
Sending form submissions to email using the mailto attribute is a simple yet effective way to collect user input and stay organized.
The mailto attribute is used in HTML forms to specify the email address where the form data will be sent.
You can add the mailto attribute to the form's action attribute, like this: action="mailto:[email protected]".
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What is a Mailto Form?
A Mailto form is a simple way to collect email addresses and send messages. It's a convenient solution for websites that want to make it easy for visitors to contact them.
Mailto forms are created using HTML syntax, which means no complex coding is required. This makes it quick and easy to set up.
You can define recipients, subjects, and message content in a Mailto form, making it more user-friendly for visitors. This is especially helpful for websites that need to collect specific types of information from visitors.
Here are some key benefits of using Mailto forms:
- Ease of Use: It simplifies email communication without the need for server-side scripts.
- Quick Setup: No complex coding is required—just HTML syntax.
- Pre-filled Fields: You can define recipients, subjects, and message content, making it more user-friendly
Customize Email Subject
By default, the subject of the email that you receive from such a form will read something like: “Form posted from Microsoft Internet Explorer.”
You can change this by using the following code, which allows you to customize the subject of the email.
The default subject line can be quite generic and doesn't give any indication of what the email is about. With the code, you can specify a more relevant subject line that accurately reflects the content of the email.
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Using Forms Effectively
Using forms effectively is crucial for getting a response from your customers. You can set the action field of the form to "mailto:youremailaddress" for example. This allows users to send email directly from a web page.
To facilitate quick email submission, parameters like recipient, subject, and body can be predefined in the link. This makes it easier for users to submit their feedback without having to copy and paste the email address.
Some browsers and email clients send form data encoded for web pages, making it difficult to read. Using the enctype="text/plain" attribute can make the data easier to read.
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What Is Postdata.att?

When a form is submitted using the “mailto:” method, Outlook Express sends the submitted form data as an attachment called POSTDATA.ATT.
This file is simply a text file that you can open using Notepad.
The file contains the submitted form data in a somewhat cryptic format.
For example, if the form contains fields like ‘Name’, ‘Email’, and ‘Address’, the POSTDATA.ATT file will display the submitted data in a specific format.
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Using Forms Effectively
Using forms effectively is crucial for collecting feedback and information from users. By using the mailto link in a form submission, users can send email directly from a web page without server-side processing.
To create a mailto link, you need to set the action field of the form to "mailto:youremailaddress". This will invoke the email client to send the form submission to the specified email address.
Using the mailto link in a form submission allows users to send email directly from a web page, making it a quick and easy way to collect feedback.
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The mailto link can be set up in the action field of the form, as shown in Example 2. This is a simple way to get started with using mailto forms.
To make the data sent through the mailto link easier to read, you can use the enctype="text/plain" attribute. This will replace spaces with the plus sign (+) and encode other characters.
Here are some key things to keep in mind when using mailto forms:
- Mailto forms don't always work for all combinations of browsers and email clients.
- You can set the form's action field to mailto and the web browser will invoke the email client to send the form submission.
- Mailto forms allow you to ask specific questions and sort your email messages based on responses.
- Using a mailto form keeps spammers at bay by not displaying the email address on the web page.
While mailto forms are a good first attempt at creating web forms that generate an email, they are limited. As you get more advanced in your web skills, you may want to explore more robust options like CGI scripts or PHP forms.
Examples and Limitations
Examples of using mailto in HTML forms are straightforward. You can create a mailto link that allows users to send email directly from a web page, without server-side processing.
To get started, you'll need to create a basic HTML structure with input fields like name, email, and a textarea. Then, you'll use CSS to properly align the fields. This is the first step in creating a mailto form.
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Here are the key steps to create a mailto form:
- Create a basic HTML structure with input fields.
- Use CSS for proper alignment.
- Set the action field of the form to the mailto link.
Keep in mind that there are some limitations to using mailto forms. For example, they may not work correctly if the user's default mail client is not Outlook Express.
Direct Mail Example
You can use the mailto protocol to set up a direct mail link with parameters, allowing users to compose and send emails by clicking the link without requiring a mail client.
The mailto link can be configured with parameters like cc, bcc, subject, and body to pre-fill the email content.
In the HTML link, the mailto protocol specifies the recipient email, and parameters are configured for pre-filled email content.
The user clicks the link to open the default email client with pre-filled fields.
Here's a breakdown of the mailto link parameters:
You can use these parameters to pre-fill the email content when the user clicks the mailto link.
Email Form Limitations
Email forms can be a convenient way to collect information from visitors, but they're not without their limitations.

One of the main drawbacks of using mailto forms is that they only work correctly in Internet Explorer with Outlook Express as the default client.
Even if your visitor is using Internet Explorer, but has a different default mail client, the mailto form won't work.
Additionally, if your visitor has IE and has configured Outlook Express as the default mail client, they may still press cancel on the warning dialog that pops up.
Here are some specific reasons why mailto forms may not work as expected:
- Your visitor must have Internet Explorer as the browser and Outlook Express as the default client for this to work correctly.
- Even if your visitor is using Internet Explorer, but the default mail client is different, your mailto form will not work.
- Even if your visitors have IE and has configured Outlook Express as default mail client, they may press cancel on the warning dialog that pops up.
It's also worth noting that mailto forms don't always work for all combinations of browsers and email clients.
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