How do I add an Order Form that Can be Filled out and Mailed

**Barnum** · Oct 21, 2012 15:27

Okay, it's me again....sorry. I am trying to help out a friend and do a website for him (I know it's the bling leading the blind). I have his index page laid out fine, but I have never had to insert an order form link before.
It's the usual, customer name, address, model number, price, etc... He is a knive maker.

I tried doing an html page only to find out that you cannot type data on it (suspect it has to be PDF?) Can anyone please offer a suggestion or clue on how to do this?

Many thanks as usual,
Dick

All I have so far....http://www.stoutstandards.com/Knives6.html

**Barnum** · Oct 21, 2012 15:28

The links above just take you to my site for now....meant to say that....sorry. I am waiting for photos, prices, etc. which I should be able to handle. The ordering form is my quandry right now...

**ralph.m** · Oct 21, 2012 17:00

Hi Dick. You can place a form on a page easily enough. It's <form> element, with various other inputs etc. But the tricky bit is getting anything to happen when the form is submitted. That requires programming ... ugh!

Here is a site that creates form for you, which might be worth considering:

Wufoo.com

**Barnum** · Oct 21, 2012 17:40

When you say programming I assume you mean something other than CSS or Html?

**ralph.m** · Oct 21, 2012 18:00

Originally Posted by Barnum

When you say programming I assume you mean something other than CSS or Html?

Yes, something like PHP.

Many people recommend Wufoo, so do check it out. It does all the hard work for you.

**oddz** · Oct 21, 2012 22:13

Building an ecommerce site is no small task. Given your level of knowledge you would be best off using either a provider, wordpress + plugins or something more robust like Magento (ecommerce cms). Either way your probably looking at spending over a hunred hours figuring it all out with your current level of knowledge. It is all much much more than just a form. The HTML for the form is the least significant part of it all. Also there are a lot of security implications that come into play with transactions. You can't just simply have people send credit card information in an email. That would open your friend up to a whole world of hurt legally.

**TechnoBear** · Oct 22, 2012 03:42

If all you need is a form that is going to be printed off and mailed, then you're right - the easiest way to do that is with a PDF. Make your PDF form and insert a link to it in the usual way. e.g. <a href="orderform.pdf">Order Form</a>

If you don't already have software that will generate a PDF, you can try OpenOffice, which is free. Simply create your form in OpenOffice Writer, and then use the "Export as PDF" option to convert to PDF. If you check the "Create PDF form" box, you will get a PDF which can be typed in by the customer; otherwise, they'll need to print it off and fill it in the old-fashioned way.

Hope that helps.

**Barnum** · Oct 22, 2012 10:22

So is all this a waste of time?

Code:

<html>
<title>Order Form</title>
<head>

<style>




 h1 {font-size: 25px;}
   h2 {font-size: 35px;}
   h3 {font-size: 30px;}
  h4 {font-size: 20px:}
  h5 {font-size: 22px;}
  text {font-weight: bold;}

  
  
  
  </style>
  




</head>
<body>

<body bgcolor="tan">  
  <body topmargin="50">
<body leftmargin="50">

<font color="black">



<h2><center><font color="#993333"><b>ANTHONY STOVALL CUSTOM KNIVES</center></h2>
<br>
<h3><center>Order Form</center></font></h3>


<font color="black">
  <br>



<form action="form-to-email.php" method="post">
   <div>
    <label for="txtname">Name:</label>
    <input type="text" name="txtname" id="txtname"/>
  
  
  <label for="txtaddress">Address:</label>
  <input type="text" address="txtaddress" id="txtaddress"/>

  
  <label for="txtcity">City:</label>
  <input type="text" name="City" id="txtCity/">
  
 
  <label for="txtstate">State:</label>
  <input type="text" name="State" id="txtstate"/>
  </div>
  <br>
 
 
  <label for="txtzipcode">Zip Code:</label>
  <input type="text" name="ZipCode"= id="Zip Code"/>
 
