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1. Re: Safely adding a "mailto:" link to your website
MurraySummers Aug 28, 2012 7:48 AM (in response to jyeager11)There is no safe way to use a mailto: link. Either you use it and take your chances, or you don't use it and be assured that spambots are not able to find your email address.
When I say "don't use it" I mean use another method to send your emails, like server scripting which is totally safe from spambots.
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2. Re: Safely adding a "mailto:" link to your website
jyeager11 Aug 28, 2012 8:05 AM (in response to MurraySummers)I'd love to try a server-side solution, I just don't know where to begin. Is there a quick and easy way to do it so that someone that never has can pull it off?
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3. Re: Safely adding a "mailto:" link to your website
MurraySummers Aug 28, 2012 8:11 AM (in response to jyeager11)Quck and easy? I dunno.
What kind of server are you hosted on (Windows or *nix)?
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4. Re: Safely adding a "mailto:" link to your website
MurraySummers Aug 28, 2012 8:13 AM (in response to MurraySummers)Or - go to http://www.bebosoft.com/products/formstogo/overview/ and see if that looks promising.
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5. Re: Safely adding a "mailto:" link to your website
jyeager11 Aug 28, 2012 8:16 AM (in response to MurraySummers)I use Dreamhost.
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6. Re: Safely adding a "mailto:" link to your website
MurraySummers Aug 28, 2012 8:33 AM (in response to jyeager11)Looks to me like you are on a Linux server, so you could use PHP to process your contact form and send your email. See if the forms to go thing looks interesting....
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7. Re: Safely adding a "mailto:" link to your website
jyeager11 Aug 28, 2012 8:36 AM (in response to MurraySummers)Since all I want to do is mask the address, do I really need a commercial product (even if there IS a lite/demo version)?
Isn't there a quick and easy way for me to store the email address on the server and have my .PHP file call it, without giving away where it's located?
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8. Re: Safely adding a "mailto:" link to your website
WolfShade Aug 28, 2012 8:45 AM (in response to jyeager11)"Commercial product"? PHP is usually free, and if the email address is contained within PHP code, it's invisible to the internet.
^_^
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9. Re: Safely adding a "mailto:" link to your website
jyeager11 Aug 28, 2012 8:49 AM (in response to WolfShade)I was referring to the commercial product Murray refered me to, called "Forms To Go".
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10. Re: Safely adding a "mailto:" link to your website
Jon Fritz II Aug 28, 2012 8:56 AM (in response to jyeager11)You could use an email obfuscating javascript. Though, those folks who disable javascript won't see your email link.
I've used this one in the past...
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11. Re: Safely adding a "mailto:" link to your website
WolfShade Aug 28, 2012 9:01 AM (in response to Jon Fritz II)Obfuscating JavaScript doesn't work, anymore, from the chatter I've been hearing. Even the ColdFusion obfuscating CFCs have been surpassed.
^_^
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12. Re: Safely adding a "mailto:" link to your website
MurraySummers Aug 28, 2012 9:20 AM (in response to jyeager11)You can do something like this on your page -
<?php echo $success?"<p>Your email has been sent!</p>":''; ?>
<?php echo $fail?"<p>There has been an error. Your email has not been sent!</p>":''; ?>
<form action="<?php echo $_SERVER['PHP_SELF']; ?>" method="POST" name="form1">
<label for="comments">Comments: </label>
<textarea name="comments" id="comments"></textarea>
<input type="submit" name="submit" value="submit">
</form>
Then at the top of the page put this (above the doctype) -
<?php
$success = false;
$fail = false;
if (array_key_exists('submit', $_POST) {
$to = 'you@example.com';
$subject = 'The email subject line';
$message = $_POST['comments'];
$headers ="FROM: admin@example.com\r\n";
$success = mail ($to, $subject, $message, $headers);
$fail = !$success;
}
?>
Message was edited by: Murray *ACP*
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13. Re: Safely adding a "mailto:" link to your website
MurraySummers Aug 28, 2012 9:21 AM (in response to MurraySummers)Be aware that this email method is bare bones and is subject to potential email injection, but it works to replace mailto: links.
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14. Re: Safely adding a "mailto:" link to your website
Nancy O. Aug 28, 2012 9:38 AM (in response to jyeager11)First contact your web host and ask them if they have a form-to-email script you can use. Hosts often provide scripts on their servers which you can activate through your Admin Panel or by referencing the script in your form's action attribute.
<form action="path-to-form-on-server/form-to-email-script.php">
Ideally, you want a form-to-email processing script that:
a) validates form input fields,
b) blocks hackers,
c) stops submissions from spam bots,
d) hides your email address from harvesters.
Formm@iler.php from DB Masters script does all of this and it's free if you credit the author; $20 per domain if you don't.
Related Links:
FormToEmail.com (free & pro versions available)
http://formtoemail.com/formtoemail_pro_version.php
Tectite
http://www.tectite.com/formmailpage.php
Nancy O.
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15. Re: Safely adding a "mailto:" link to your website
WolfShade Aug 28, 2012 10:26 AM (in response to Nancy O.)There are also (old fashioned) cgi scripts that are usually offered by hosting services.
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16. Re: Safely adding a "mailto:" link to your website
Nancy O. Aug 28, 2012 1:36 PM (in response to WolfShade)Perl isn't as robust as PHP. If that's all you can use, sure. But if given a choice, PHP is much better.
Nancy O.
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17. Re: Safely adding a "mailto:" link to your website
customizer2 Mar 1, 2013 9:38 AM (in response to jyeager11)No offense intended, but the question was about a safe substitute for mailto:, ie, a script that will create a new email in the default email app, drop in an address and subject via a simple text link or button. Is there a JS that will do this while masking the address?
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18. Re: Safely adding a "mailto:" link to your website
Nancy O. Mar 1, 2013 9:56 AM (in response to customizer2)So called e-mail address obfuscation methods are not 100% reliable. If JS is disabled, they don't work. Also, mailto: links require the end user to have e-mail software installed on their device. Owing to the increased popularity and accessibility of free web mail services like G-mail, Hotmail, Yahoo mail, etc... most people don't need e-mail software anymore. Without software, clicking a mailto: link does absolutely nothing.
For best results, use a contact form with a server-side e-mail processing script.
Nancy O.



