Discover if form was captured?

Hi,

I just got an email from a client saying that one of her clients filled out a form on her site (that I built using ChronoForms), and that she didn't receive it.

I realize that there are many possible explanations for this but my question is: is there any record created when a user fills out a form and hits submit where I can verify if the form was submitted successfully?

Thank you.

Hi ironlion37,

Probably not. It's just possible that the email is in a spam folder somewhere or an email log. But, in my experience, finding usable logs is not easy.

If the form contents are of any importance it's worth adding a DB Save action (in CFv4) or configuring the FB Connection (in CFv3). Takes a few minutes and adds a database backup of the form info that can be useful when the email service hiccups.

Bob

Hi Bob,

This just happened again and so I think I need to add the DB save action. I've found where it is, but are there instructions available anywhere here in the forum as to how to configure that?

Hi ironlion37,

[flash=640,360]http://www.youtube.com/v/kRL__AsJw9g[/flash]
Bob

Awesome, a video makes it so easy. However, when I go to save my newly created table, I get this message:

Fatal error: Call to a member function getError() on a non-object in /home/xxx/kimtindallandassociates.com/administrator/components/com_chronoforms/admin.chronoforms.php on line 531

Hi ironlion37,

Please see this post

I though this had been fixed in RC2.0?

Bob

Hi Bob,

Two things:

1. I upgraded to 2.0 and now have a different error. This is shown after attempting to save the new table:

Check table query below:

CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS `#__chronoforms_data_records_request` ( `cf_id` INT(11) auto_increment, `cf_uid` VARCHAR(255), `cf_created` DATETIME, `cf_modified` DATETIME, `cf_ipaddress` VARCHAR(255), `cf_user_id` VARCHAR(255), `requested_by` VARCHAR(255), `email_address` VARCHAR(255), `trial_date` VARCHAR(255), `attorney` VARCHAR(255), `firm_name` VARCHAR(255), `address` VARCHAR(255), `city` VARCHAR(255), `phone` VARCHAR(255), `fax` VARCHAR(255), `tba` VARCHAR(255), `representing` VARCHAR(255), `plaintiff` VARCHAR(255), `defendant` VARCHAR(255), `other` VARCHAR(255), `instructions` VARCHAR(255), `a_instruct` VARCHAR(255), `b_instruct` VARCHAR(255), `c_instruct` VARCHAR(255), `d_instruct` VARCHAR(255), `vs_1` VARCHAR(255), `vs_2` VARCHAR(255), `judicial_district` VARCHAR(255), `court_case` VARCHAR(255), `county_court` VARCHAR(255), `client_file` VARCHAR(255), `billing_adjuster` VARCHAR(255), `billing_name` VARCHAR(255), `billing_address` VARCHAR(255), `billing_insured` VARCHAR(255), `claim_number` VARCHAR(255), `copy_one` VARCHAR(255), `copy_two` VARCHAR(255), `copy_three` VARCHAR(255), `copy_four` VARCHAR(255), `attorney_2` VARCHAR(255), `firm_2` VARCHAR(255), `address_2` VARCHAR(255), `city_2` VARCHAR(255), `phone_2` VARCHAR(255), `fax_2` VARCHAR(255), `representing_2` VARCHAR(255), `tba_2` VARCHAR(255), `upload_attorneys` VARCHAR(255), `upload_doctwo` VARCHAR(255), `upload_docthree` VARCHAR(255), `upload_docfour` VARCHAR(255), `record_types` VARCHAR(255), `record_other` VARCHAR(255), `other_input` VARCHAR(255), `pertaining` VARCHAR(255), `ssn` VARCHAR(255), `birth_date` VARCHAR(255), `accident_date` VARCHAR(255), `other_information` VARCHAR(255), `record1_name` VARCHAR(255), `record1_address` VARCHAR(255), `record1_phone` VARCHAR(255), `record2_name` VARCHAR(255), `record2_address` VARCHAR(255), `record2_phone` VARCHAR(255), `record3_name` VARCHAR(255), `record3_address` VARCHAR(255), `record3_phone` VARCHAR(255), `record4_name` VARCHAR(255), `record4_address` VARCHAR(255), `record4_phone` VARCHAR(255), `record5_name` VARCHAR(255), `record5_address` VARCHAR(255), `record5_phone` VARCHAR(255), `record6_name` VARCHAR(255), `record6_address` VARCHAR(255), `record6_phone` VARCHAR(255), `record7_name` VARCHAR(255), `record7_address` VARCHAR(255), `record7_phone` VARCHAR(255), `record8_name` VARCHAR(255), `record8_address` VARCHAR(255), `record8_phone` VARCHAR(255), `record9_name` VARCHAR(255), `record9_address` VARCHAR(255), `record9_phone` VARCHAR(255), `record10_name` VARCHAR(255), `record10_address` VARCHAR(255), `record10_phone` VARCHAR(255), `record11_name` VARCHAR(255), `record11_address` VARCHAR(255), `record11_phone` VARCHAR(255), `record12_name` VARCHAR(255), `record12_address` VARCHAR(255), `record12_phone` VARCHAR(255), `record13_name` VARCHAR(255), `record13_address` VARCHAR(255), `record13_phone` VARCHAR(255), `record14_name` VARCHAR(255), `record14_address` VARCHAR(255), `record14_phone` VARCHAR(255), `improve` VARCHAR(255), PRIMARY KEY (`cf_id`) );

