When you leave the email templates empty, chronoforms automatically creates the email templates and it sticks the tooltips in the email templates.
How do I set chronoforms so that the field Title and value entered are automatically entered into the email templates?
Also, is there a way to set a standard header and footer for the email templates, that will be used when the email templates are automatically created?
Thanks,
Geoff
How do I set chronoforms so that the field Title and value entered are automatically entered into the email templates?
Also, is there a way to set a standard header and footer for the email templates, that will be used when the email templates are automatically created?
Thanks,
Geoff
Hi Goeff,
The Email templates work on the Henry Ford method - you can have any color you like as long as it's black. Or in this case, you get a version of the form html - or you paint it yourself.
I'd use the ChronoForms default as a basis and edit that to do exactly what you want including adding text at the top and tail. (I rarely want all the fields, or the same layout as the form.)
Bob
The Email templates work on the Henry Ford method - you can have any color you like as long as it's black. Or in this case, you get a version of the form html - or you paint it yourself.
I'd use the ChronoForms default as a basis and edit that to do exactly what you want including adding text at the top and tail. (I rarely want all the fields, or the same layout as the form.)
Bob
That's unfortunate.
We are creating a website with customized features for a vertical market. We would like to customize the automatic email template so that all of the email responses we create for the forms are exactly the same (except for the actual content) and so that when the customer creates a new form, it will already have the email templates setup correctly and they won't have to touch them.
We have created a "shell form" which we or the webmaster copies and then customizes the fields. That works well, even for the notification email sent to the webmaster and the confirmation email sent to the person who filled out the form. The only thing that we can't standardize is the email templates.
Is it possible for us to write our own plug-ins that would do this kind of thing? Seems like it would be, but I thought I'd ask rather than waste a week trying to write a plug-in only to discover that it requires us to hack chronoforms - which we REALLY do not want to do.
(OFF-TOPIC We would very much like to use the multipage form feature, but frankly, I am totally confused about how to set one up and how it is intended to be used with reference to database interaction, field validation, etc. I haven't seen an actual complete example which shows a two or three page form with two or three fields on each page.
Also, we think the wizard custom elements might be very useful for us, but we don't understand exactly what they are, how they work, what they actually provide. All we know is that the name "custom elements" sounds like it would be something useful. -- But, rather than wasting time figuring out whether we can use wizard custom elements or not, we're simply moving ahead with things we know will work -- even if it isn't optimum and will cause us more work later.
Along the same line, the "hello world" problem is very common in the Joomla development tool / extension world - or at least I rarely see simple and complete working examples. I think it cuts back on the number of people that will use a tool such as chronoforms. I've been programming since 1973 and the hardest thing to do is compile the first program, or create the first whatever using a development tool such as chronoforms.
To me, there are two reasons why simple and complete examples are important: 1. They get you started quickly with something easily modifiable. 2. The examples show how the programmer intended for the tool to be used - which is very important.
The thing is, assuming that you test your extensions before you release them, you had to code up some examples using the product to test it. So, you probably already have some complete examples.
I know that tutorials are all the rage now, but give me a complete working example and I will take that over a tutorial any day of the week. I don't need to be walked through the screens. All I need is a complete working example. A list of the options used in the example would also be nice, but is not required.
I used to be a college professor and a commercial trainer. I've written week-long courses which we taught at Microsoft, IBM, EDS, CSC, Blue-Cross/Blue Shield, Motorola, Coca-Cola, and many others too numerous to mention on topics such as object-oriented analysis and design, C++, data modeling, database design and administration, etc. -- We found that nothing gets the point across better than a working example that the student could then enhance with the various features as we taught them. The language of programmers is actual programs, and seeing complete examples is exactly what programmers understand.
When I go through your forums (and this is true of most), I see the same questions getting asked over and over again. Atual working examples would put an end to a lot that.
I'll step down from my whiny soap-box now.)
We are creating a website with customized features for a vertical market. We would like to customize the automatic email template so that all of the email responses we create for the forms are exactly the same (except for the actual content) and so that when the customer creates a new form, it will already have the email templates setup correctly and they won't have to touch them.
We have created a "shell form" which we or the webmaster copies and then customizes the fields. That works well, even for the notification email sent to the webmaster and the confirmation email sent to the person who filled out the form. The only thing that we can't standardize is the email templates.
Is it possible for us to write our own plug-ins that would do this kind of thing? Seems like it would be, but I thought I'd ask rather than waste a week trying to write a plug-in only to discover that it requires us to hack chronoforms - which we REALLY do not want to do.
(OFF-TOPIC We would very much like to use the multipage form feature, but frankly, I am totally confused about how to set one up and how it is intended to be used with reference to database interaction, field validation, etc. I haven't seen an actual complete example which shows a two or three page form with two or three fields on each page.
Also, we think the wizard custom elements might be very useful for us, but we don't understand exactly what they are, how they work, what they actually provide. All we know is that the name "custom elements" sounds like it would be something useful. -- But, rather than wasting time figuring out whether we can use wizard custom elements or not, we're simply moving ahead with things we know will work -- even if it isn't optimum and will cause us more work later.
