simpleContact forum topics

deyphibac157 on "Community"

deyphibac157 — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 17:44:42 +0000

No bad community, very no bad

Alex on "Installing simpleContact on Globat host"

Alex — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 09:53:06 +0000

Please note: These are general points, which apply to *any* application that uses sessions (e.g. for user login). They are not particular to simpleContact.

------------------------------------------

Session storage

In order to create a session, PHP must be able to create a session ID and save a session file (which stores information about application state) to a location on your server. This corresponds to a cookie (which also holds the session ID) that is stored by your browser.

Globat require that you add the following line of code to the top of your config file:

session_save_path("yourhomedirectorypath/cgi-bin/tmp");

Log into your control panel and see the PHP scripting page for the full path to your home directory.

Reference: Running PHP sessions (Globat knowledgebase)

angie on "Database connection error on submit"

angie — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 00:36:42 +0000

Hi Alex,

Just bought SCPro yesterday and installed it on a site today. Installation was a cinch and I got the form showing up on a test page on a production site. When I fill out the form, however, I get the following error:

"An error occurred when connecting to the database. Please check that you have configured and installed this system correctly."

Despite that error I see that the form info does write to the database and shows up in the SCPro admin area. I'm not sure what I'm missing.

I also noticed that if I log in to the admin, I get this error: "Error on line 1". If I refresh I'm taken to the inbox just fine.

Thanks!

angie on "Subscribe checkbox not working"

angie — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 17:58:46 +0000

Hi Alex,

The form itself is working great and the admin emails are getting received. However, when I test it to be included on the email list (either as single or double opt-in), the address doesn't get added to the list/DB. The admin email doesn't show that the option was checked. This is the case regardless of whether the Response option is on or off.

Once this is working, I aim to integrate your Campaign Monitor hack.

Thanks!

flynnyuk@gmail.com on "Custom Email to Admin"

flynnyuk@gmail.com — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 10:00:47 +0000

Hi, just like to say I have purchased simplecontactpro and it is great. It has saved me so much time and I love it.

Question is, can I edit the way an email is sent to me? For example, instead of the subject being 'A visitor has sent a message' can I change it to something else or add a standard footer to the email? This would be very useful and maybe should be an include on a further simplecontactpro update as a customisable option.

Also, I do get the dreaded error on line 1 when I log in, is this purely an error occurring from an update check?

Thanks

GregB on "Adding columns to the form"

GregB — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 01:48:04 +0000

Hello,

I just installed simpleContact Pro and would like the form divided into two columns. I'm looking for a custom field and a message field to display on the right hand side of the form. How would I achieve this? Thanks!

Here's a link to my form. It currently appears in an iframe so that my CMS (Joomla) can display it in an article.

http://www.stonebridgelandscaping.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=104&Itemid=80

Transmutator on "Install in SubFolder Failing"

Transmutator — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 18:11:13 +0000

I have a simple form in a subfolder that I thought I assembled according to instructions that I can't seem to get to working. I even added full URLs instead of relatives in order to try fixing. Here are my error messages:

Warning: require_once() [function.require-once]: URL file-access is disabled in the server configuration in /home/wayofthe/public_html/_course/apt096hw4-068t4n4-u667f494-qd2n7u64-10.php on line 3

Warning: require_once(http://www.wayoftheseeker.com/_course/simplecontact_pro/sc_admin/include/common.php) [function.require-once]: failed to open stream: no suitable wrapper could be found in /home/wayofthe/public_html/_course/apt096hw4-068t4n4-u667f494-qd2n7u64-10.php on line 3

Fatal error: require_once() [function.require]: Failed opening required 'http://www.wayoftheseeker.com/_course/simplecontact_pro/sc_admin/include/common.php' (include_path='.:/usr/lib/php:/usr/local/lib/php') in /home/wayofthe/public_html/_course/apt096hw4-068t4n4-u667f494-qd2n7u64-10.php on line 3

For the life of me I can not figure this out.

