What is Sitemap?

Sitemap is an online site building tool which makes it possible to edit and host professional looking, scalable, full featured web sites without any technical expertise.

 

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What can I do with Sitemap?

  • You can add unlimited number of pages and any type of content - text, music, video, photo galleries and files

  • You can add interactive elements such as a discussion forum or blog, web forms, mailing lists

  • You can safely work on content changes while visitors are browsing your site

  • You can publish updates instantly

  • You can restrict access to specific areas on your site to select users

  • You can monitor site statistics

  • You can have your site hosted under your own domain

 

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Does Sitemap have any limitations?

Each new version of Sitemap brings in new functionalities which are automatically integrated into your website. The current Sitemap version does not offer the following capabilities:

  • There is no option for simultaneous editing of the same content by several users.
  • There are no different administrative access levels, approval work flow and history of changes
  • There isn't an integrated shopping cart system with online credit card processing. This featrue will be avaiable within the next twelve months. For the time being we offer integration with PayPal � merchant tools.
  • You can't create your Sitemap design template on your own
  • You can't use Sitemap as a general hosting solution - we don't offer FTP, SSH or ability to run custom scripts. Sitemap provides instead an integrated platform where you can build web sites without any need of FTP, SSH or scripting
  • You have to be online in order to edit your site

 

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Who can use Sitemap?
Practically everyone who can use a browser and text editing software will be able to use Sitemap. Sitemap can be particularly useful to:

  • Small businesses and professionals who wish to establish an upscale web presence

  • Artists, writers or photographers in need of an online portfolio

  • Collaboration teams looking for an online venue to present project information and coordinate activities
  • Anyone who wishes to have a full-featured, good-looking web site that can be easily managed and updated

 

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What makes Sitemap different from other website building tools?

The key advantages that set Sitemap apart from the multitude of website building tools are:

  • Professional design templates
  • An integrated platform to launch, manage and host a website with all types of content and interactive features
  • Flexible pricing structure to accommodate every need, starting from $549, which includes hosting!
  • Easy for beginners to edit content even with no technical skills at all

 

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What does it cost to make a site with Sitemap?
Sitemap has a range of packages available starting from $549. The best thing about Sitemap is it is an all inclusive website strategy so there are no hidden or ongoing costs apart from your 12 month subscription. Click here for full details of the packages we have available.

 

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Can I use Sitemap for blogging?

Sure. Sitemap includes a powerful Blog module with abilities for moderation, access restrictions, RSS and posting via email. Sitemap offers much more than purely Blogging services however. You can establish a complete web presence of which the Blog is just one feature.

 

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Can I use Sitemap for selling products online?

Yes. You can easily sell products on your Sitemap website by integrating PayPal� Buy Now Buttons or Shopping Cart. A Sitemap Shopping Cart module with shipping and handling calculator and online credit card processing will be introduced within the next twelve months.

 

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Can I use Sitemap for photo-sharing?

Certainly! Sitemap's Image Galleries allow for multiple images upload, automatically prepared thumbnails and navigation, a variety of views including slideshow. You can also order high quality photo prints and restrict access to original images to select users.

 

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Can I use Sitemap as an FTP server?

No, Sitemap doesn't support FTP. The product has been designed with the aim to allow people without technical skills to edit feature-rich web sites. We are not trying to compete with companies offering standard FTP-based hosting. This market has been saturated and we can't really provide any competitive advantage there.


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How do I have my Sitemap website appear under my own domain name?

If you already have a domain name, you can make your Sitemap site appear under it in two easy steps:

  1. Specify your domain name(s) under My Domain field in Site Properties
  2. Set your domain to point to Sitemap's IP address (72.20.110.40)


Step 1: File your domain name(s) under My Domain in Site Properties

  • Go to Admin view of your Sitemap site. From Control Panel ( icon on top right) choose  Site Properties
  • In My domain field from the options on top list your domain name(s) both with and without www,  separated by comma

  • Click


Step 2.  Set your domain to point to Sitemap's IP address

The approach to this step depends on the level of control you have over your domain name. For each option please allow up to 48 hours for the change to get fully propagated.

