Re: Retrieving Data from an online form

["Walker, Arlen P" <Arlen -dot- P -dot- Walker -at- JCI -dot- COM>]

     We have created various online forms using MS Word97.  Users can
     download these forms from our intranet (thus, opening the file in MS
     Word) and fill in the data for a form's fields.  Does anyone know if
     there is a way to retrieve the data to use in a new version of the
     form (to eliminate the need to retype the data or cut and paste it)?
     It also would be helpful if this data were in a separate file that
     could be read for other purposes.  All info concerning these needs
     will be greatly appreciated.


You'd probably be far better off scrapping the Word portion of the process.
Make them an HTML form that the user fills out in the browser and submits,
rather than has to download, open with Word, fill in, save, and upload.

If you do that, it's a relatively simple matter to pluck the information
out of the form's fields and store wherever you like. If you want to pay
for it, there are a number of commercial products which do that, but if you
want to roll your own, there's also a large number of CGI scripts/programs/
plug-ins available for free which would need only minor tweaking for your
application.


Have fun,
Arlen
Chief Managing Director In Charge, Department of Redundancy Department
DNRC 224

Arlen -dot- P -dot- Walker -at- JCI -dot- Com
----------------------------------------------
In God we trust; all others must provide data.
----------------------------------------------
Opinions expressed are mine and mine alone.
If JCI had an opinion on this, they'd hire someone else to deliver it.

 From ??? -at- ??? Sun Jan 00 00:00:00 0000=