Alex on "Place asterisk for required fields after label text (Pro)"

Alex — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 19:50:57 +0000

This is a very simple hack. Some people prefer to show the * that indicates required fields after the label text, or to style it differently to the label text. This is how you can do both of those things.

Open sc_admin/include/contact.php

Change line 321 from this ...

if ($indicator_status == 1 && $data["required_status"] == 1) { $label = "* ".$label; }

... to this (all on one line) ...

if ($indicator_status == 1 && $data["required_status"] == 1) { $label = $label." <strong>*</strong>"; }

That will place the * after the label text, with a strong tag around it that you can use for styling. For example if you wanted the * to be red, add this to your CSS...

label strong { color: red; }

... that should do the job.

usrbin on "Custom fields in contact form message"

usrbin — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 02:06:20 +0000

It appears that the contact form message sent to folks that submit a form can only include the following fields: [title], [name_first] and [name_last]. I'd really like a way to echo all of the data submitted in the contact form message. I'd especially like to echo the info in the text box, i.e., their message.

haymaker on "jquery/ajax response instead of new page"

haymaker — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 20:53:26 +0000

What I'm trying to do is include the newsletter signup block to the sidebar of a website. However, any time the user hits the submit button, it goes to a new page. I'd like for it to stay on the same page with the result (either successful submission or email validation).

I'm a little familiar with jquery (mostly for aesthetic stuff) and not really familiar with ajax at all, but it seems like this could be done fairly easily with a little know-how. I just don't have it.

Thanks!
Chris

rainer on "radio, drop-down and checkbox problems"

rainer — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 01:54:12 +0000

Hello,

I was sailing along nicely using SC Pro for the first time but ran into a snag. The form posts correctly to a MySQL database as long as I don't include radios, drop-downs or checkboxes. If I add one of those the script hangs at the point in the form where the option is, and the browser throws this error:

"An error occurred when connecting to the database. Please check that you have configured and installed this system correctly."

I've experimented copiously and there is no doubt the script crashes at the point where it encounters one of these little devils.

When I remove the offender the script completes correctly and all data gets posted as it should.

I've examined the database and all seems to be okay there.

Both MSIE and Firefox show the same result.

Any ideas, advice, etc. whould be greatly appreciated.

Thank you.

nikki on "Layout issues!"

nikki — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 09:44:31 +0000

alex i hope you do not mind but can i ask you one last question - im having trouble with the layout of the form -

http://www.gite-adore.co.uk/contact.php

I have two problems with this - in internet explorer it moves the send and reset buttons up to the right of the form - it looks fine in firefox and safari!

the other problem i have is the calendar i would like the little calendar icons to appear after the the date boxes rather than underneath them!

thanks in advance for your help!

Nikki

nikki on "making visual changs to simple contact????"

nikki — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 10:48:00 +0000

Hi, please bear with me as i am new to all of this!

i need to make some visual changes to my simple contact form

here is my form at the moment

http://www.gite-adore.co.uk/contact.php

my original layout can still be seen on

http://www.gite-adore.co.uk/contactus.php

i want my simpleform to look as close to the original form as possible.

i have tried making a few changes to the css but his does not seem to change the look of the form at all and im not really syre why. Im am much better with html so if there is a html way of making changes this may be better for me.

i hope you can help as i seem to have hit a stand still at the moment

thanks nikki

matuvu on "future request"

matuvu — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 07:37:43 +0000

i have 2 simple(? ;) ) requests:
campaignmonitor linking (so you don't have to copy anymore)
and a wordpress plugin: so it can automaticly be connected to wordpress.
i think the last one is the most simple one...

but that would make me use it for several of my clients, definitely!

thx
keep up the good work!

Alex on "Campaign Monitor support for double opt-in mailing list"

Alex — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 16:43:03 +0000

I often recommend Campaign Monitor for sending emails to a mailing list. The CSV export functionality in simpleContact Pro makes the process of outputting your data, ready for importing into a newsletter system very easy.

It could be easier though. You could skip the export/import process altogether. With a simple code addition you can use the Campaign Monitor API to transfer subscriptions automatically.