   Option A. You can manage the DNS for your domain from the registrar's website

Login to your registrar's website with the username and password for your domain management account. 
Locate the option for DNS Management (different registrars may use different names for it, e.g. DNS Control). Set the IP (A record) of your domain to Sitemap's IP 72.20.110.40 .
Create an alias (CNAME record) "www" pointing the record you created.


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Can I use Sitemap for editing my current website?

Sitemap is not a stand-alone application which can be used as an editing tool on any website. It is a complex web publishing platform with integrated hosting. So, in order to edit your current website with Sitemap, you will first need to recreate it with Sitemap by opening an account and loading your content. In most cases you can just copy-paste each page from your old site into Sitemap. If your current website features functionality which is not among Sitemap's features, please contact us for a consultation on how it can be implemented.

 

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What browsers and operating systems is Sitemap compatible with?

Sitemap is fully compatible with Internet Explorer 5.5 + on Windows and Mozilla 1.4+ / Firefox 1.0 + on Windows / Linux / Mac OS X

Sitemap is not yet fully tested with Internet Explorer 7.0.  With the partially supported browsers listed below you will not be able to edit text and images using the Text and Image editor and there may be problems opening the Photo Galleries pop-up viewer (Safari)

 

Fully and partially supported browsers grouped by OS:

OS

Fully supported browsers

Partially supported browsers

Windows

Internet Explorer 5.5 +

Mozilla 1.4 +

Firefox 1.0 +  ***

Opera

 

Linux

Mozilla 1.4 +

Firefox 1.0 +

Konqueror

Opera

Mac OS X

Mozilla 1.4 +

Firefox 1.0 +

Internet Explorer 5.5

Safari

Opera

*** the Back browser button in FF 1.0.x is not functioning properly due to some browser limitations

 

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How do I edit the content on my Sitemap website?

You can manage the content on your Sitemap website with the online editing tools available in Admin view of the site. 

  • To login to Admin view simply click the Edit link available at the bottom of each page on your site and enter your login and password created during sign up. You can also login from Sitemap's home page.
  • Once logged, you can change the content on your site with the help of the edit icons which stand for each content element on the page. Clicking an icon allows you to edit the specific element. Roll over an icon brings up additional options for adding more items, moving or deleting items.
  • The Control Panel available in the top right corner of each page in Admin view will give you access to functions related to the whole site.

 

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What is the difference between Admin view and Normal view?

The Normal view is what visitors accessing your site will see. You can see your site in Normal view at http://sitemap.com.au/<login> where <login> is the login name you have selected when signing up for an account. Only the changes which are published are visible in Normal view.

The Admin view is accessible only for the site owner after logging with a password. It is your workplace for managing content. The Admin view looks just like the Normal view apart from the little edit icons throughout the page. Each icon allows you to manage the object it stands for.

 

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Will users see the changes I make in Admin view?

The changes you make in Admin view will not be visible to outside visitors until you decide you are ready to publish them. So, you can safely work on content in Admin view while visitors are browsing the site.

 

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How do I publish changes?

With Sitemap you can publish changes instantly. There are three publishing options depending on the scope of the changes you want to publish:

  • If you wish to publish updates done on a particular page, simply click the red label  located in the top right corner of the page.
  • If you wish to publish updates done on several pages, roll over the Control Panel  icon in the top right corner of a page and select "Manage Pages". All pages with not published updates will be marked with a red  icon. Click the icon for each page you wish to publish.
  • If you wish to publish all changes on the site use the "Publish All Pages" option available in "Manage Pages", or from Control Panel  select "Site Properties" and click the "Publish All Changes" button.

 

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Can several people edit content on the site at the same time?

