Mailto Program Migration to UDapps

UD's mailto program is being moved to a new, more secure server, which means that any department-owned forms using the mailto program need to be updated by the department/unit with the new server URL in order for the form(s) to continue working when the old servers are retired.

If form owners DO NOT update their form(s) to point to the new server URL, users that attempt to submit the form(s) will receive an error and the form results will not be sent. Form owners will not know an error occurred unless the users report the error, and the data submitted using the form cannot be restored.

Form owners are encouraged to take follow one of the recommended options listed on this help page.

What is the mailto program?

The mailto program was developed many years ago by the Information Technology Web Development group to facilitate the interfacing of web pages and email. It was used before the pervasive use of email so that visitors could easily fill out a web form to contact UD. Email clients were not regularly defined to browsers at that time so email links did not always resolve when clicked.

The mailto program has been migrated to a new, more secure server. Previous links to the mailto program will become inactive by the end of October 2015. Departments using UD's mailto program are instructed to update their form URL or consider using a different method to collect information from their clients. Some options are listed below.

How do I know if I am using UD's mailto program?

You are using the mailto program if your FORM tag contains one of the following URLs in its "action" parameter:

You can also locate the URL of your form(s) using the mailto program by using the Google Search Appliance. You can see what pages are linking to your form by going to Find It, choosing Advanced Search and for "Page-Specific Search" paste your form URL for "Find pages that link to the page."

Recommended options for forms using mailto

Forms using mailto that currently point to udapps do not require any changes. Form owners should simply test the form(s) and make sure they work. Forms using mailto that point to chico or primus in the FORM tag should take one of the following actions:

Option 1 - Update the server URL:

  1. In the form's HTML file, locate the FORM tag and update the URL in the action parameter to https://udapps.nss.udel.edu/mailto/mailto.
  2. Additionally if the form links to files on primus.nss.udel.edu or chico.nss.udel.edu, these will need to be changed to udapps.nss.udel.edu so other vital components related to the form(s) above do not break when the primus and chico servers are retired this year.
    • If the file you are trying to update to the udapps URL does not exist on udapps, copy the original file you were linking to, down to your local directory so it is always available to you.
  3. Verify that the "html_source" value is a page located on www.udel.edu, otherwise the form will not work.

If you use the bounce feature, then change it to an email address or a Google Form. Here is an example of a URL using the bounce feature:

For additional mailto tutorials, please visit: https://udapps.nss.udel.edu/mailto/tutorial.jsp.

Option 2 - Switch to Google Forms:

Switch from using the mailto program to using Google Forms. See the “Creating a Google contact form" help page for more information: https://www.udel.edu/it/googleapps/drive/contactformhelp.html.

For more information about switching to Google Forms, see the Help with Google Forms section on this page.

Option 3 - Delete old forms:

Information Technologies recommends deleting any old forms that are not used by your unit or department, as the form(s) above was/were returned by a Google search. Your customers or clients may stumble upon these old forms using Google and continue to use them without your knowledge.

Option 4 - Contact IT Web Development

If your form provides a strategic core service for UD or collects info that may be considered private or proprietary, contact IT WD it-webdev@udel.edu.

Help with Google Forms

If you have determined that Google Forms is your solution, here are resources to help you get started.

If you require further assistance with the instructions or information on this page, contact the IT Support Center.