BestWebForms.com © 2009
 
 
 
 
BestWebForms.com

Tips & Troubleshooting
:

Questions and Answers:

  • I just discovered that my website's server does not have PHP installed. What do I do?
     
    We recommend switching to a Linux hosting company. We can fully and confidently
    recommend these 2 hosting companies. Our Complete Web Forms Package works
    perfectly on them, and they are both around $5 per month.


    Note
    : Windows servers
    that are IIS 6.0 do not usually support PHP. So you mau need to upgrade to IIS 7.0. Contact your web host about this. You can usually switch for free. But the files on your server will need to be uploaded again.
     

    The website hosting companies we recommend are:
    ixWebHosting.com
    and
    GoDaddy.com
    and our web forms work on countless others.

     

  • The "thank you" page I wish to use is loading into the smaller iFrame window. How do I keep this from happening?
     
    Paste the iFrame "break-out" code above the <head> tag on the thank you page, or confirmation page, that the sender will be sent to. Note: Your "Thank You" page can be any page that you wish it to be.

     
    Insert into your "thank you" page:
     
    <script language="Javascript">
    <!--
    if (top.location!= self.location) {
    top.location = self.location.href
    }
    //-->
    </script> <a name="top"></a>


     

  • I have not uploaded the program to my website's server. I am trying to view use my Web Form Designer on my desktop, but it is not working.
     
    Our program uses PHP as the programming language for the "backend" script. PHP only runs on servers. So you will need to upload the web form package.

    (Also, if you cannot connect to it, make certain your URL is the same case for your folder that you created. For instance, on some servers, /forms is different from /Forms.)

     
  • I don't know what version of PHP my host is running on their server.
     
    Our "backend" script is written in standard PHP programming language. On some servers, sometimes it is necessary to add a line to a file on your server called .htaccess. This is basically a text file (called .htaccess) which the server searches for.

    To find out more information about the PHP that is installed on your website's server, we have included the file phptest.php which contains just the following line of code:
     
     

     
    <?php phpinfo(); ?>
     

    After uploading to your server: enter the full url of this file into your browser. For example: http://www.your-website.com/forms/phptest.php.
    Also see: notes_about_htaccess.html.

    Note: For added security, you might wish to delete this file from your server when you are done.
     
  • I see a blank screen when accessing the forms or admin panel or error messages saying something like "Fatal error: Call to undefined function: gzinflate() in ...".

    Solution: If you don't need MySql database support, find the files "dbconfig.php" and "dbhandler.php" and rename them to "dbconfig.php.bak" and "dbhandler.php.bak". If you desire MySql support, please contact your hosting support and ask them to enable the Zlib library for PHP.

    To verify if your host's php installation supports Zlib check for the line "ZLib Support  enabled" when accessing phptest.php. some host setups will not allow configurations to be seen for security reasons, so you must contact the hosting support for this information.
     
  • When I view the Web Form Designer, none of the images or graphics are appearing.
     
    This is most likely because you have not uploaded the program as we recommend. It is important to use a FTP program for uploading such as the free one we highly recommend at http://filezilla-project.org/. When using their FTP program for uploading, then the proper directory and file structure needed will be maintained.
     
  • I am not receiving any emails.
     
    Make certain that you are not using a spam filtering program on your home computer, or your server, that might be treating the form emails as spam. Often, you can list your own form email address as a "friendly" email address, or "white list" it.
     
  • I would like to add, change, or delete some fields. How do I do this?
     
    In the instructions, towards the bottom, there is a short "mini-lesson" on how to do this, although it is not meant to be a full "how to" HTML course. But it will point you in the right direction.

     
  • My server does not let me change permissions. What can I do?
     
    Usually, if you call your hosting company, they can change the permissions for you.
     
  • My website is on a "sub-domain". Is this a problem?
     
    We occasionally have difficulties with sub-domains.
    An example of a sub-domain would be: www.mydomain.maindomain.com.
     
    It is best to switch to one of the recommended Linux hosting companies above.
     
  • Can I remove the link  "Powered by Web Forms 3.0"?
     
    The link above must remain as per the licensing agreement.

     
  • The 12 CAPTCHA images are not displaying. All I see is a red X.
     