Not currently. If several people make changes over the same content only the updates of the last one will be saved. Sitemap's version 3.0 will introduce a page locking mechanism which will allow for multi-user editing.

 

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Can I remove an already published content from Normal view but still keep it in Admin view?

Yes. To remove a published content element from Normal view, roll over its icon and select "Hold". The item's icon will change to reflect that it is placed on hold - a red mark will appear in one corner. After placing the item on hold, publish the page and the item will no longer be available in Normal view. When you decide to restore the item in Normal view again, roll-over its icon, select "Unhold" and publish the change.

 

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Can I undo changes and revert to a previous version of the content?

Although the Sitemap system supports versioning of content, for the time being there is no user interface to undo a change once saved even if you haven't published to Normal view yet. The option to revert to the last published version of content will be introduced in future releases. Currently, you can use Undo / Redo functionality only while working within the Text and Image editor before you have submitted the changes to the page.  If you have applied an update in Admin view that you wish to undo and the change is not published to Normal View yet you can restore the content by copy-pasting it from Normal view.

 

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Can I edit my Sitemap site offline?

No. Sitemap is a platform for online content management. You need to be online in order to apply updates and manage your site.

You can, of course, work on text content for your pages offline in a text editing program and easily copy-paste it in the Text and Image editor once you login to your Sitemap website.

 

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Can I see what the Normal view of my website will look like without logging out of the Admin view and publishing changes?

Yes. If you want to check how the content will appear in Normal View, before to publish any changes, roll over the Control panel  icon available in Admin view of your website and select "Show / Hide icons ".

 

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Can I export the content of my site?

Yes, you can. Contact us for more details.

 

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How do I enable advanced features such as Forms, Forum and Blog, Mailing List, Hits Counter, HTML Snippet?

The advanced elements can be enabled for a particular working session. To select an advanced element, follow these steps:

  • Roll-over the Control Panel  icon in the top right corner in Admin view and select "Advanced Elements"

  • In the dialog which opens select the elements you wish to enable and press "Update"

The option for adding the selected advanced elements will now be available when you roll over the element icons on the page.

 

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Can I create a site with multi-language content with Sitemap?

All content areas except menu items and page titles can work with multi-language text. Multi-language support for these two areas is included in the wish list for upcoming releases.

 

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I can't publish updates. There is no Publish option in the top right corner of the page or it doesn't work.

The problem could be due to browser cache or interference of security programs installed on your computer. Please try clearing your browser cache first.

If you are using Internet Explorer:

1. Select "Tools" > "Internet Options"

2. In the "General" tab - press the "Settings" button in the "Temporary Internet Files" section.
3. Click "Delete files" button in the "Temporary Internet Files" section.
4. In the pop-up that opens, check "Delete offline content". Click "OK".

 

For FireFox, please follow these steps:
1. Select "Tools" > "Options"
2. In the "Privacy" tab locate the "Cache" option and press "Clear"

3. Press "OK".

Close all browser windows then open a new browser and try to login and try publishing.

 

If the clearing of cache doesn't help, check if you have an internet security program enabled on your machine (i.e. Norton Internet Security, Zone Alarm or others).  Such programs may alter the code of the page and not allow active functions like the Publishing interface to work properly.  If disabling the software doesn't help, please contact us for further help.

 

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Is there an easy way to notify a group of users when I publish new updates?

Yes. For any page on your site, you can enable automatic notification for publish. It will send an email message to the members of a selected mailing list on your site whenever new updates are published on this page.

  • In Admin view, go to the page you wish to set notification for
  • Roll over the Control Panel  icon in the top right corner and select "Page Properties"
  • Open the "Special Features" sections by clicking on "Show Option" next to it
  • In "Notify by email on publish" field choose a mailing list

 

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No editing options appear when I click on the element icons.