I'm going to add this functionality to the double opt-in mailing list subscription process, rather than the single opt-in process. There are two reasons for this:

1) Campaign Monitor recommend using a double opt-in subscription process, because it helps to make sure you have a list of genuine email addresses from interested people.

2) It means you only have to add code to simpleContact Pro in one place. Subscriptions from either your contact form or mailing list subscribe form are covered. That place is the confirmation script.

--------------------------------------------------

1) Set the mailing list to double opt-in

You need to set simpleContact Pro's mailing list to double opt-in mode for this modification to be in effect.

Log into sc_admin and under "Mailing list" select the "Double opt-in" radio button and click "Save Change."

2) Get your Campaign Monitor API key and list ID

Log into your Campaign Monitor account. You need your API key (which you can find under "Account Settings") and the list ID for the mailing list you want to send new subscriptions to in Campaign Monitor. You'll find your list ID under "edit list name/type" inside the management page for your list.

3) Download the API PHP samples

Download the PHP sample file. It contains a collection of API usage examples in separate files. The only file that we need from the download is called CMBase.php

Copy it to your sc_admin/include folder. You don't need the downloaded samples, you can delete them.

4) Modify the list subscribe confirmation script

Open list_confirm.php

After line 3 add the following:

require_once 'sc_admin/include/CMBase.php';

After line 13 add the following:

if ($subscription = mysql_fetch_array($result)) {
$member_id = $subscription["member_id"];
$query = "SELECT name_full,email FROM $table_list_member WHERE id='$member_id'";
$member_result = mysql_query($query) or die(sql_err_handler($query, mysql_error()));
if ($member = mysql_fetch_array($member_result)) {
$name_full = $member["name_full"];
$email = $member["email"];
}
}

After line 24 add the following:

$api_key = 'YOUR API KEY HERE';
$client_id = null;
$campaign_id = null;
$list_id = 'YOUR LIST ID HERE';
$cm = new CampaignMonitor($api_key,$client_id,$campaign_id,$list_id);
$result = $cm->subscriberAdd($email,$name_full);

Upload this modified file to your server. You should now find that all new subscribers are automatically added to your list in Campaign Monitor.

Alex on "Can simpleContact Pro be used on multiple domains?"

Alex — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 15:48:14 +0000

To comply with the terms of the user license, you are required to buy additional licenses for each domain you use it on. I'm happy to say that people are doing so. However, there are a couple of things I can say to clarify my position:

* There is no serial code, encryption or other anti-piracy measure in simpleContact Pro. I prefer to trust my users and spend my time improving the product rather than developing such mechanisms (which a determined pirate could remove anyway).

* Although I don't actively prevent a user from buying a license of 'Pro and installing it on multiple domains, it does breach the license and I do not support unlicensed domains or users.

* I plan to offer a "developer" license option in 2009. You will be able to buy this license to use 'Pro on as many of your own websites as you wish. See the volume licensing thread for more information.

Alex on "Is there a volume license offer for simpleContact Pro?"

Alex — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 18:19:52 +0000

In the new year 2009 I will begin building a dedicated website for the simpleContact applications. I have registered simplecontactform.com which redirects to alex-hardy.co.uk/downloads at the time of writing.

As part of that new site I will introduce a "developer" license offering. In addition to the standard $25 single-domain license, you will be able to buy a license that entitles you to use it on as many of your own websites as you wish. This is ideal if you own several sites or you're a web designer working for clients.

See websites like diythemes.com for an example of this license structure.

Pricing is to be confirmed, but it will be less than the price of three single-domain licenses.

Pat32 on "Installation on Godaddy not working?"

Pat32 — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 01:50:16 +0000

Hi there,

I have tried to install the sc_config.php on godaddy and I cant seem to get it to work. I have even call in the help desk and they cant seem to figure out the problem. It would be very helpful if anyone can give a step by step instruction for a none local host installation (godaddy.com) thanks in advance.

Alex on "Recommendation: Do not use hyphens in your database name"

Alex — Mon, 11 May 2009 08:15:39 +0000

If you use a hyphen in your database name (e.g. "contact-us") an error may be returned. I always avoid using hyphens in database names or field names - I recommend instead that you use underscores for separators (e.g. "contact_us").

