I need to add a contact form to my client’s website. Eventually we’ll use the contact information we are capturing for email marketing. I know there are a number of email marketing companies out there that allow you to connect directly to them, but we’re ready to implement something like that yet.
I have read that Perch will allow me to easily setup a form that will capture responses through their CMS control panel and even has the ability to download the captured information to a CSV file for use with popular email marketing solutions like Constant Contact, emma, etc.
So is Perch a good solution for this or will I be better served using something else?
So is Perch a good solution for this or will I be better served using something else?
Perch has a Forms app that has some nice default configuration/processing options. I guess it depends on the complexity of the form and what you need to with the submission as to how well the Form app will work for you. I think there’s a Form app video on their site.
I understand the concept of creating a custom Perch forms template, and placing it in the Perch/Templates/Content content folder, but how do I integrate that into my Freeway Pro webpage?
I understand the concept of creating a custom Perch forms template, and placing it in the Perch/Templates/Content content folder, but how do I integrate that into my Freeway Pro webpage?
After you create the form template add a new Perch tag to the FW page the same way you’ve been doing - in a Markup Item - to reference the template, just like any other Perch tag.
For example:
<?php perch_content('Contact Form'); ?>
In the Perch admin area you should now see a “Contact Form” link. Just assign the contact form template to that content region. After that it should appear under the Forms app region which you can then configure.
So, does the perch forms template need to be named something specific for the Perch Admin to understand that it’s there or is that done through the code that’s placed within the custom Perch template?
So, does the perch forms template need to be named something specific for the Perch Admin to understand that it’s there or is that done through the code that’s placed within the custom Perch template?
Whatever name you put in the Perch tag, e.g., “Contact Form” is what will show up in the Admin area so yes, that should be descriptive to it’s function. But the name of the actual template file you create can be anything though again something obvious is better so you can easily distinguish it from a long list of templates.
I built a site with 8 forms all using the Forms app and it works a treat. It took a bit of fiddling but it’s nice. But those forms were all very basic (name, email, message), I don’t know how or even if, more complex can built with the Forms app. I never tried or asked.
Todd, as you know, Rachel shows you how to setup basic form text fields, as well as a radio button option. Where can I find the HTML code for different types of form input, such as drop-down lists, check boxes, etc?
Todd, as you know, Rachel shows you how to setup basic form text fields, as well as a radio button option. Where can I find the HTML code for different types of form input, such as drop-down lists, check boxes, etc?
Wow, that’s really cool. Time to add another Safari bookmark. Thanks Todd!
When I was learning about code I found that my bookmarks were getting out of control and trying to find that one snippet I needed was almost impossible so I suggest you get a snippet manager, of which there are many. It will keep things organized and handy so when you’re writing your templates you’ll have it right there when you need it.
That’s a great idea. Does Coda have a snippet manager built into it?
I’m having a bit of a problem with my form. It’s working, but I can’t figure out how to increase the vertical spacing between the fields or how to make the text fields wider.
That’s a great idea. Does Coda have a snippet manager built into it?
Yes. It’s the one I primarily use but I also have Snippets which sees action on occasion. There are many decent options but any kind of clip manager will suffice, unless you want something geared towards code monkeys.
I’m having all sorts of fun with Coda. I kept updating my template, but it wasn’t changing. I finally figured out that when I saved the file, Coda wasn’t uploading the updated file to my server. Great.
Anyway, I figured out the line spacing, and now I know what
and tags are. Now I just need to figure out how to adjust the field widths.
Hey Todd, I’ve realized that Perch sometimes uses a non-standard implementation of HTML code to conform to their individual apps.
I’m currently trying to add some buttons to a form, but all of my buttons are showing up on a single line. I’d like them to be on separate lines, plus I’d like to add a little space between the button and the button text.
Now I just need to figure out how to adjust the field widths.