The problem could be due to a pop-up blocking software installed on your machine or popup blocking options enabled in your browser settings. You should enable pop-ups for sitemap.com.au in the browser or pop-up blocking software settings.

 

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Can I edit two Sitemap websites simultaneously?                                                    

Editing two Sitemap websites at the same time is not recommended. It may result in a mix-up of browser sessions and cause problems with inability to login to one of the accounts or elements from one of the sites displayed into the other website. In both cases the problems can be quickly resolved. Please, contact Sitemap Support for assistance.



How do I insert HTML code into my website?

The HTML Snippet allows you to add a small piece of HTML, JavaScript and CSS code inside the content area on your site.  You can use this functionality to easily integrate PayPalTM Buy Now buttons or Shopping cart within your site or add external tools such as Google Analytics, Google AdSense and others. More advanced users can also use the HTML Snippet to integrate small custom-programmed tools and functions inside their Sitemap website.

 

The HTML Snippet cannot be used for modifying the design, installing back-end scripting on the server or as a substitute of Sitemap's editing interface for managing website content.

 

The HTML Snippet, like the Hits Counter, Mailing List, Forum/Blog and Form, is one of Sitemap's Advanced elements.  Unlike the Basic content elements such as Text and Image, Image Gallery, etc. which are always available as options for Adding in Admin View, the Advanced elements are selected for a particular working session.

 

To start working with the HTML Snippet you should first enable it from the list of Advanced Elements:

  • Roll-over the Control Panel icon in the top right corner in Admin view and select Advanced Elements

  • In the dialog that opens select HTML Snippet and press Update

  • The option for adding a HTML Snippet will now appear under the menu option of Content Element icons on the page.

  • Note that the next time you login and wish to be able to add an HTML Snippet you should repeat these steps.

 

After you have enabled the HTML Snippet from Advanced Elements options, go to the page where you wish to add the code, roll-over the  Area icon or and in the Add menu select   HTML Snippet.

 

Paste the code inside the HTML Code box. Press Add. The content will be displayed on the page.

To edit the code of an already added HTML Snippet - click the  HTML Snippet icon.

 

When adding custom code inside an HTML Snippet users are advised to double-check its correctness as faulty code pasted in the Snippet can spoil the appearance of a site or cause problems with the proper functioning of Sitemap's editing tools.

 


How do I put PayPal 'Buy Now' buttons as well as PayPal Shopping Cart may be added using the HTML snippet.

 

Which PayPal tool should you choose - PayPal 'Buy Now' buttons or PayPal Shopping Cart:

  • PayPal 'Buy now' buttons allow to purchase items one at a time. The buyer clicks the button, s/he is redirected to a secure PayPal page and pays for the item through PayPal. If the buyer needs to buy another item - s/he goes through the same process again, clicking the 'Buy Now' button for the next item s/he would like to buy.

  • PayPal Shopping Cart allows the buyer to add several items to the cart and pay for all with one PayPal payment.

 

The code for both PayPal tools (PayPal 'Buy Now' button and PayPal Shopping Cart) may be generated by any registered PayPal user from http://www.paypal.com.

 

Adding PayPal Buy Now buttons to your Sitemap website

  1. Generate the button code for each item you sell:

    1. Go to http://www.paypal.com.

    2. If you are not a registered PayPal user sign up for an account.

    3. Once you've logged to your account click 'Merchant Tools' tab on top. Go to section 'Accepting Website Payments' and click 'Buy Now Buttons' link.

    4. Enter the item details, then select a button image or choose your own image.

    5. Click 'Add More Options' button to enter shipping info and sales tax (if applicable), your logo, the page users are sent to after the payment is completed and other optional details. Otherwise, click directly 'Create Button Now' button.

    6. PayPal now generated the HTML code you need to place to display a 'Buy Now' button.


  2. Display 'Buy Now buttons' on your Sitemap website:

    1. Make sure the HTML snippet advanced element is activated (to check if activated - go to Control Panel  > Advanced Elements. 

