[CLUE-Tech] HTML forms and printing

[Keith Hellman]

Just found a reference for HTML forms delivery to an Email address:
http://www.scan.org/scanplex/train/usiweb/part3b.htm
(look at the page source, find the <FORM METHOD=POST ACTION=mailto:...>
line).

--- Keith Hellman <kehellman at yahoo.com> wrote:
> Kevin:
> 
> Your situation sounds like the following:
> 1>  Your serving Word documents (as forms) that your recipients usually
> A>
> print out and fill out, B> fill out (in word) then print, or C> fill out
> in word, save, and send back to you.
> 2>  You may be providing these forms from static source (not a web
> server), so you haven't been using form submission via CGI
> 3>  You (or whoever was doing these forms beforehand) are using a web
> server, but haven't (due to time, skill set...) used CGI functionality.
> 
> Any or all of the above may be true, and I would suggest the same thing:
> DESIGN THE FORM IN HTML
> * Make it a very simple HTML page, something with a header describing
> form
> version, don't use fancy fonts or anything like that, just very plain
> vanilla HTML.
> * Even if you have not done CGI programming before, or perhaps you don't
> have access to implement CGI on the server, or perhaps you aren't even
> using a server (perhaps your delivering this content in ZIP files or
> CD-ROM?); I'm pretty sure you can setup POST html forms for delivery to
> an
> EMAIL address.  I don't have my HTML ref with me (its at work), but I'm
> pretty sure this is doable.  Letting your user fill out the form in
> their
> browser, then having it delivered to your (or a special) email address,
> is
> very efficient.
> * If some the target form users won't have WWW access, they can still
> print this nice simple form out with their printer, fill it in by hand,
> and snail mail it to you.
> * The only thing your missing (vs the current Word scenario) is the
> ability for users to edit the Word document and send it back to you
> electronically - but I would argue that this is equivilent to them
> completing the HTML form in their browser and having the result sent
> back
> to you via POST/EMAIL.
> 
> BUT WAIT! THERES MORE!
> * If you do want to provide a pretty print version, then do it with
> cascading style sheets!  Keep the logic (in the plain vanilla HTML file)
> the same, simply reference a style sheet from it.
> * Design the CSS sheet appropriately, then open the form in a recent
> version of Netscape (or any descent CSS aware browser), print the form
> to
> a postscript file, then run ps2pdf and create a PDF file.  PDFs (IMHO)
> are
> the ONLY way to gaurantee consistant printouts across client apps, OSs,
> and printers.
> * Provide this PDF file with (perhaps with a link to it) from the
> original
> HTML file when you deliver the form (through static or dynamic means).
> * You could go so far as to have a number of CSS layout sheets, each one
> would simply need a separate Save As op and ps2pdf operation.
> * I should also point out that if you deliver a style sheet with the
> HTML
> form, it (the HTML form) won't look so plain vanilla after all ;^)
> 
> There is an 'html2ps' command in many linux distros (part of sgml or
> libhtml?), but I don't know if it is CSS aware.
> 
> HTH - and Happy Hacking.
> 
> 
> --- Kevin Cullis <kevincu at orci.com> wrote:
> > Hi all,
> > 
> > I've just started working with HTML forms and I'd like some
> suggestions
> > from you all.  The problem is that I'm sending out Word forms and it's
> > causing problems with formatting with different versions of Word as
> well
> > as not getting 100% of the people, i.e. those that DON'T have Word,
> like
> > myself.
> > 
> > So, I'd like to propose an HTML form which will, once filled out,
> would
> > be printable and printed by each person after the text is cut and
> pasted
> > into the forms. I've seen the "Printer version" icon on most sites so
> I
> > was wondering what you all thought.
> > 
> > Can anyone point me in the right direction and/or what issues/problems
> > I'd have with this?
> > 
> > TIA
> > 
> > Kevin
> > _______________________________________________
> > CLUE-Tech mailing list
> > CLUE-Tech at clue.denver.co.us
> > http://clue.denver.co.us/mailman/listinfo/clue-tech
> 
> 
> =====
> Keith E. Hellman
> kehellman at yahoo.com
> 
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=====
Keith E. Hellman
kehellman at yahoo.com

__________________________________________________
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