Create a form using HTML:

–use Dreamweaver to create basic form elements

simple example
complex example

• Never put spaces in any web file names
• Only use letters and numbers in file names
  
  
• Layout your form and name your variables FIRST
• Use simple names for all form objects
  
  
• download Dreamweaver Forms PDF from Macromedia

Create a merge.txt file for your form:

–include all variables in the form of an email message

simple example
complex example

• can be done in Dreamweaver, saved as .txt file
• place variable names in brackets: [variable]

Create a display.txt file for your form:

–this is a simple web page that appears after submission
it is important to tell the user the submission worked

simple example
complex example

• can be done in Dreamweaver, then saved as .txt file
• place variable names in brackets: [variable]
      (to make your feedback customized!)

Connect your web form with e-merge:

–edit your HTML form to tell it what action to take:
      <form name="name" method="post" action="http://abacus.bates.edu/cgi-bin/e-merge
/path to files/merge.txt&display=
/path to files/display.txt">

"name" = a name for your form (whatever makes sense)
/path to files/ = location on abacus of merge.txt & display.txt

EXAMPLE URL FOR FORM:

http://abacus.bates.edu/~rrichar2/form/

EXAMPLE FORM TAG:

<form name="formTEST" method="post" action="http://abacus.bates.edu/cgi-bin/e-merge
/~rrichar2/form/merge.txt&display=
/~rrichar2/form/display.txt">

Publish all three files to the same web directory:

–index.html (HTML form), merge.txt, display.txt

• Never put spaces in any web file names
• Only use letters and numbers in file names
• Be sure permissions are set so that others may read
  

Test your work:

–try every different combination of responses
–be sure that your variables are coded correctly