    2. The HTML snippet checkbox should be checked.If not - check it and and click "Update"

    3. Go to the page of your Sitemap site where your 'Buy Now button' should appear.

    4. Rolloverthe Area  icon > Add > HTML Snippet. A box for entering HTML code will open.

    5. Paste in this box the 'Buy Now' HTML code generated  by PayPal in step 1f.

    6. Click Add and your'Buy Now' button will be displayed. After the page is published users will be able to buy the item by clicking on the 'Buy Now' button you generated.
       

Adding PayPal Shopping Cart to your Sitemap website

  1. Generate the button code for each item you will sell:

    1. Go to http://www.paypal.com

    2. If you are not a registered PayPal user sign up for an account.

    3. Once you've logged to your account click "Merchant Tools" tab on top. Go to the section 'Accepting Website Payments' and click 'PayPal Shopping Cart' link.

    4. Fill in the details of your item and select an image for your button. Click 'Add More Options' button to specify shipping costs, fees (if applicable) and customize your 'View Cart' button.

    5. After filling in the optional information, click 'Create button now' on bottom.

    6. You will now see 2 boxes with code - the first code will display the 'Buy now' button of your item, the second code will display 'View cart' page.




  2. Display 'Buy Now' and 'View Cart' buttons on your Sitemap website:

    1. Make sure the "HTML snippet" advanced element isactivated (to check if activated - goto Control Panel > Advanced Elements. The "HTML snippet" checkbox should be checked. If not - check it and and click "Update"

    2. Go to the page of your Sitemap sitewhere the 'Buy Now button' for your first item should appear.

    3. Rollover the Area  icon > Add > HTML Snippet.A box for entering HTML code will open.

    4. Paste in this box the 'Buy Now 'HTML code generated  by PayPal in step 1f. ClickAdd and your 'Buy Now' button will be displayed.

    5. For all other items you need to sell generatea different HTML 'Buy Now' button code following steps 1c through 1f from above.

    6. Finally, decide on which pages you need to havea 'View Cart' button. For each of these pages add the 'View Cart' code generated in step 1f fromabove.

    7. After you submitted the HTML snippet containing the 'View Cart' button code the button for 'View Cart' will be displayed. When clicked- this button will open a secure PayPal page showing the items added by the visitor. Usingthis 'View Cart' page the visitor may checkout and complete the PayPal payment process.Both the buyer and the seller will receive a PayPal notification for the items purchased / payment made.


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How do I include a Hits Counter on my website?

The Hits Counter can be added to any page on your site and will display the total number of unique visitors to the site or to a specific page depending on the selected option.

 

The Hits Counter, like the HTML Snippet, Mailing List, Forum/Blog and Form, is one of Sitemap's Advanced elements.   Unlike the Basic content elements such as Text and Image, Image Gallery, etc. which are always available as options for Adding in Admin View, the Advanced elements are selected for a particular working session.

 

To enable the Hits Counter, follow these steps:

  • Roll-over the Control Panel icon in the top right corner in Admin view and select Advanced Elements

  • In the dialog that opens select Hits Counter and press Update

  • The option for adding a Hits Counter will now appear under the menu option of Content Element icons on the page.

  • Note that the next time you login and wish to be able to add a Hits Counter - you should repeat these steps.

 

After you have enabled the Hits Counter from Advanced Elements options, go to the page where you wish to add it, roll-over the  Area icon and in the Add menu select  Hits Counter.  

 

In the Add Hits Counter Dialog that opens define the Prefix and Suffix - the phrases that will appear before and after the counter. Select appropriate style for the appearance of the counter on the page. And most importantly, choose if you want the counter to show visits to this page only or unique visit to the site. Press Add.  The counter will immediately display all visits to the page or site from the day they were created.  In order to make the counter available in Normal View as well - don't forget to Publish by clicking the   label.

