How To Use Form Parameters

The form processor pre-defined parameters can be used to easily manipulate the way in which the form processor handles your form. This is done by setting values to particular parameters. For example, if you want the contents of the form to be emailed to mbox@yourdom.com, you could simply set the value of the email pre-defined parameter to that address. When you set the value of the email parameter to an address, the form processor automatically mails the contents of that form to that email address.

There are two ways to set a value of a parameter:

• By setting the parameter value in the form's configuration file, or
• By having a form input field of the same name as the parameter (some parameters cannot be set this way).

For example, if the only thing you want to specify about the handling of your form is the email address to which it is sent (that is, you want it to go to some other address than your_userid@webcom.com, where the form would be sent by default), you could simply create a hidden field in the form which sets the value:

<INPUT TYPE=hidden NAME=email VALUE="mbox@mydom.com">

Alternatively, you could create a configuration file in your form directory and set the email address in that file:

$email="mbox@mydom.com";

Either method results in the form's data being emailed to the address "mbox@mydom.com" each time somebody submits the form.

Parameter settings in the configuration file have the general form:

$parameter_name="value";

Here are some are some of the things you can have the form processor do just by setting a pre-defined parameter to the appropriate value:

• send the data to an address other than your default forwarding address, or multiple email addresses. [email]
• accumulate the data to a file instead of or as well as being mailed to an email address. [file]
• Change the delimiter characters (e.g., use single quotes instead of double quotes for your data file). [f_delimiter]
• Display a message to the user after the form is submitted other than the default message (which simply says "Your data has been submitted. Thank You."). [screen]

For a complete list of Forms Processor parameters, please see the next section of this documentation entitled List of Parameters.