Member Avatar for rowads80

like this one:
or this one:

http://www.clearance.com/get_letusguide.asp


only i think they are using PHP which I do not understand.


Please help...

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Two quick, practical points tied to 's examples and 's advice: a working contact page is two parts — the visible HTML form and something on the server (or a third‑party endpoint) that accepts and processes submissions. The HTML side should use semantic elements and HTML5 validation: label elements paired with id, name attributes on every input, type="email" for email fields, and method="post". A concise primer on HTML form patterns is at MDN — Forms.

Three realistic implementation routes and what to watch for:

  • Host‑provided handler or cPanel form tools — check PHP version, SMTP limits, and any upload/attachment restrictions before relying on them.
  • Self‑hosted PHP endpoint — prefer an authenticated SMTP library (for example PHPMailer) over raw mail() to improve deliverability and avoid header injection issues; see the PHP docs for mail() caveats and PHPMailer on GitHub.
  • Static site + external form service (Formspree, Netlify Forms, etc.) when no server scripting is available.

Minimal checklist (use while building/testing):

  • Always validate and sanitize server‑side (do not trust HTML5 validation alone).
  • Prevent email header injection and rate‑limit submissions.
  • Add a spam countermeasure (honeypot field or CAPTCHA) and redirect to a thank‑you page after successful submit.
  • Make the form accessible: visible labels, logical tab order, clear error messages.

These steps provide a safer, more reliable contact form than copying markup from random sites; logging submissions to a local file during early tests helps diagnose server/SMTP issues before enabling live email.

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Member Avatar for autocrat

Okay... making a form is not reliant upon server side scripting... making the form do something often is.

On the upside, if all you are wanting is something for emails, then the chances are your host has some basic scripts/cgi/perl etc. that you can use, and that are fairly simple to implement.

One of hte more common ones is cgiemail.
It may be worth giving your hosts a quick call and asking what they have available, and what it can do.

Member Avatar for autocrat

Oh, and try not to copy those forms, as they are kind of "poor" examples of accessibility.

It would probably be worht making a few "practice forms" and getting the functionality working... then comming back and enquiring about improving the styling/accessibility of the form afterwards.

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