 

To edit an already added counter - Click on the  Hits Counter icon and change settings as needed.


How do I add a form to my website?  

 

Using a simple Form editor Sitemap allows you to create fast and with minimum of effort different types of web forms that can help you interact with your site visitors or gather user information. The Form editor is very similar to the Text and Image Editor, with a set of additional controls for customizing your forms.  It lets you add all types of fields and controls needed and arrange them as you like to get any type of web form -Feedback form, Product / Service Information Request forms, Subscription forms, Surveys and Questionnaires. You can also define what will happen when the form is submitted - it may send an email, post the information filled in the form to a forum or blog on your site or may join the users who submitted the form to a mailing list.

 

How to add a web form to your Sitemap website

Adding a form to your website is easy and does not require any programming.

The form, just like the Hits Counter, HTML Snippet, Mailing List and Forum/Blog is an advanced element and you will need to enable it before being able to add it on a page. To do this, roll-over the Control Panel icon in the top right corner in Admin view and select Advanced Elements. Check the box in front of Form and press Update. The option for adding a Form will now appear within the menu of any Area or other object icon. Note that Advanced elements are enabled per working session. So, the next time you log in and wish to be able to add an Advanced Element - you should repeat these steps.

 

To add a Form to a page, rollover the Area  or any other object icon and select Add > Form. The Form editor will open up with a button displayed. The Submit button is a mandatory part of each form and you can't delete it.  Above the Submit button you may add any type of form fields you will need - text field, text area, select field, checkboxes, radio buttons and arrange them appropriately. You may also add a button just next to the Submit button to clear the fields if needed.

 


Review of the different types of fields you may have in your form

 

1. Text Field

 

The Text Field may be used in your form to type text which is fairly short, and does not need to be split in lines. To add a Text Field press the  button from the Form editor tools menu. Now click over the Text Field you have added and you will see a set of options displayed in the right pane of the Form editor.

  • The Type is the type of information users will fill into this form field. If you select type Text, the text users fill in will appear just as they typed it. If you set type Password the text will appear as **** so other users may not see it. Type Hidden can be used when you need to gather system-related information (like IP or browser used to submit the form) or add data which users should not see. A hidden field will not be visible on the page.
  • The Name, just like the name of a person, is used to identify the form field when you need to refer to it anywhere inside the form editor as well as in the email / blog entry generated by this form. That is why each form field should have a unique Name.
  • You may adjust the Width of the text box either by typing a different width number or by just dragging the resize controls of the field text box (the resize controls will appear when you click over the form field).
  • Max Length is the maximum number of symbols this form field can accept. Your form may visually be very short, but it will accept as many symbols as you define in Max Length.
  • Validate As field will let you define the type of content users are required to fill into this form field. If they don't fill in the proper content type - they won't be able to submit the form. E.g your form field Email may be validated to accept just content type Email. Thus if some user submits a form with incorrect email address (like me@yahoo or meyahoo.com) on trying to submit of the form the user will see a notice to correct the email.
  • Default Value - This value will be pre-filled upon opening of the form and the visitor will be able to change it. The following special strings will be replaced with the corresponding values:

$date  - Date in format YYYY-MM-DD

$date_time  - Date and time in format YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM

$browser_ver  - Browser version and type of operating system

$referrer  - The page the visitor came from (referrer page)

$ip  - Visitor's IP address

 

 

2. Text Area

  

 

The Text Area form field is similar to the text box field but can hold longer, multi-line text.  Add a Text Area from the form editor > . Click over the Text Area field you have added to see its customization options displayed to the right.
The options Name, Width, Validate As and Default Value are identical to those of the Text Field. In addition, here we have :

  • Height of the text area - you may change it either by changing the number in the height field or by dragging the text area size controls.
  • Wrap - defines the wrapping of the submitted form field text when displayed in an email or forum / blog. Choose Default value to have your browser and mail client (Outlook, etc) wrap the text according to their default settings. Set wrapping Off to disallow the wrapping of the text when it is typed. Choose Physical to display the text in the mail the way it was wrapped in the text area. Choose Virtual to allow the mail client to decide how exactly the text should be wrapped.