As this webpage puts it:

---------

"Better to stick to lower case column names consisting only of alphanumeric characters and the underscore character (MySQL column names cannot begin with a digit 0-9). This will make your MySQL project more portable across operating systems and system configurations. Even if it is legal to use the hyphen character in a MySQL database name or table name, avoid doing so as it will eventually cause problems (if a PHP script treats it as a minus sign when processing code, and you end up wasting hours trying to figure out what's wrong)."

http://www.hockinson.com/index.php?s=155

---------

I understand that some people are unable to change the name of their database (because it is assigned by their host). I will therefore investigate possible workarounds for databases with hyphenated names for a future version of the application.

Any update on this issue will be posted in this thread.

Alex on "Confirm email address field (Pro)"

Alex — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 10:49:36 +0000

Some people like to add a "confirm email address" field to their forms. This is a matter of personal taste (since users will often copy and paste the data they entered into the email address field), but it can help to prevent errors when users re-examine their submission.

Please note:

1) This is a "fake" field. It is not recognised by the form processor and no data is stored. The field exists only for validation purposes.

2) JavaScript is required for the validation to work.

------------------------------------------

1) Add HTML snippet

Log into sc_admin and navigate to the contact form builder page.

Create a HTML snippet and position it in the field order (I recommend immediately after the email address field). Paste the following code into it:

<div class="lbl"><label for="email_confirm">* Confirm Email Address</label></div><div class="obj"><input type="text" name="email_confirm" id="email_confirm" maxlength="100" value="" /></div>

2) Validation

Open sc_admin/js/forms.js

Find the function validateContact(). After the block of code that is titled TEXT FIELD / EMAIL add the following:

if (isValidEmail($("#email").val()) && $("#email_confirm").val() != $("#email").val()) {
$("#email_confirm").addClass("err").after("<p class=\"err\"><em>Please confirm your email address</em></p>");
}

This code says that if the user has entered a valid email address, the confirmation field must contain the same text or it will error. You may want to edit the validation error message that is on the second line of the above code.

This completes the process. You should now have a "confirm email address" field on your form.

Alex on "Checkbox to accept terms and conditions (Pro)"

Alex — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 10:32:43 +0000

On some sites it is necessary to add a checkbox option to accept terms and conditions or perhaps to vouch for your eligibility to complete the form (e.g. "I am over 18"). This is an easy way to add such a checkbox.

This hack is a variation on the previously written hack to make the contact form mailing list opt-in required. It involves creating an HTML snippet and adding some validation.

Please note:

1) This is a "fake" field. It is not recognised by the form processor and no data is stored. The field exists only for validation purposes.

2) JavaScript is required for the validation to work.

------------------------------------------

1) Add HTML snippet

Log into sc_admin and navigate to the contact form builder page.

Create a HTML snippet and position it in the form order as desired, and paste the following code into it:

<div class="lbl"><input type="checkbox" name="terms_accept" id="terms_accept" value="1" /> <label for="terms_accept">I have read and agree to the <a href="terms.html">terms and conditions</a></label></div>

Note that I have made the reference to terms and conditions in the label a link. You should amend this to point to your terms and add links for anything else needed (e.g. a privacy policy). Of course, if the purpose of this checkbox is to vouch for eligibility then links are probably not needed...

2) Validation

Open sc_admin/js/forms.js

Find the function validateContact() and the line of code inside it which says:

if ($("p.err").length > 0) { return false; }

Now add this block of code before that line:

if (!$("#terms_accept").is(":checked")) {
var mydiv = $("#terms_accept").parents("div")[0];
$(mydiv).after("<p class=\"err\"><em>Please accept the terms and conditions</em>");
}

You may want to edit the validation error message that is on the third line of the above code.

This completes the process. You should now have a required checkbox on your form.

jennienina on "Including contacts on "the list" without the opt-in"

jennienina — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 04:06:23 +0000

Hi Alex --

Thank you for making this app!

