Emailing Form Input Using ASP

Building a Simple Contact Form in HTML

When a website needs to collect user input - whether it’s feedback, order details, or a newsletter sign‑up - a form is the most common approach. The form you create in HTML is the front‑end interface that users interact with, and it must be designed with both usability and server‑side processing in mind. Below is a thorough walkthrough of how to build a straightforward contact form that submits data to a Classic ASP script for email handling.

First, you need a form element that declares the method of submission and the target script. Using POST is standard practice because it sends data in the request body, keeping URL length and sensitive information from being exposed. The action attribute points to the ASP file that will receive the data.

Name: Email: Subject: Message:

width: 100%; padding: 8px; box-sizing: border-box;
}
input[type="submit"] {
 margin-top: 20px; padding: 10px 20px; background: #28a745; color: white; border: none;
}
Place the CSS inside a <code>style</code> tag in the head section or link to an external stylesheet. When a visitor fills out the form and clicks “Send,” the data travels to <code>emailform.asp</code>. The next step is to capture that data in ASP and prepare it for email transmission.<h2>Capturing Form Data with ASP</h2>

Classic ASP provides the <code>Request</code> object to access form data. When the form above posts to <code>emailform.asp</code>, the ASP script can retrieve the values using <code>Request.Form("fieldname")</code>. The first task is to read every field into variables that the script can work with.
asp
Dim name, userEmail, subject, message
name = Request.Form("name")
userEmail = Request.Form("email")
subject = Request.Form("subject")
message = Request.Form("message")
%>
If any field is missing, <code>Request.Form</code> returns an empty string. Storing the values in local variables makes the code cleaner and helps later steps like validation and email composition.
You may also want to trim whitespace from the beginning or end of each input. Classic ASP can perform this with the built‑in <code>Trim</code> function:
asp
name = Trim(name)
userEmail = Trim(userEmail)
subject = Trim(subject)
message = Trim(message)
After capturing the data, the script should confirm that all required fields are present. Even though the browser checks for <code>required</code> attributes, it’s a good idea to double‑check on the server side because malicious users can bypass client‑side validation by crafting custom requests.
The validation step is simple: iterate through each field, and if any is empty, build an error message.
asp
Dim errors, allOk
errors = ""
allOk = True
If name = "" Then
 errors = errors & "Name is required. "
 allOk = False
End If
If userEmail = "" Then
 errors = errors & "Email is required. "
 allOk = False
End If
If message = "" Then
 errors = errors & "Message is required. "
 allOk = False
End If
If <code>allOk</code> is still <code>True</code> after these checks, the script proceeds to the emailing phase. Otherwise, it should return the error string to the user. For a simple implementation, you can echo the errors back and let the user correct them.
asp
If Not allOk Then
 Response.Write("
" & errors & "")
 Response.End
End If
This snippet halts further processing when validation fails, preventing a broken email from being sent with incomplete data. The following sections describe two common ways to send email from Classic ASP: using the legacy CDONTS object and the more robust CDO.Message with SMTP.<h2>Sending Emails Using CDONTS in Classic ASP</h2>

CDONTS (Classic Email Distribution Object, Newer Technology) is a Windows component that has existed since Internet Information Services (IIS) 4.0. It is still available on older Windows servers and can send mail through the local SMTP service without requiring external credentials. The CDONTS object is straightforward, but it lacks the flexibility of SMTP authentication and TLS support.
Below is a ready‑to‑copy example that demonstrates how to send an email with CDONTS after the form data has been validated.
asp
' Prepare the email body
Dim emailBody
emailBody = "You have received a new message from the contact form:" & vbCrLf & vbCrLf
emailBody = emailBody & "Name: " & name & vbCrLf
emailBody = emailBody & "Email: " & userEmail & vbCrLf
emailBody = emailBody & "Subject: " & subject & vbCrLf & vbCrLf
emailBody = emailBody & "Message:" & vbCrLf & message
' Create the CDONTS object
Dim objMail
Set objMail = Server.CreateObject("CDONTS.NewMail")
' Set email parameters
objMail.From = userEmail
objMail.To = "webmaster@example.com"
objMail.Subject = "Contact Form: " & subject
objMail.Body = emailBody
' Send the email
objMail.Send
' Clean up
Set objMail = Nothing
' Redirect to thank‑you page
Response.Redirect "thankyou.html"
%>
In this snippet, <code>objMail.From</code> is set to the visitor’s email address, allowing the webmaster to reply directly. The <code>To</code> field points to the site owner. The <code>Body</code> combines all form fields into a readable string, with line breaks inserted via <code>vbCrLf
CDONTS relies on the local mail service (SMTP) configured on the server. If the server is not set up with a functioning SMTP service, the <code>Send</code> call will fail silently or raise an error, so testing is essential. Many shared hosting environments disable CDONTS for security reasons, so the SMTP approach may be necessary.
The CDONTS method works well for small sites that don’t require authentication or encryption. If you need to connect to an external mail server that requires a username and password, switch to the SMTP method shown next.<h2>Sending Emails Using SMTP with CDO in Classic ASP</h2>