 

 

3. Select Field

  

 

The Select Field is a box with a dropdown list inside, or a box with several options displayed one below the other. Add a select field from the Form Editor >  button. Click on the select field you have just added and you will see its properties again to the right. The new options we see here are:

  • Type - if you choose Menu type the select field will be a dropdown with options. If List is selected, the available field options will be listed one below the other.
  • The Options will be displayed as variants for selection in your Select Field. The Option Name is the exact text to appear in the dropdown / list, and the Option Value is the text that will be sent to you in an email or posted to a forum when the corresponding option is selected. Using up/down arrows you may rearrange the options in the dropdown or list. You can also delete options as well as choose a specific option to be selected by default. 

 

 

4. Checkboxes

  

 

Checkboxes are used when there is a lists of possible options and the user can select any number of choices from them.  A stand-alone checkbox can also be used for a single option the user can turn on or off.

Add a checkbox from the form editor >  and select it to see the customization options in the right pane. 

  • The checkboxes just like all other form fields have a Name which identifies the  field in the form and template editor as well as in the email/blog entry generated by this form. You may consider the Name as the question your users will have to answer by checking or un-checking the checkboxes associated with it.
  • The Value of the checkbox is the answer you will get on your question. I.e if you set the checkbox value to Yes when the users checked this checkbox this means they answered affirmatively to your question.
  • If you check the Default State option, your checkbox form field will be initially checked when the users load your form.
  • And finally, if you make a checkbox mandatory users will be required to check it before being able to submit the form. E.g if you want them to agree to your Terms and Conditions before they may submit the form - add an Agreement checkbox and make it Mandatory.

 

 

5. Radio buttons

  

 

Radio buttons are used when there is a list of several mutually exclusive options - i.e. the user can select just one option out of all available. The radio buttons related to one question form groups - clicking a non-selected radio button will deselect the rest radio buttons in this group.

Add a radio button from the form editor > . Now click the radio button to see the customization options for it displayed to the right.

  • All radio buttons representing the options for one and the same question must belong to the same Group. I.e. the Groups are the questions which will have radio button answers.
  • The Values of the radio buttons are the actual answers to your questions. The value gets posted in the email / forum when this radio button is selected.
    Imagine your question was Do you like my site and you want to give the users 3 options: Yes, No and Needs more work. Your radio button group may then be named 'LikeMySite' and the Values of the radio buttons will be Yes, No and Needs work.  If a user selects the radio button with value Yes, in the email or forum where the results of the form get posted you will receive this information asLikeMySite: Yes
  • The Default State and Mandatory options work the same way as described for the checkbox field.

 

 

6. Reset button

   

 

When pressed, the Reset button will clear all form information filled in by the user. To add a Reset button click the icon in the form editor. The only option associated with this form field is the Caption - this is the text that is displayed on the button. Usually the Reset button is positioned next to Submit button.

 

 

7. Submit button

  

The Submit button is the main functional element of the form - it sends the information filled in by the user in your form to an email, forum / blog or mailing list, depending on the settings you have specified for your form. Your form can't function without a Submit button, that's why you are not allowed to delete it.  A single form can have only one Submit button.  Click on the Submit button to access the available customization  for the form as a whole. 

As Name you can specify the name with which you will identify your form. As Submit Caption specify the text you wish to be displayed on the Submit button. From the Next page setting you can define which page from your site should open after successful submission of the form  (it may be a Thank You page for example). The Actions listed in the Form properties panel define how the information submitted by the user with this form should be processed. We will review all available form actions and the settings for them in detail below.

 

 

Form actions

To complete the form we need to specify what the Submit button should do.

