Automated creation and maintenance of programs to process internet form related submissions

摘要

According to one aspect of the present invention, a method is provided in which a form is received from an author. A parsing function is performed to extract attribute information with respect to various form elements contained in the form. A user interface is presented to the author to allow the author to configure a set of actions that are to be performed in processing the submissions of the form.

主权项

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:
receiving a Hyper Text Markup Language (HTML) form authored by a form authoring tool, the form containing one or more input fields adapted to receive user input; identifying, independently of the form authoring tool, the input fields contained in the received form; providing, independently of the form authoring tool, a graphical user interface to enable selection and customization of one or more actions to be carried out by a Common Gateway Interface (CGI) script in response to user submission of an instance of the form including data in at least one of the input fields to a server, wherein the graphical user interface displays the identified input fields and a plurality of selectable and customizable actions that are dependent upon the identified input fields or data input into the identified input fields upon user submission of an instance of the form; receiving the selection and customization of an action; automatically and dynamically generating, independently of the form authoring tool and the graphical user, server executable program code of the CGI script separate from the HTML form to carry out the selected and customized action; and storing the program code of the CGI script on the server that will process the user submission of the form, wherein the server is distinct from a server that stores the form.