Web Based Application - Rough Draft

[trentpmcd]

I’ve posted my draft email application form for testing and comments.

I am sure we will want all web pages dealing with the GPO Academy to have a consistent look (i.e., share a single style sheet) so I did not do very much as far as background colors, fonts, images, etc. Before we go live with it we should discuss these things.

What I am looking for now is ease of use, layout changes you might want and anything else I may have missed.

For the instructors I scanned the posts here and tried to include everyone who volunteered. I put them down in the order I found them so don’t be paranoid by your placement on the list. If I missed you or added you by accident, please let me know. I tried to use both real names and forum handles (when not obvious). If I missed your real name and you would like it posted, let me know.

Anyway, here it is –

http://www.webalice.it/gpoacademy/gpo-academy-application-form.html

[cptexas]

What's an http server and all that technical jazz?
I have no clue what it all means!

Chris

[trentpmcd]

What's an http server and all that technical jazz?
I have no clue what it all means!

Chris
Oh, oh - what are you seeing? When I open it I see a form with information to fill out about the GPO acdemy. write down what you are seeing and I'll try to figure it out. I tried the link on several computers and they all seem to work...

[Fabio]

I’ve posted my draft email application form for testing and comments.

I am sure we will want all web pages dealing with the GPO Academy to have a consistent look (i.e., share a single style sheet) so I did not do very much as far as background colors, fonts, images, etc. Before we go live with it we should discuss these things.

What I am looking for now is ease of use, layout changes you might want and anything else I may have missed.

For the instructors I scanned the posts here and tried to include everyone who volunteered. I put them down in the order I found them so don’t be paranoid by your placement on the list. If I missed you or added you by accident, please let me know. I tried to use both real names and forum handles (when not obvious). If I missed your real name and you would like it posted, let me know.

Anyway, here it is –

http://trentsworld.com/music/gpo-academy/gpo-academy-application-form.html

It seems ok. Nice work, many thanks. If we will find something new to add, i think you will quickly update.

:)

[Looper]

Oh, oh - what are you seeing? When I open it I see a form with information to fill out about the GPO acdemy. write down what you are seeing and I'll try to figure it out. I tried the link on several computers and they all seem to work...

I'm seeing the proper form. Are interested students supposed to fill out the form now or is this just a test to make sure everything is working?

[Fabio]

I SAY: IT WORKS!

WE ARE RECEIVING ADHESIONS!

THANKS Trent, really! :cool:

[jesshmusic]

I SAY: IT WORKS!

WE ARE RECEIVING ADHESIONS!

THANKS Trent, really! :cool:

Just curiously, are you going to be placing the students yourself?

[Joseph Burrell]

Well, we'll see if mine went through. :)

[trentpmcd]

I just put it on the gpoacademy web site - lets see how it goes - try this -
http://www.webalice.it/gpoacademy/gpo-academy-application-form.html

[Joseph Burrell]

So, I'm to take it, mine didn't go through? :confused:

[Fabio]

I confirm that the dedicated mail box is collecting all adhesions, you too Joseph!

Doesn't matter if from old or new web site. :)

[trentpmcd]

So, I'm to take it, mine didn't go through? :confused:
It should have - I haven't looked at the mail yet. I just copied the html file from my webspace to the gpoacademy webspace - I didn't change the form at all.

[trentpmcd]

Fabio - time to start a new thread stating taking applications instead of rough draft?

[Fabio]

Fabio - time to start a new thread stating taking applications instead of rough draft?

Absolutely! Thanks for the support!

[cptexas]

Oh, oh - what are you seeing? When I open it I see a form with information to fill out about the GPO acdemy. write down what you are seeing and I'll try to figure it out. I tried the link on several computers and they all seem to work...
When I click 'submit', I see a couple of popups that say about the email sending and that my email addressmight not be private, which I don't mind, and then an internet connection wizard comes up.
It asks me for a display name, I type 'cptexas' in and click 'next'
Then it asks me for my email address, I enter it and click 'next'
Then the technical stuff starts coming up. I see 'my incoming server is a (POP3, IMAP, or HTTP) server'
Then it asks me for my incoming mail server and my outgoing mail server.
I can never get past here because I don't know of any valid HTTP, IMAP, or POP3 servers.

