Using Your Web Host's Form-Processing Script

Your Web hosting company might provide a generic form-processing script that you can use to process your own CGI forms. If so, this is the simplest solution. All you generally have to do is point your form to the location of the form-processing CGI script, as well as include any hidden controls that might be required by the script to specify where you want the form responses sent and which page you want to be displayed as your confirmation page after the response has been successfully sent. Here's a fictitious example of what the start of your form might look like:

<form method="post" action="http://www.yourhost.com/
cgi-bin/sendmail.pl">
<input type=hidden name="to" value="yourname@yourhost.com">
<input type=hidden name="return-url"
value="http://yourhost.com/yourname/confirm.html">

Some form-processing CGI scripts require that you include the e-mail address you want to send form responses to as a hidden control (as shown in the example above). As with including a mailto e-mail link to your page, this can expose your e-mail address to being harvested by spambots. One workaround is to sign up for a free Web-mail address and use it for gathering form responses. Then if that address starts to get inordinately spammed, you just need to get a new Web-mail address. You can also install a form-processing CGI script that does not require that you expose your e-mail address.

If a Web host provides a form-processing CGI script, they usually do so by installing it in a personal cgi-bin folder that is available only to the Web site owner. This folder is normally located in the account holder's root folder (which is usually one folder up from the Web site's root folder). For more specific information on the exact codes you'll need to include in your HTML form and any configuration steps you might need to take to implement CGI forms in your site, contact your Web hosting company's technical support.

Using a Remotely Hosted Form-Processing Script

If your Web host does not provide access to a form-processing CGI script, there are a number of services available on the Web that let you use their form-processing CGI script to process your forms. This can be an easy way to add a CGI form to a site, since you normally don't have to do anything other than insert the appropriate codes in your form. These remote form-processing services are usually free to you, but generally display advertising on the confirmation page that is displayed after a form is submitted. Even if that is not appropriate to the site you're creating (your company might not want other companies' advertising to be generated from their site, for example), you can still use a remotely hosted form-processing script to test out a CGI form on your own local computer.

For lists of services offering access to remotely hosted form-processing CGI scripts, see the following resources on the Web:

• The CGI Resource Index at cgi.resourceindex.com/Remotely_Hosted/Form_Processing/

• FIND IT ONLINE
  CGIexpo.com at www.cgiexpo.com/Scripts/134_Remotely_Hosted_Mail_Management_Mail_Forms/

Installing Your Own Form-Processing CGI Script

If your Web host does not provide a form-processing CGI script that you can use to forward form responses, they may allow you to install and configure such a script on your own. To be able to do this, your Web host has to allow you to install and configure "custom" CGI scripts in your own personal cgi-bin folder. Many free Web hosting services do not offer this capability, however.