2. When I upgraded to 2.0, my installation of chronoforms became invalidated. How can I re-validate without using one of my licenses?

Thanks,

John

Hi ironlion37,

That is being shown just like that - with no associated error message?

I'm not sure how Max handles validation on upgrades. You may need a new key or something?? Please ask him through the Contact Us link above.

Bob

This is what I see after attempting to save the newly created table:

Hi ironlion37,

I tracked it down. That's a ChornoForms error message but one that shows the query but not the MYSQL error message that goes with it :-(

I ran the SQL on my database nad got this message that explains the problem:

Error Code: 1118. Row size too large. The maximum row size for the used table type, not counting BLOBs, is 65535. You have to change some columns to TEXT or BLOBs

The problem is that you have left the VARCHAR(255) default in place for all of the inputs. Normally this isn't a problem but in this case the number of inputs just makes the total too big.

One way to deal with this is to edit the VARCHAR sizes, a phone number for example will fit in a VARCHAR(32) with some space to spare.

Another approach would be to restrucure the table and take some or all of the repeating elements into a linked sub-table This would take more coding though.

Bob

Great work Bob, thank you! I've successfully set up the db save and it's working.

However, now I'm getting the following error on form submit:

        SMTP Error! The following recipients failed:
        PHPMAILER_RECIPIENTS_FAILED, , ,

And the result is that the form is no longer mailing to 2 of the 3 emails I have set up. I'm using 3 email events:

1. To submit the form to the website owner (static)
2. To send a confirmation email to the form user (dynamic)
3. To dynamically send copies to optionally filled email fields in the form (dynamic)

All of that was working, but now it's showing the above error on submit and only sending #2 email.

😲

Edit: Hmmm, now I'm lost. The mailing error seems to be unrelated to the DB Save. I deleted the DB save and am still having the issue. 😟

Hi ironlion37,

Check the form debug output and see if there are any odd results showing up for the emails.

Bob

Here's what jumps out at me:

An email has been SENT successfully from (John) john@xxx.com to ,,,
Email template:

The email should not be coming from me. It should be sent to me. And the three commas (,,,) are the same ones that showed up in the error:

SMTP Error! The following recipients failed:
        PHPMAILER_RECIPIENTS_FAILED, , ,

I currently have removed the DB Save event entirely and only email #2 is mailing on submit.

