra step I take is changing the name of the script from formmail to something offbeat, since so many problem people try to hack servers by looking for "formmail.pl" or "formmail.cgi"

You're going to have to do a little bit of learning work here if you've never set up a cgi script before. But Matt's script is very well documented, and you should be able to get up to speed without too much trouble.

And with this entry into the world of Perl we've also left the world of HTML and Browsers. However, there is a Perl Forum here. If you have a question, and you can't figure it out after studying the instructions and giving it a real try on your own, that's the place to look for help.

It's best to have a very precise question, rather than "I can't get it to work." That way help comes faster.