Mailto Help
To provide a link to a simple form to allow browsers to send feedback,
simply link to your mailto ID. For example:
<a href="/mailto/helpdesk">Helpdesk Feedback</a>
If the page you are linking from is not on https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/, you'll need to provide an absolute URL:
<a href="http://www.lancaster.ac.uk/mailto/helpdesk">Helpdesk Feedback</a>
What Next?
The simple form shows a generic 'thankyou' page
after the user has submitted feedback.
To provide your own page in place of this, add ?NEXT_URL=url
to the link. For example:
<a href="/mailto/helpdesk?NEXT_URL=/iss/">Helpdesk Feedback</a>
You can also use this technique
to specify a default subject line on the simple form.
Advanced use
You can also use the Feedback system as a form handler.
Notice that the ID, NEXT_URL and subject have been given as hidden fields,
so that the user will not be shown them, and cannot (easily) change them.
For example, the following HTML:
<form action="/mailto/steveb" method=POST>
<input type=hidden name="subject" value="survey response">
<input type=hidden name="NEXT_URL" value="/mailto/help2">
<input type=hidden name="MSG_FIELDS" value="name,email,surveyq1,surveyq2,surveyq3">
<br>Your Name: <input name="name" size=40 value="">
<br>Your Email: <input name="email" size=40 value="">
<p>Q1. Do you like the mailto service?
<br><input type=radio name="surveyq1" value="yes">Yes
<br><input type=radio name="surveyq1" value="no">No
<p>Q2. Do you think you'll use it much?
<br><input type=radio name="surveyq2" value="yes">Yes
<br><input type=radio name="surveyq2" value="no">No
<br><input type=radio name="surveyq2" value="maybe">Maybe
<p>Q3. What will you use it for?
<br><input type=checkbox name="surveyq3[]" value="mailto"> Replacement for mailto: URLs
<br><input type=checkbox name="surveyq3[]" value="forms"> Complex form handling
<br><input type=checkbox name="surveyq3[]" value="other"> Other stuff
<input type=submit value="OK""><br>
</form>
Produces a form like this:
Things to notice:
- Fields like 'subject' and 'NEXT_URL' can be configured within the form as "hidden" fields.
This hides them from view, and prevents the user from easily modifying them.
- other input types, such as radio buttons and checkboxes, can be used.
- When using an input type that supports multiple simultaneous values (like a checkbox),
the name used to hold the result must be specified as an array ("thing[]" instead of "thing"),
otherwise only one value will be returned.
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