  • Should it post the information submitted to an email?
  • Or maybe submit some of the content in this form to a forum or blog on your site?
  • Or just join the email entered somewhere in your form to a mailing list on your site?

Lets review each of these options and then see how to set your form to do one or all of the above.

 

 

Click the already added   button. The list of available Actions for the form will appear in the right pane of the Forms Editor - Send to Email, Submit to Forum, add an email filled in the form to a Mailing List added to your site. Checking any of these options will open a set of advanced preferences.

 

1. Send to Email

Lets say you want to send the contents of your form to your email.  Check the Send to Email checkbox, and in the options that will expand. As To email specify the address to which all submitted forms should be addressed. As From specify the address from which the form will be sent.

Set a Subject of the mail that will be received on submission of the form (like New Information Request) and Format of the mail. If "Plain" is selected any formatting will be lost. If "HTML" is selected the submitted email will be displayed in HTML format if your mail client supports this option.

 

To display additional information and/or apply special formatting to the mail containing the form data submitted, choose Use Template option and a Template Editor will open.

The Template Editor resembles a simplified Text and Images editor, and has its own Save and Cancel links which will let you save the template or go back to the Form editor. The Template Editor will let you apply your own formatting and include in the email body the value of any field from the form. Use the Value dropdown on top right of the Template Editor to insert placeholders for the desired field values in your template. You will see that all form fields you have added to your form appear in this dropdown referenced by their Name.  After your template is ready and saved, each submission of your form will result in an email sent to your email, and the content of the email will follow the content structure you have set in your Template.

2. Submit to a Forum or Blog

If you want to submit the form content to a Forum or Blog on your site select Submit to Forum checkbox a panel with detailed preferences will expand. Select a forum / blog that you already have on your site. Then in the Fields Map section define the mapping between the form fields and the mandatory fields for each forum posting:

Posting Title, Posting Content and User Email.

As with Send to Email option you may choose to use a Template instead of the fields from the Posting Content dropdown. If you select Use Template you will be able to define your own formatting and have include any other field from the form.

 

3. Add to Mailing List

By selecting the Mailing List checkbox all emails submitted through your form will be added to a Mailing List on your site. In the set of options that will expand specify the mailing list to which the submitted emails should be added. In the Fields Map section specify which fields in your form should be mapped as the Email and Subscribe fields. If you wish users to be added to your mailing list only after their email address is confirmed  - check the Confirmation checkbox and they will be receive a confirmation email with a link they need to follow in order to confirm their subscription. Otherwise, users will be immediately joined to the selected mailing list. 

These are the basic available Form Actions. Please note that depending on the purposes your form should serve you can choose to a combination of actions performed on Submit. I.e - your form can both post to a Forum / Blog, send a notification email with the results and subscribe the user to a Mailing List. For an example of combined actions - please refer to the sample usage of a Form in setting up a Guestbook on your site.

 

4. Send Confirmation Email

This will allow you to send a timely response to your visitors notifying that their information has been proper submitted and will be processed shortly. After you select the checkbox for the Send Confirmation Email option, a section with additional parameters will expand. In the To dropdown select the name of the field in your form where visitors will fill in their email. This will assure that the confirmation will be sent to the email address provided by the user. It is recommended to set email validation for this field to make sure it will be a valid email address. Then, in the From field enter the address from which the confirmation message will be sent. In Subject fill in the desired subject of the confirmation message. Select Plain or HTML Mail Format. If you want to modify the text of your auto-response message, click on the Template Edit option.
 

Form Wizards

For ease of use Sitemap's Form editor features two ready form wizards - Feedback form and Mailing list form.  They come with ready fields and predefined settings that you can easily modify if you wish, To add to your site a ready mailing list or feedback form use the wizard icons from to tools panel of the Form Editor -   for Mailing list form, for Feedback form. Apply modifications if needed, move the already available  button to the end of the form, specify appropriate action and you are all set!


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