    Looks like your hosting company does not support CAPTCHA images. This is why we also have the other security choice options to choose from.
    You can learn more on this page: http://bestwebforms.com/GD_Support.php

    This test will also tell you if your server is running PHP.
    The GD and FreeType libraries are outdated or not installed in your web server. You will need to ask your hosting service to install or update their GD library and FreeType for this feature to work properly. But our other security choices are very secure also.

    Also: On Hostgator and some other Linux web hosts, the configbwf.php file will need to be changed. Find the code $font = 'FreeSans'; and change it to $font = 'FreeSans.ttf';

     
  • I wish to edit the code. What code editor do you recommend?
     
    We recommend Microsoft FrontPage, Microsoft NotePad, or Alleycode.
    Alleycode is free at: http://www.alleycode.com/.
    We also highly recommend http://www.contexteditor.org/

     
  • Whenever I try to save changes, I receive the error message:
    “Cannot open file for writing” or
    "You don't have permission to access...".
     
    You need to first check your permissions settings as per the instructions.
     
  • Every time I hit the "send" button, my info comes back up and it asks me to enter the security code again.  So, my form doesn't work.
     
    Open the web form template you are working on. Look towards the top of the code (viewing the form in plain code). Look for some code similar to this:
     
    Code:
     
    <input type="hidden" name="required_fields" value="Email_Address,Subject,Comments,Security_Code">


    Make certain that you do not have any fields listed that you no longer are using on your form.

     

  • My web browser will not display the form on my webpage.
     
    Your browser might be thinking that your form is a "third party script" and chooses to not display it if your security settings are set to "high". We recommend shortening your iFrame Code Snippet to something like:
     
    iFrame Code Snippet:
     
    <iframe name="bwfIFRAME" src="../forms-bwf/formbwf.php?f=1&iframe=yes" width="425" height="1000" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe>

     

  • Can these forms work with my SSL Certificate?

    Yes. Just put the https in the iFrame Code Snippet.

     

  • I am viewing a form template in my HTML editor, and I see a bunch of %% signs.
    Is that what I should see?

     
    Yes. That is a little PHP code that will not be seen once you upload your form and view it online with your browser.
     
  • Do you have a phone number for customer support?
     
    Email support is what we offer. We do believe, that technical issues being what they are, it is best to have your questions and our replies written down. This way, everything remains clear and what is said by both our customers and our support staff is not forgotten or not heard correctly.
     
  • I get a stream of code on instead of a login screen.

    Your web hosting service must have PHP installed and properly configured for the program to run. Please make sure they have PHP and what version they are using. Bestwebforms will work with PHP 4.2.0 or later. Rename the file z-.htaccess-AddHandler-application-php4.txt (for PHP 4) or z-.htaccess-AddHandler-application-php5.txt (for PHP 5) to .htaccess and try to access your web forms again. If that doesn't work, you must ask your hosting service to add an application handler for proper execution of your PHP files.
     

  • My website is on a godaddy windows server and my form is not loading or working properly.

    This may be either because you do not have the permissions set properly, or it is the type of server you have.  Godaddy says that windows servers that are IIS 6.0 do not support PHP. So that people needing PHP should switch their hosting to Godaddy IIS 7.0. You can switch for free. But the files on your server will need to be uploaded again.
    Also see the file: notes_about_godaddy_windows_permissions.html
     

  • I am using the Agreement to Terms form, and when I save my changes, I get a "config is broken" message. I press "Yes" to fix it, but nothing happens.

    This is the only form we have that is "finicky". If you insert text into the "terms" field that has other various HTML or other special characters in it, then this "breaks" the config. If this happens, just upload a fresh copy of the file configbwf.php from your original download to your server.
     

  • I have forgotten my username and/or password.

    This is easy. Using your FTP program, view the code of the file configbwf.php. Towards the top you will see your username and password. You can also upload the configbwf.php file again. This will reset everything to the defaults.

     

  • I can't get past the login screen after entering the default username and password.

    We have included the file rename-php.ini which contains just the following line of code:
      

     
    cgi.force_redirect 0
     

    Rename the file to be php.ini and move it to your main directory, out of the forms directory.
    This might solve the problem, but also keep in mind, if you changed your username and/or password, then you will still not be able to log in.

     

  • My fonts, text sizes, and text colors are not changing the way I want them to.

    This is usually because a webpage has conflicting css code on the page that you have placed your web form on. If this is the case, then you might need to open your form template in an HTML editor, delete the Javascript css code for the text css near the top of the code. And then "hard code" the text on the form that you want to change.

 

 
 

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