I am using this application as a way for people to enter a giveaway. There is no need for contacts to opt-in to an email newsletter -- so I want to leave the opt-in checkbox off.

However, I would like to be able to easily download this "list" using "Export List To CSV File"

None of my records will show in this file because contacts haven't checked that box.

Any solution for this?

Also --
It would be great if this "CSV File" could include all fields from tables form_post and form_post_data in a simple flat file --

possible?

Alex on "Add reCAPTCHA support (Pro)"

Alex — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 15:29:52 +0000

A small but vocal amount of users have asked for CAPTCHA support in simpleContact Pro.

I must say, I am not a fan of CAPTCHAs. I consider them to be inadequate from a usability and accessibility point of view and decent server-side validation can stop most spam. I use my own applications on my websites and receive practically no spam. I'm not too inflexible though to deny user's requests if they can be catered for by a straightforward hack, so here is my solution to CAPTCHA support.

Please note: As I indicated in my definition of a hack, this post doesn't indicate my intention to build a CAPTCHA into a general release.

------------------------------------------

reCAPTCHA is one of the better CAPTCHAs out there. It provides an audio alternative and also provides a useful service by helping to digitise books. I will use reCAPTCHA for this hack.

First, you must visit http://recaptcha.net and sign up for a free account. You can choose your own username and password and enter the domain (or domains) that you want to use reCAPTCHA on. You will be provided with a private key and a public key. You will need both of these to implement this hack.

1) Download reCAPTCHA PHP library

Download the reCAPTCHA PHP library and upload it to your sc_admin/include folder.

2) Modify contact form validation

Open sc_admin/include/contact.php

Add the following code from line 9:

include_once($include_directory."/recaptchalib.php");
$publickey = "YOUR-PUBLIC-KEY-HERE";
$privatekey = "YOUR-PRIVATE-KEY-HERE";

Add the following code from line 143 (on one line):

$resp = recaptcha_check_answer($privatekey,$_SERVER["REMOTE_ADDR"],
$_POST["recaptcha_challenge_field"],$_POST["recaptcha_response_field"]);

Add this code onto the next line:

if (!$resp->is_valid) { $errors["recaptcha"] = "reCAPTCHA entered incorrectly"; }

3) Modify contact form

Open contact.php

Find the line that says:

<?php showForm(); ?>

Add this code from the next line:

<?php
print recaptcha_get_html($publickey);
if (array_key_exists("recaptcha",$errors)) {
printf("<p class=\"err\"><em>%s</em></p>",$errors["recaptcha"]);
}
?>

If you view your contact form you should now have a working reCAPTCHA before the submit button.

Alex on "Add reCAPTCHA support (Lite)"

Alex — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 19:55:36 +0000

This is a version of the reCAPTCHA support hack for simpleContact Lite. See the version for simpleContact Pro for additional background information.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

You can view a live demo of this hack to see the end result of the process.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The steps to implementing it are as follows:

1) Download reCAPTCHA PHP library

Download the reCAPTCHA PHP library and upload it to your sc_admin/include/contact folder.

2) Modify contact form validation

Open sc_admin/include/contact/posted.php

Add the following code from line 2:

$publickey = "YOUR-PUBLIC-KEY-HERE";
$privatekey = "YOUR-PRIVATE-KEY-HERE";

Add the following code from line 186 (on one line):

$resp = recaptcha_check_answer($privatekey,$_SERVER["REMOTE_ADDR"],
$_POST["recaptcha_challenge_field"],$_POST["recaptcha_response_field"]);

Add this code onto the next line:

if (!$resp->is_valid) { $err_recaptcha = "reCAPTCHA entered incorrectly"; }

3) Modify contact form

Open contact.php

Add this code after line 4:

require_once 'sc_admin/include/contact/recaptchalib.php';

Before the form submit button add these lines:

<?php
print recaptcha_get_html($publickey);
if (isset($err_recaptcha)) { printf("<p class=\"err\">%s</p>",$err_recaptcha); }
?>

4) CSS changes

Open screen.css

Find the line that says:

div.obj p {

Replace it with:

div.obj p, p.err {

If you visit your contact form in your web browser you should now have a reCAPTCHA with working validation.

suefleming on "Multiple Contact Forms"

suefleming — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 22:24:26 +0000

I've just installed Simple Contact Pro and am in the process of integrating it with a website.

