CFv4 Anti-spam

How to add a custom ReCaptcha theme

The Google ReCaptcha allows you to add a Custom Theme and the dropdown in the ChronoForms v4 Load ReCaptcha action has a custom option. But how can you actually add the theme. Here's how I did it for one client.

Can I use ReCaptcha in another language?

ReCaptcha is the widely used anti-spam tool from Google; you can use it in ChronoForms with the Load ReCaptcha and Check ReCaptcha actions. By default ReCaptcha only supports a small number of languages. But with a simple code hack you can add another one. Here's how I built a Welsh version.

How can I bypass a Captcha or Anti-Spam check?

Anti-Spam checks can be really useful in reducing spam submissions to your forms - but they also get in the way of genuine users. Most users will tolerate them once, but if you ask them to re-submit a captcha in the same session they may get upset and go. Here is one way to avoid a repeat spam check.

Why does Joomla! Cache stop my form working?

Joomla! includes a built in basic caching system that can help make page loads faster by storing a copy of the finished page and serving that instead of rebuilding the page each time it is requested. The problem with using the Joomla! cache is that it will break some important features in ChronoForms . . .

How can I block specific IP addresses?

We have seen some cases where there are regular 'spam' emails from the same IP address. Usually these aren't really spam but are the result of a anti-hack scanner or a web-bot scanning the site and testing all the URLs they find - including the action URL of your form. This FAQ has some simple code to block all submissions from those IP addresses.

How can I stop spam from my form?

Spam form submissions are a fact of life and we all have to deal with them as best we can. Unfortunately some of the most persisitent spammers are also very skilful at avoiding blocks that we put in their way and there is a continuing battle of wits.

The Captcha image is too small

How can I add a ChronoForms Captcha to my custom HTML?

The ChronoForms Captcha is a convenient anti-spam check that can be added simply in the Wizard. If your CFv4 form does not use the Wizard then you still add a Captcha by including the following HTML.

How can I add a HoneyPot spam check?

There are several ways of protecting web forms from spam; one of these is the HoneyPot input - that's a form input that isn't visible to a human user but will probably be seen and completed by a spam bot. So if there is a value in the input the form is probably spam. This FAQ tells you how to set up a HoneyPot input.

The Captcha image doesn't show

This FAQ has some suggestions to try if you have added a Captcha element to your form with the Load Captcha and Check Captcha actions but the image is not displaying.

How do I add a ReCaptcha to my form?

Here is a short video on adding the Google ReCaptcha element to your form.

How do I add a Captcha to my form?

Here is a short video on adding the ChronoForms Captcha element to your form.

How can I use a captcha like 1+3=4?

Here's a way to set up maths captcha questions in CFv4. These are questions like 1+2 is ??

New version of this tutorial is available here: How to create a calculation security question in Chronoforms8 - ChronoForms8 - FAQs

How can I ban some words from posts?

If you are having spam or censorship problems with your forms then you may want to set up a 'ban list' to detect when certain words are used.
You can do this using a Custom Serverside Validation action in the On Submit event. Here are a couple of ways to set this up.