Edit: Hold On - I think I may have figured out the problem...

Ok, I've narrowed it down:

It's a problem with mail being sent from an event using dynamic email addresses. I remembered that I upgraded to RC 2.0 last week while working on the DB Save function. Somehow that upgrade broke my 3rd email event with its dynamic addresses.

So I'll play around with that till I get it working again (or can report the bug), then go back to adding in the DB save event.

phew....

Hi ironlion37,

It looks as though the inputs you have in the Dynamic To Email inputs are empty??

Bob

Yes. Here's the issue:

I've endeavored to provide space for the user to enter up to four email addresses - people to receive a copy of the form on submit.

If the four fields are all filled in, no mailing error. If any of them are left blank, then it creates the error.

Any ideas on how I can get this to work properly? (i.e. - providing the option to cc up to four people)

Thanks Bob.

Hi ironlion37,

ChronoForms isn't clever enough to recognise that the ,, or ,,, that you get when one or more of the emails is left blank is a problem. So you have to code the concatenation of the emails into a single string using Custom Code before the Email action.

Bob

Hi Bob,

You recommned that I "..have to code the concatenation of the emails into a single string using Custom Code before the Email action."

That is over my head. Can you help me get that in place?

Hi ironlion,

I suggest that you try the Email [GH] action - I updated it a day or to ago to handle multiple emails more flexibly. I think that it will now work with your form.

Bob

Hi Bob,

Sorry to be thick here, but where is that action? And don't I need to install a newer version if you made a change? I don't see anything newer than what I'm running available...

Hi ironlion37,

You can get it from here

Bob

Hi Bob,

I've replaced all three email actions with the email[GH] event. I did this because I tried replacing only the one I needed and the form stopped sending all three emails.

Now, it's not sending any emails at all. I've left the "Conditional" field blank in all three cases - assuming that doing by doing so, the event would just send the emails. Am I wrong on that?

Thanks.

Hi ironlion37,

Leaving the Conditional box empty should be fine.

Please take a Form Backup using the icon in the Forms Manager and post it here (as a zipped file) or PM or email it to me and I'll take a closer look.

Bob

Here's the file.

Hi ironlion37,

Using the latest version of Email [GH] the emails seem to be working OK here. I changed the To Email in Email 1 to one of my own and safely received copies of Email 1 and Email 2* (though the Debugger shows an error for Email 2 - I think because the Reply To Name box is empty).

Note that my test site has some fixes for Joomla! 1.7 email bugs applied. See items l & m in this post.

Bob

* I haven't tested Email 3 because the input boxes aren't showing up. I think I'm missing a file needed to get that to work.

Hi Bob,

I'm getting an error on email three:

No valid To Email address found

The reason I've switched to using the email[GH] event is to successfully be able to offer email fields to the form user to send copies to 3rd parties. If the fields are left blank, it was causing a problem and you suggested using your email[GH] event. Here's what I've put into the "To (required)" field in the email[GH] event:

{copy_one}, {copy_two}, {copy_three}, {copy_four}

Each {field_name} is one of the optional fields to send a copy of the form to someone.

Is that somehow incorrect and causing the "No valid To Email address found" in the debugger?

Thank you.

p.s. - this site is running 1.5.23. Is email[GH] compatible with that?

Hi ironlion37,

It should be OK if you are running CFv4.

Bob

I am running v4RC2. Since I've replaced the regular email events with the email[GH] events, no emails have gone through. The debugger says they're being successfully sent, but they're not coming to my inbox.

Under Global site settings > Mailer, I'm using SMTP. Could that be causing a problem with email[GH]?

This form is kicking my ass.

Hi ironlion37 ,

SMTP shouldn't cause you any problems.

Please update to the current version of the Email [GH} action if you haven't already (last updated on 16 Nov).

By all means email or PM me the site URL and a SuperAdmin login and I'll take a quick look.

Bob