Getting Started

If your template has an XML-based contact form you may need to get familiar with the following information which will help you to set up and configure your contact form according to your requirements.

You’ll find the following files that will be needed for the contact form:

•    contact.asp
•    contact.php
•    formConfiguration.xml
•    formStructure.xml
•    [cfDataProviders]

contact.asp and contact.php are server-side scripts that handle data received from your form and take part in the process of sending e-mails, to put it simpler. Only one of these files should be used in reality. Which one to use depends on your hosting provider. If your hosting provider runs a Unix-like operating system (e.g. UNIX, Linux, FreeBSD) and supports PHP you will use the contact.php file. If you have a Windows-based hosting most likely you will need the contact.asp, though the contact.php may work as well if PHP is supported. If you are unsure which file to use please contact your hosting provider and find out which of these two files (.asp or .php) will work on their server.

formConfiguration.xml is a file where first of all you specify an e-mail address for getting messages from your contact form. The second important setting is specifying which of the above-mentioned server-side scripts you are going to use: php or asp. For asp you’ll also need to specify the SMTP server and SMTP port (contact your hosting provider for these details). The rest of the settings in this file are less important and you can use the default ones. In the advanced section you’ll find a detailed description of every setting in this file. Besides, the file is well-commented. Each setting is explained.

formStructure.xml is a file that determines the structure of your contact form. You can specify fields you want your users to fill in, select, check/uncheck etc. If the contact form structure that comes with the template suits you, you can upload this file unchanged (as is). In the advanced section you’ll find a detailed description of every setting in this file.

[cfDataProviders] is a folder that contains different .xml files with the data that may be needed for dropdown lists, radio-buttons and check boxes groups. For example the countries.xml file from this folder has got a big list of countries; the brands.xml file contains car brands.