HELP!!!!!

Chris

[trentpmcd]

Chris,

How do you usually do email? Do you use something like America Online?

The problem is your e-mail client is not set up (which it doesn’t need to be to use AOL). I’m pretty sure you can tell your browser (MS IE?) to use whatever mail client you use including AOL.

Hmmm. Let me think.

If you use something else beside Outlook for mail (like AOL) and Internet Explorer try the following –

1. Click the tools menu in Internet Explorer.
2. Click Internet Options
3. Click the Programs tab
4. Click the drop down for e-mail (it should presently say Outlook).
5. Choose the e-mail client you use (like AOL)
6. Click OK.

I don’t have Netscape on this computer so I don’t know for it.

Anyway, if this doesn’t work, post the Internet browser you are using and the e-mail client you usually use.

Hope this helps.

[cptexas]

Chris,
Anyway, if this doesn’t work, post the Internet browser you are using and the e-mail client you usually use.

Hope this helps.
Mine didn't show up on the programs menu. I use AT&T webmail with Mircosoft internet explorer.

Chris

[cptexas]

Is there any way I can just email Fabio or another instructor to sign up without using the form?

Chris

[Fabio]

Is there any way I can just email Fabio or another instructor to sign up without using the form?

Chris

YES:

WRITE THE SAME CONTENT TO:

gpoacademy@aliceposta.it

:)

All teachers already have, or will have soon access to the mail box

[trentpmcd]

This is not a good way to do a web form - you should use a server side language such as PHP so that 1) your email address is not exposed as it is now 2) the sender gets a confirmation page returned showing what they have just filled in and 30 you would get a properly formatted email with question headings etc which you are not getting at the moment - then sender could actually mess with the questions right now.

Also it's possible to send a blank form at the moment - this should be set up so that certain information needed is filled in correctly before the form can be sent.
For example a valid email address would have to be given etc.

HTH
I understand your concerns. Yes, it was a quick fix and there are better ways of doing it. However, I don’t think it’s as bad as you make it out.

The form comes over perfectly readable so no problems there.

Yes, it is possible to send a blank form. It is also possible to send one with bogus info.

This is just a simple email so your info is as secure as any other email. I can’t see why you’d be concerned about your email address as part of an email – all that info is sent as plain text as part of any email anyway – if a hacker intercepted your email, he’d have your email address, so what difference does it make if it is included in the email? Anyway, if a user leaves out the email address we still get an email from the user with that address.

You are correct that there you do not have feedback on what was sent. I made a little JavaScript to pop up that the email was sent. MS IE also gives two warnings about sending an email. So there is conformation that the email was sent, just no conformation on what was actually in the email. I agree that is a problem. After the fact you can check your sent mail and see what you have sent, but that is not a good solution.

The best solution, of course, would be a server side script running on a secure server. UNIX GURU kindly offered us the use of a secure server and we may do it.

It most likely, however, won’t be me doing it. I did a lot of Perl programming back in the late 90s and earlier this century, but it’s been a few years. Thank goodness I knew what I was doing then because I don’t now – if one of my programs had a problem I don’t know if I would be able to fix it. Right now I want to concentrate on writing music, not writing programs.

Anyway, thank you for your concerns. If somebody wants to redo this form I will help them out but I cannot do it myself.

[Scott Cairns]

Hi, Andrew is actually quite right. Also your form relies on someone having a mail client installed on their machine. What if they have a Hotmail account?

The mailto: action in your form tag wont work in that case.

There's plenty of free php, asp, cgi, etc, form mailers, it would be best to make use of one of them and let the mail sending occur server-side.

Good job on the form though.

[Fabio]

The best practice site is what we agree with here. Everything is meaningful and correct. BUT:

We need now the little time and experience of a programmer. Not only good suggestions.

The site and the orderform are today working in this way not because we are convinced that it's the best, but simply because of me and Trent, realizing what we are able and what we have time to do.

If somebody can make it, please let us know, and I give immediately access to our actual resources.

Thanks in advance