I actually need to either a) be able to create multiple contact forms, each with a different "thank you" page or b) use a single form, but somehow be able to display a specific "thank you" page depending on the situation.

Is there a simple way to do this?
Thanks in advance, so far I'm very happy with the product.

capellt on "removing the * for required field for pro version"

capellt — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 18:58:32 +0000

Is there a way to hide the * for the required field but still leave them set at required.
Here's an example of what I'm wanting. We want to add the * but have it on the outside of the label. I created on in CSS with some negative margin to get it to float to the left, but want to now remove the other one.

http://impact.fhdkc.com/contact/contact.php

kteicher on "Mail to admin not being received..."

kteicher — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 01:59:20 +0000

Hi:

I have RESPONSE turned on, and the user does receive the generic email.

However, the admin is not receiving the "a visitor has sent a message" email.

I used the admin address as a user, and response email was received. So, I am confused on why the admin email is not getting sent/delivered.

Keith

thisisrealnifty on "Money Back?"

thisisrealnifty — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 19:10:46 +0000

Hi, This is a great product but I have found its not as flexible as I thought it would be. The major things were that I couldn't format the emails to be HTML with tables and arrange the data as a form for easy printing.

Anyway, I was wondering how I could get my money back. Once again, its a great program, its just not what I was looking for.

d3creative on "Where are you using simpleContact?"

d3creative — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 14:09:12 +0000

I'm a freelance graphic designer and I've used simpleContact on my own website www.d3-creative.com with much success. It's really easy to add to your own site and very simple to style.

The documentation supplied (via PDF) is clear and easy to understand.

If you want a fully featured email form with rock solid spam protection - this is it!

Alex on "Forum rules (please read before posting)"

Alex — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 08:59:43 +0000

Here are some rules for this forum, inspired by those on the Joomla forums. I am writing these as guidelines to help keep this forum as friendly, efficient and useful as possible for all.

Failure to abide by these rules may result in editing or deletion of your post. I reserve the right to ban abusers from the site. I reserve the right to alter these rules over time.

---------------------------------

1) All posts must be in English. I am unable to respond to posts in any other language.

2) This website is operated in the United Kingdom. The time zone is GMT. If you are based in another time zone please consider this when awaiting a response.

3) Keep posts on-topic.

4) Keep it friendly. Bad language or harassment of either myself or other forum members will not be tolerated.

5) Do not discuss illegal activities. Please do not expose this website to any unnecessary legal liability.

6) Do not link to any site that contains adult content, sexually oriented material or might otherwise be considered offensive. Any post containing an inappropriate link will be deleted.

7) Do not propose/link to any site that contains warez/copyrighted software/materials that can be downloaded illegally.

8) Please use the search tool provided to check that your question has not been answered already in the forums before posting a new thread.

9) Post your comment/question to the most appropriate place. Any posts deemed to be in the wrong forum will be moved. Do not cross-post the same question to multiple places.

10) Use your own words. If you wish to use the words of somebody else, quote them, citing the source. Plagiarism is unethical and is illegal in many countries.

11) Choose an appropriate subject line. Try to summarise a problem briefly in the subject, and elaborate in the message itself. Repeat the subject in the body if it will make things clearer. Do not use all caps and do not add false information to attract attention. An example of a poor subject would be "Help me". A good subject might be, "x errors when I do y". Do not use a URL as a thread title.

12) Do not use this forum for self-promotion except in threads where it has been specifically permitted.

13) Do not divulge any private information on this forum about your self (e.g. your postal address), financial information (e.g. your credit card details) or website configuration (e.g database passwords). If you need to supply me with this information please contact me privately.

14) Support for simpleContact Lite is free to all, but support for simpleContact Pro is provided exclusively to verifiable license holders in accordance with the terms of the user license. Support requests from unlicensed individuals will be deleted.