    
    <label for="txtcontacttel">Home Phone:</label>
    <input type="text" name="Home Phone" id="txtHomePhone/">
   
  
  <label for="txtCellPhone">Cell Phone:</label>
    <input type="text" name="cellphone" id="Txtcellphone"/>
    
     
    <label for="txtEmailAddress">Email Address:</label>
    <input type="text" name="Email" id="txtEmail"/>
    
</div>
<br>
  
  <font color="#993333">***********************************************************************************************************************</font>
  <br>
  <br>
  <div>
  <label for="city">Knife Model:</label>
  <input type="text" name="Knife Model" id="Knife Model">
  
   <label for="address">Base Price:</label>   
  <input type="text" name="txtBasePrice" id="txtBase Price"/>
  
  </div>
  <br>
   <div>
    <label for="txtname">Blade Steel:</label>
    <input type="text" name="txtBladeSteel" id="txtBladeSteel">
    
    <label for="txtextraprice">Extra Price:
    <input type="text" name="txtExtraPrice" id="txtExtraPrice"/>
    
    </div>
    <br>
    <div>
  
    <label for="txtname">Handle Material:</label>
    <input type="text" name="Handle Material" id="txtHandleMaterial"/>
    
     <label for="txtextraprice">Extra Price:
    <input type="text" name="txtExtraPrice" id="txtExtraPrice"/>
    </div>
    <br>
    <div>
    
    <label for="txtname">Bolster Material:</label>
    <input type="text" name="txtBolsterMaterial" id="txtBolsterMaterial"/>
   
    
    
    <label for="txtextraprice">Extra Price:</label>
    <input type="text" name="txtExtraPrice" id="txtExtraPrice"/>
    
     </div>
    <br>
    <div>
    
    
    
     <label for="txtname">Rear bolster/pommel:
    <input type="text" name="realbolster/pommel" id="txtReal Bolster/pummel"/>
    
    <label for="txtextraprice">Extra Price:</label>
    <input type="text" name="txtExtraPrice" id="txtExtraPrice"/>
    </div>
  
    
    
    
    <br>
   
   <div>
    
    <label for="txtname">Front Bolster/guard:</label>
    <input type="text" name="txtFrontBolster/guard" id="txtfrontbolster/guard"/>
    
    
    <label for="txtextraprice">Extra Price:
    <input type="text" name="txtExtraPrice" id="txtExtraPrice"/>
   </div>
   <br>
   <div>
  
  <label for="txtname">Thong hole:</label>
  <input type="text" name="txtThonghole" id="txtThonghole/">
   
    
   
   
  
  <label for="txtname">Finish: Brush</label>
  <input type="text" name="txtThonghole" id="txtThonghole/">
  
   <label for="txMirror">Mirror
    <input type="text" name="txtMirror" id="txtMirror"/>
   
   <label for="txLeftorRightHanded">Left of Right handed?
    <input type="text" name="txtMirror" id="txtMirror"/>
   
   </div>
   <br>
   <div>
   
    <label for="txtextraprice">File Work:
    <input type="text" name="txtExtraPrice" id="txtExtraPrice"/>
   
   
   <label for="txtPrice">Price:
    <input type="text" name="txtPrice" id="txtPrice"/>
   
  
  
  </div>
  <br>
  <div>
    
   <div>
   
    <label for="txtTotalPrice">Total Price:
    <input type="text" name="txtExtraPrice" id="txtExtraPrice"/>
   
   
   <label for="txtPrice">Deposit:
    <input type="text" name="txtDeposit" id="txtDeposit"/>
    
      <label for="txtBalanceDue">Balance due:
    <input type="text" name="txtBalancedue" id="Balancedue"/>
    </div>
    
    <br>
   <font color="#993333">***********************************************************************************************************************</font>
    
    <br>
    <br>
    
   <div>
   
   <label for="txtSheathMaterial">Sheath Material: (Leather, Kydex, exotic, other)</label>
    <input type="text" name="SheathMaterial" id="txtSheathMaterial"/>
    
