DW extension advice

[motiondude]

Hi there, I'm looking for some advice. I'm about to create a society website in DW. For now there are 2 things we don't yet have a solution for.

1. masking/scrambling e-mail links

2. form handling. Not just name & e-mail but more data like address fields, phone numbers, dob. etc.

Which extensions would you recommend? I'd like to have all the solutions operable from within DW as I would be easy to hand over the complete site to other board members and cross platform. TIA.

[Nancy OShea]

The mail sending library, PHP Mailer, is frequently recommended by web hosts.

https://github.com/PHPMailer/PHPMailer

[osgood_]

I think phpMailer is just complicating the issue for someone that is asking how to process forms IF their server can handle the php mail function, which is a lot simpler to implement.

A lot depends on how complicated the form is of course - what form fields will be required. Generally input fields such as 'text' and 'textarea' are fairly simple to build out with few problems. 'radio buttons', 'checkboxes' and 'select fields' add a further complexity to the issue. If file attachments are required then phpMailer does make the process simpler but I would not use a sledgehammer to crack a nut if the form is fairly simple.

Then of course will a combination of javascript front-end client-side validation be required in combination with the back-end php server-side validation or will back-end server-side php validation and processing be sufficient, not to mention if javascript front end cleint-side validation is used will the data be sent to the php processing script via ajax to make a seemless integration workflow.........hummmm........sometimes I think you can try and run before you can walk.

I would advise those who are not familar with code just to concentrate on server-side php validation and processing. Its not as pretty but is robust and at the end of the day IS the work horse of any form validation/processing - javascript validation is just eye-candy but nice to have if you have the skill to implement it, if not it doesnt really matter.

The OPs hosting company should really have a basic php form processing script available which they recommned using, most do.

[Nancy OShea]

The baked in PHP Mail() function has fallen out of favor for many reasons. Among other things, mail doesn't always get through.  And many hosts require SMTP authentication to keep their servers from being used as spam relays. 

PHPMailer may seem like a sledgehammer to swat flies approach but that's because sending mail is more complicated now than it was 4-5 years ago. See examples below.

https://github.com/PHPMailer/PHPMailer/tree/master/examples

[osgood_]

Its not fallen out of favour and I dont know where you get the idea mail doesnt get through. Ive never experienced someone who says they sent me mail through my web form and it hasnt arrived an neither to my knowledge has any of my clients, at least they havent informed me. If it was happening to them regularly then they would have.

I despair sometimes at the idiotic reasoning. I mean php has fallen out of favour, right we are told by nerd-heads, who are still in their nappies. Bullshite mail its just as good now as it ever was and is quick and easy to implement. I wont use a host that doesnt offer it as an option.

Its only nerd-heads that will tell you things fall out of favour. If thats the case everyone should not be using jQuery but hey guess what, that piece of crap Bootstrap, (light-years behind the web-development curve), still does, until the day it doesnt and all the Bootstrappers will say jQuery is for amatuers. Angular or React or Vue should be used instead of vanilla javascript, same as applies to node.js, apparently it is a pile of steaming horse manure since deno.js has arrived on the scene, node.js is now falling out of favour in some nerd-heads world.

When is this constant hopping onto the lastest trend going to cease, its not helping this industry. Most dont need to use a sledgehammer approach/workflow to crack a nut, certainly not in the is forum anyhow. But they do because a few nerd-heads working for the likes of Facebook, Google, Twitter etc brain wash them.

[motiondude]

Thanks everyone. I will look into your suggestions. I have no need for the functionality to attach documents to the form, but yes, I'd like to be able to use radio buttons and/or tick boxes.

As for the discussion, I can see both your angles. Much appreciated. This threat demonstrates to me that there's an opportunity for apps like DW to have a solid solution for this incorporated.