When a server lacks a local SMTP relay or the webmaster wants to use a third‑party mail service (like Gmail, SendGrid, or a corporate Exchange server), the CDO.Message object provides a more powerful alternative. CDO (Collaboration Data Objects) allows you to configure SMTP server details, authentication, TLS, and more.
Below is a typical CDO.Message setup that sends the same contact‑form email.
asp
' Build the email body
Dim emailBody
' Create the CDO object
Dim mail, mailConf
Set mail = Server.CreateObject("CDO.Message")
Set mailConf = mail.Configuration
' Map the configuration to the default namespace
mailConf.Fields.Item("http://schemas.microsoft.com/cdo/configuration/sendusing") = 2
' SMTP server settings
mailConf.Fields.Item("http://schemas.microsoft.com/cdo/configuration/smtpserver") = "smtp.example.com"
mailConf.Fields.Item("http://schemas.microsoft.com/cdo/configuration/smtpserverport") = 587
mailConf.Fields.Item("http://schemas.microsoft.com/cdo/configuration/smtpusessl") = True
' Credentials for authenticated SMTP
mailConf.Fields.Item("http://schemas.microsoft.com/cdo/configuration/smtpconnectiontimeout") = 60
mailConf.Fields.Item("http://schemas.microsoft.com/cdo/configuration/smtpauthenticate") = 1
mailConf.Fields.Item("http://schemas.microsoft.com/cdo/configuration/sendusername") = "your_smtp_user"
mailConf.Fields.Item("http://schemas.microsoft.com/cdo/configuration/sendpassword") = "your_smtp_password"
' Commit the configuration
mailConf.Fields.Update
' Set message properties
mail.To = "webmaster@example.com"
mail.From = userEmail
mail.Subject = "Contact Form: " & subject
mail.TextBody = emailBody
' Send the email
mail.Send
' Clean up
Set mail = Nothing
Set mailConf = Nothing
' Redirect
%>
In this example, the <code>sendusing</code> field tells CDO to use an SMTP server. The <code>smtpserver</code> and <code>smtpserverport</code> fields point to the mail relay. Setting <code>smtpusessl</code> to <code>True</code> forces a secure connection, which is common for modern mail providers.
Authentication is optional; if the server requires a username and password, set <code>smtpauthenticate</code> to and provide the credentials. If your server accepts unauthenticated connections, set <code>smtpauthenticate</code> to .
After setting all fields, calling <code>mailConf.Fields.Update</code> writes the configuration to memory. The message body can be plain text (<code>TextBody</code>) or HTML (<code>HTMLBody</code>). Once <code>mail.Send</code> is executed, the message leaves the server and arrives at the destination mailbox.
This approach is preferable on shared hosting or when you need to send bulk emails because it eliminates dependence on the local SMTP service and gives you full control over security and routing.<h2>Redirecting Users to a Thank‑You Page</h2>

Once the email has been queued, you want the visitor to receive confirmation that their message was received. Classic ASP offers the <code>Response.Redirect</code> method, which sends a 302 HTTP redirect to the client. Place this call at the end of the script, after the email has been dispatched.
asp
The <code>thankyou.html</code> page should thank the user for contacting you and provide any next steps, such as a short wait period or a link back to the site’s homepage. Keep the page lightweight to ensure fast loading. </div>
 
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