mailto links

[hugh welford]

Hi,
Can anyone tell me if it is possible to "hide" mailto links so that they
are unrecognisable by the email harvesters yet resolve into clickable email
addresses when the page is served.

Thanks

Hugh

 

[Dave B.]

http://www.metaprog.com/samples/encoder.htm

 

[Murray]

There is - but it requires custom javascript.

A mailto: link is quite unreliable, though - you know?

 

[hugh welford]

Thanks murray

I didnt know that mailto links are unreliable. Do you have any suggestions
then for providing a reliable clickable link that will enable visitors to
email from the site without the email address being picked up by harvesters?
Or is it best just to give the email address as text, and get people to cut
and past?

Thanks for your help

Hugh

 

[hugh welford]

Thanks Dave B - u r a star

hugh

http://www.metaprog.com/samples/encoder.htm

--

 

[Murray]

There are only two ways to process form data -

1. Use mailto:[email protected] as the action of the form
2. Use a server-side scripting method to a) harvest the form's data, b)
process it in some manner, e.g., enter it into a database, c) formulate and
send an email to one or more email recipients, and d) redirect the visitor
to some ending page

Method 1 is quite simple, and is also the least reliable. It depends both
on your visitor having an email client already installed on their computer -
this eliminates public computers, or home users without email clients
installed (more and more it seems) - and on the installed email client
responding to
the mailto call. It is not possible to use this method *and* send the
visitor to a
thank you page as well.

Method 2a is the preferred method, since it eliminates the problems of
method
1, but it means that you have to grapple with server-scripting somehow (ASP,
CF, PHP, perl, etc.).

Method 2b would be to use some third-party form processing, like
http://www.formstogo.com.

You would have to decide which of these methods is best for your needs,
but if it's Method 2a, then start by asking your host what they provide for
form
processing. If it's 2b, then read their FAQ/instructions carefully.

 

[Worksmart]

I write my email address with spaces and replace the @ symbol with the word
"at". My site is business-related and my visitors are savvy. They know
exactly what to do, and I've not received any complaints. Example: worksmart
at mydomain.com.

I use unpredictable spacing between the words in case the spammers figure
this out too.

 

[Thomas A. Rowe]

That requires users to either have to edit your email address or type it into their email
application.

--
==============================================
Thomas A. Rowe
Microsoft MVP - FrontPage

http://www.Ecom-Data.com
==============================================

 

[chris]

How do you know for sure it works? The people with complaints may have
no clue how to contact you

 

[Thomas A. Rowe]

However it is not user friendly, and you have no idea how many users you are losing, etc.

--
==============================================
Thomas A. Rowe
Microsoft MVP - FrontPage

http://www.Ecom-Data.com
==============================================