    
    <label for="txtTooling">Tooling: (basketweave, plain,etc.)</label>
    <input type="text" name="Tooling" id="txtTooling"/>
    </div>
    <br>
    <div>
     <label for="txtColor">Color: (Tan, black or other)</label>
    <input type="text" name="txtColor" id="txtColor"/>
  
   <label for="txtApproximateSheathColor">Approximate Sheath Price:</label>
    <input type="text" name="txtApproximateSheathPrice" id="txtApprixmateSheathColor"/>
  
  
    
     
  </div>
  <br>
  <p>Additional Info</p>
  
  <textarea name="additional Info" rows="8" cols="56"></textarea>
  <br>
  
  <br>
  <table>
  <tr>
  
  <td>Submit:</td>
  <td><input type="text" name="submit"></td>
  
  
  
  </tr>
  </table>
  
  
  </body>
  </html>

**Barnum** · Oct 22, 2012 10:24

Also my friend will be accepting credit cards....

**Barnum** · Oct 22, 2012 11:53

Sorry WILL NOT BE ACCEPTING cc'S

**oddz** · Oct 22, 2012 11:56

Well you would need to create all the programming logic to process the form. That would be quit an undertaking for someone with no programming experience. Not to mention plagued with points of failure and security issues like just about everyones first experience programming.

**TechnoBear** · Oct 22, 2012 12:28

Originally Posted by Barnum

Sorry WILL NOT BE ACCEPTING cc'S

Does that mean he wants folk to mail him the order form with a cheque? In that case, the PDF option is by far the easiest way.

(In my experience, trying to design an HTML page that will print in an acceptable manner on any printer, with any operating system, is a nightmare.)

**Barnum** · Oct 22, 2012 12:55

Okay, you have convinced me to bow out of all this. I will either come with a page that says call me, or let him find someone else.
Thanks again,
Dick

**ralph.m** · Oct 22, 2012 17:29

Originally Posted by Barnum

Okay, you have convinced me to bow out of all this. I will either come with a page that says call me, or let him find someone else.
Thanks again,
Dick

Did you check out Wufoo? It's worth letting your friend know about it, even if you are bowing out.

**Barnum** · Oct 22, 2012 18:14

Wufoo doesn't allow more than about ten entries or lines, and then you have to pay....I live on SS and cannot afford. Thanks....

**ralph.m** · Oct 22, 2012 18:35

Off Topic:

Originally Posted by Barnum

I live on SS and cannot afford.

Shouldn't it be your friend with the business who pays?

**Barnum** · Oct 22, 2012 18:39

Yes, but we are both in the same boat. Please, it's no big deal. I will work out a way for people to order from him....

**Stomme poes** · Oct 23, 2012 09:24

Bear:
This was my attempt a few years ago:
http://stommepoes.nl/Scooterverzeker...afsluiten.html

The point was, you could either use your computer to fill it in, then print and send (for those who have trouble writing or are blind or whatever, but fear web forms for whatever reason), or you could just print and fill in with a pen. So it's fairly HTML-y. Firefox of course died a smelly death every time you asked it to print (GASP) fieldsets, but that's why on the site we actually recommended people use a "better" browser like IE for printing :D

And yeah, for some reason we did have a lot of clients who wanted to either mail the form in or actually bring it to the office and drop it off after talking with our secretary.

**TechnoBear** · Oct 23, 2012 09:36

Off Topic:

Thanks, @Stomme poes - that's really interesting. I'll look at it in more depth later, but it looks as if it might solve a few problems for me. Print preview seems to indicate FF16 will have no problems printing it, but I'm very low on ink just now, so I'll not test it until my new supplies arrive.

**Stomme poes** · Oct 23, 2012 13:11

Off Topic:

I have no idea if Mozilla finally fixed that bug. It's a very old one, from back when that code was called Netscape

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