Along the same line, the "hello world" problem is very common in the Joomla development tool / extension world - or at least I rarely see simple and complete working examples. I think it cuts back on the number of people that will use a tool such as chronoforms. I've been programming since 1973 and the hardest thing to do is compile the first program, or create the first whatever using a development tool such as chronoforms.
To me, there are two reasons why simple and complete examples are important: 1. They get you started quickly with something easily modifiable. 2. The examples show how the programmer intended for the tool to be used - which is very important.
The thing is, assuming that you test your extensions before you release them, you had to code up some examples using the product to test it. So, you probably already have some complete examples.
I know that tutorials are all the rage now, but give me a complete working example and I will take that over a tutorial any day of the week. I don't need to be walked through the screens. All I need is a complete working example. A list of the options used in the example would also be nice, but is not required.
I used to be a college professor and a commercial trainer. I've written week-long courses which we taught at Microsoft, IBM, EDS, CSC, Blue-Cross/Blue Shield, Motorola, Coca-Cola, and many others too numerous to mention on topics such as object-oriented analysis and design, C++, data modeling, database design and administration, etc. -- We found that nothing gets the point across better than a working example that the student could then enhance with the various features as we taught them. The language of programmers is actual programs, and seeing complete examples is exactly what programmers understand.
When I go through your forums (and this is true of most), I see the same questions getting asked over and over again. Atual working examples would put an end to a lot that.
I'll step down from my whiny soap-box now.)
Hi Geoff,
Hope that you feel better now.
I'm pretty much just a volunteer here. I answer questions as best I can, I write the odd plugin and make a few suggestions. It's Max's product, he writes the core code and looks after all of the subscription stuff.
If you ask a short focused question, I'll do my best to answer. Ask a long or complex one then I'll have a go if I have time. I've resurrected an revised an old post on 'Asking questions in the forums' that might be helpful.
I agree it would be wonderful to have better documentation, more FAQs and more examples. I'm afraid that I already spend too much time answering questions in the forums here. All contributions are grreatfully received.
Back to the off-topic.
There's a working example of a multi-page form here. It uses validation, stores the results in the database, uses the confirmation page plugin and presents the results as a Joomla article (and for an added bonus uses the PhocaPDF extention to create a pretty PDF version). Most of the steps and key code to do this kind of multi-page form are in the CC Forum here.
Wizard custom elements are re-usable code blocks that you can use in the Form Wizard. Add a few lines of html, save the and name the block and it will appear in the Wizard draggable items list. There's nothing much else to say.
In case you don't have a recent release, ChronoForms does come with one working example now. I do know that some people find it useful.
Back nearer the topic.
It's quite posible to write your own plugins. There are a bunch of examples to get you started. Essentially a ChronoForms plugin is an admin interface to manage and save plugin parameters, and either or both of the functions onload() and onsubmit(). These run when the form is loaded or submitted with some limited flow control for the onbubmit and for the plugin sequence.
You could, for example, create an onsubmit() function that automatically added code from two input boxes to the top and tail of any email (or the emails in the #2 position if there is one).
You could also find some way in your setup procedure of overwriting the standard ChronoForms email template. All the current template creator does is to run a series of string replaces on the Form HTML. The code is in generateAutoEmailTemplate() in admin.chronocontact.php around line 2299 (in RC5.4 I think).
There is no plugin capability linked to the form creation or save processes so you can't easily amend this code without hacking the core. You could though over-write it after the form is first created.
Bob
Hope that you feel better now.
I'm pretty much just a volunteer here. I answer questions as best I can, I write the odd plugin and make a few suggestions. It's Max's product, he writes the core code and looks after all of the subscription stuff.
If you ask a short focused question, I'll do my best to answer. Ask a long or complex one then I'll have a go if I have time. I've resurrected an revised an old post on 'Asking questions in the forums' that might be helpful.
I agree it would be wonderful to have better documentation, more FAQs and more examples. I'm afraid that I already spend too much time answering questions in the forums here. All contributions are grreatfully received.
Back to the off-topic.
There's a working example of a multi-page form here. It uses validation, stores the results in the database, uses the confirmation page plugin and presents the results as a Joomla article (and for an added bonus uses the PhocaPDF extention to create a pretty PDF version). Most of the steps and key code to do this kind of multi-page form are in the CC Forum here.
Wizard custom elements are re-usable code blocks that you can use in the Form Wizard. Add a few lines of html, save the and name the block and it will appear in the Wizard draggable items list. There's nothing much else to say.
In case you don't have a recent release, ChronoForms does come with one working example now. I do know that some people find it useful.
Back nearer the topic.
It's quite posible to write your own plugins. There are a bunch of examples to get you started. Essentially a ChronoForms plugin is an admin interface to manage and save plugin parameters, and either or both of the functions onload() and onsubmit(). These run when the form is loaded or submitted with some limited flow control for the onbubmit and for the plugin sequence.
You could, for example, create an onsubmit() function that automatically added code from two input boxes to the top and tail of any email (or the emails in the #2 position if there is one).
You could also find some way in your setup procedure of overwriting the standard ChronoForms email template. All the current template creator does is to run a series of string replaces on the Form HTML. The code is in generateAutoEmailTemplate() in admin.chronocontact.php around line 2299 (in RC5.4 I think).
There is no plugin capability linked to the form creation or save processes so you can't easily amend this code without hacking the core. You could though over-write it after the form is first created.
Bob
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