PUB2000: Troubleshooting Form Controls from Publisher

Microsoft Publisher 2000 has the ability to create Web Forms that can be used to input data such as names and address, and even sell goods. These form controls only work on servers that meet certain requirements.

Publisher 2000 can use any of the following options to retrieve data:

• Save the data in a file on my Web Server
  
  This option requires your Internet service provider (ISP) to support Microsoft FrontPage Server Extensions version 2.0 or later.
• Send data to me in e-mail
  
  This option requires your ISP to support Microsoft FrontPage Server Extensions version 3.0 or later.
• Use a program from my ISP
  
  This option configures your form to call to identifiers in CGI Script that your ISP has on the server. This option is not one that Publisher 2000 supports directly. You can use this option if your ISP supports a standard script.

Using FrontPage Server Extensions

Identify if the Server Supports FrontPage Extensions or Services

To determine if your Web server supports FrontPage Server Extensions:

1. Click Start, and then click Run.
2. In the Open box, type the following line
   http://server name/path/_vti_inf.html
   where server name is the name of the Web server and path is the folder on the Web server in which your Web pages are stored.
3. Click OK.

If the Web server supports FrontPage Server Extensions, you see the following Web page: If you do not see this message, your Web server does not support FrontPage Server Extensions.

Determine the Version of FrontPage Server Extensions Supported

To determine the version of FrontPage Server Extensions supported by the Web server:

1. While the configuration information page is still open in your browser, click Source on the View menu.
2. Scan the text for the following entry
   <!-- FrontPage Configuration Information
   FPVersion="version"
   where version is a multidigit number, with the first digit being the version of FrontPage extensions supported by the server.
3. Compare the number found in step 2 to the following list to determine the version of FrontPage Server Extensions that is supported by the server.
   
   
   Collapse this tableExpand this table

   Version number	Corresponding FrontPage version
   2	FrontPage 97
   3	FrontPage 98
   4	FrontPage 2000

Posting a Web Site with a Form Using the Web Publishing Wizard

NOTE: These steps assume that you have already saved your Web site to a folder on your hard disk.

1. Click Start, point to Programs, point to Internet Explorer, and then click Web Publishing Wizard.
2. Web Publishing Wizard (WPW) prompts you for the folder you want to publish to the Web. Since most Web sites use multiple files, the WPW prefers to publish folders.
   
   Click Browse folders, and select the folder you want to publish. Click OK, and then click Next.
3. Type a friendly name for your Web server when you are prompted to. If you run the WPW again, you can refer to this friendly name again to avoid the initial prompts.
   
   You can choose what type of file transfer method your ISP uses. If you don't know, you can choose Automatically Select Service Provider. This option is available by clicking the Advanced button.
   
   If you choose Automatically Select Service Provider, the WPW downloads the home page for your provider and checks the source HTML code for the following tag:

   <META name="postinfo" content=[PostInfo URL]>

   The WPW then downloads the PostInfo.html file from the specified URL. This file tells the WPW what method to use and what destination folder to use.
   
   If the Wizard can't find any PostInfo information, it assumes you are using FTP. It then prompts you for your user name and your password (for the ISP, not for your local area network).
   
   NOTE: For forms controls to work correctly, you should manually select FrontPage Extended Web instead of having WPW automatically detect the services on the server.
   
4. If necessary, type the URL (Universal Resource Locator) address and the local directory in which the files being transferred are located. This information should already be present.
   
   When you click Next, the WPW validates the information you provided and either allows the transfer, asks you for a user name and password for secure sites, or you receive the following message:
   A connection with the server could not be established.
   If you receive this error message, then the URL is invalid. You must contact your ISP to obtain the correct URL.
5. Once the URL has been verified and the connection made, the WPW may prompt you for a user name and a password if the server is a protected server. Otherwise WPW transfers the files to your Web site.