Frequently Asked Questions - Web Pages

1. How do I create web pages?

The easiest way to get started is to check if your word processor can save a document as a web page.  Microsoft Word, for example, has a Save as Web Page... option under the File menu.  Consult the documentation for your software about how to do this.  As you become more experienced, you may want to use a program with more features, such as Microsoft FrontPage or ClarisWorks HomePage.  If you don't have a program that can create web pages, you may look online at a site like www.download.com for commercial, shareware and free HTML editors.

2. How do I upload web pages?

A simple way to create folders and upload web pages online is to visit www.cune.org and click the link for Manage Web Pages.  After logging in, click the green Upload Files and select up to 6 web pages to upload at one time.  To create a folder, type the folder name in the box to the left of the green New Dir and click New Dir.  To open the folder after it has been created, click its name and then upload web pages or create subfolders.  To return to the top or root folder, click root on the Current Directory line.  To rename or delete a file or folder, click the checkbox to the left of the names and then click the yellow Rename or red Delete.  When you are done, click the gray Logout.

Web pages may also be transferred using FTP (file transfer protocol).  Many web page design programs already have that capability.  Microsoft FrontPage, for example, allows you to "publish" your web site to "ftp://www.cune.org".  Consult the documentation for your software for further details.  You may also find commercial, shareware and free FTP programs online at a site like www.download.com.

3. How should web pages be named?

The default or home page should be named index.html (or index.htm).  Document and folder names are case sensitive.  All other web pages may be named however you like, but they should end with .html (or .htm).  It is best to limit characters to the alphabet, digits and underlines, for example, example_info3.html.

4. How do I access my web pages?

Simply add your account name to the end of the web site URL.  For example, http://www.cune.org/John.Doe/.  This assumes that you have created the default document index.html.  To access a specific document, you must supply the document name, for example, http://www.cune.org/John.Doe/example_info3.html.

5. Why can't I see the latest changes to my web pages?

In some cases, you might upload a new version of an existing web page, but when you type the URL in the browser, the old version of the web page is displayed, instead.  The problem is that the web browser temporarily stored the old web page on your computer when you viewed it so that displaying the web page would be faster the next time.  Try clicking the Refresh (Internet Explorer) or Reload (Netscape) button to update the page.  If that does not work, you can force the browser to fetch a fresh copy of a web page directly from the server.  Hold down the control key (ctrl) and click Refresh (Internet Explorer) or hold down the shift key and click Reload (Netscape).

6. Can web form results be mailed to me?

Yes, you may create web forms to gather information from people and have it sent to you in email.  Design your web form to call the FormMail script with your address as the recipient.  If your account name was John.Doe, a minimal form would look like

<form method="post" action="/cgi-bin/misc/FormMail">
  <input type="hidden" name="recipient" value="John.Doe@cune.org">
  <input type="text" name="feedback"><br>
  Please enter your comments<br>
  <input type="submit">
</form>

7. What hidden fields does FormMail recognize?

The default settings for FormMail will meet most needs.  However, you may send additional configuration information to FormMail through hidden fields in a web form.  Below are the fields recognized by FormMail, their definitions and, in some cases, an example of how to use the field.

recipient - Up to 3 cune.org addresses, separated by commas, that will receive a copy of the results.

<input type="hidden" name="recipient" value="John.Doe@cune.org,Jane.Doe@cune.org">

subject - The subject line of the email you receive. Useful if you have more than one form.

<input type="hidden" name="subject" value="Web site comments">

redirect - If present, a URL where the user will be redirected after the form is submitted. This could be a customized thank you or a second form to fill out. If not present, FormMail will automatically generate a "success" page telling the user that the submission was successful.

<input type="hidden" name="redirect" value="http://www.cune.org/John.Doe/thankyou.html">

If FormMail automatically generates a success page, you may modify its appearance with the following fields.

bgcolor - Background color for the success page.

background - URL of the background image for the success page.

text_color - Text color for the success page.

link_color - Link color for the success page.

vlink_color - Visited link color for the success page.

alink_color - Active link color for the success page.

title - Title for the success page.

return_link_url - URL for a link on the success page the user can click to continue.

<input type="hidden" name="return_link_url" value="http://www.cune.org/John.Doe/Page2.html">

sort - Order in which fields will appear in email. The value may be "alphabetic" for alphabetic ordering of fields or a specific order indicated by "order:" and a comma separated list of field names.

<input type="hidden" name="sort" value="order:name,email,age,comments">

print_config - Used for debugging. Directs FormMail to include the values of the hidden FormMail configuration fields in email along with the other form fields. To include the settings for the "title" and "sort" fields,

<input type="hidden" name="print_config" value="title,sort">

required - The list of fields that must be filled in before the submitted form will be accepted. If any of the fields are blank, an error will be displayed, and the user will be asked to go back to the form.

<input type="hidden" name="required" value="name,comments">

missing_fields_redirect - If present, a URL where the user is redirected when a required field is blank. Useful for finer control over the error the user sees when a required field is blank.

env_report - A list of CGI environment variables that should be included in email.  Current choices include REMOTE_HOST, REMOTE_ADDR and HTTP_USER_AGENT.

print_blank_fields - Directs FormMail to include all fields in email, even if the value is blank. Useful if you print the email and use it as a standard form.  Missing values can be written in later.

8. May I write scripts in Perl, PHP or other lanuage?

Scripting is not available at this time. Only static files may be accessed on the web server, such as HTML, CSS, JPEG, GIF and PNG files. In addition, JavaScript may be embedded in a web page or included from a separate file to provide a dynamic experience on a web page.