Online Order Form Alternatives
“Do It on the Web” ( JofA, Mar.01, page 43) gave a good, basic overview of creating an active server page (.asp) form for taking online orders and capturing the information in an Access database as part of a retail-enabled Web site.
However, before spending hours designing and writing the FrontPage code, the user needs to be aware that not all Internet service providers (ISPs) support the FrontPage.asp forms described in the article. For example, Earthlink provides Web-hosting services on Unix Servers only, so a FrontPage order form created with .asp extensions for Access will not run.
Here are several alternatives for the user who wants to offer an online order entry form on a Web site when the ISP does not support .asp extensions.
Have a programmer or Web site service company develop the order form in “cgi” script (consult your FrontPage Help for details).
Design your FrontPage order form and set Form Properties so it will “e-mail” the order information to you.
Add an HTML link from your Web site to your credit card authorization company’s Web site and let it process the order.
Bob Sheridan, President
RestaurantPlus.com
La Verne, California
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