EBW ContactFormPro

Prepared as Joomla 6 article content from the supplied EBW ContactFormPro e-book source.

Create contacts in Joomla:

Under Components, we first create a corresponding additional category under the entry, for example named Contact Forms.

In the next step, we will create the basic contact form:

In our example, we call it contact with us.

We categorize it as contact forms.

Under "Additional Information" we enter the text that should be displayed additionally.

The display area:

The form section:

Data protection:

Every Joomla website with an active contact form collects data, therefore a privacy policy is absolutely necessary.

Joomla offers various plugins for this purpose. You can find more information in our Joomla e-book.

Our contact form now looks like this in the frontend:

However, this is usually not enough, and you often want to integrate or query additional information. Joomla offers custom fields for this purpose. These are available for users, content, and contacts.

However, in the contacts section, for example, while selection and assignment are generally possible, they are not controllable, and positioning is not possible with the standard tools in Joomla.

Therefore, we took on the task and created the EBW-ContactFormPro extension.

Create custom fields for contact forms:

To do this, we first create a field group named "Field group Emails to":

It should be noted that all configurations in the area of custom fields for contact forms must be made under the assignment of emails.

Creating custom fields for contacts:

We will provide two examples:

Example order number

The following are important:

The parameter under Name: here order number; this parameter is required for later field mapping in the EBW-ContactFormPro plugin.
The assignments: field group and category.

Example: How did you find us?

Note the parameter example- checkbox here.

EBW-ContactFormPro extension:

EBW-ContactFormPro extends the Joomla contact component by allowing you to utilize each of the custom fields and position them anywhere within the contact form. Desired fields can be selectively assigned to each contact form.

General overview of the possibilities:

EBW-ContactForm Pro extends the Joomla contact form by adding:

Flexible field positioning
Form rules per contact
File upload
HTML Mail Templates
Auto replies

Installation EBW ContactFormPro:

Backend → System → Extensions → Install
Select ZIP package
Activate plugin: System - EBW ContactForm Pro

The EBW-ContactFormPro extension creates an override in the current template during installation.

The PHP file embedded within it controls the subsequent displays of the contact forms.

We'll switch to the Plugins section for configuration:

Here we find the plugin system - EBW ContactFormPro:

We call it up for editing and activate it:

Then we move on to the section on form rules:

Here we create a new rule form and assign it to our contact and the fields.

Form rules:

Form rules allow for different forms with different fields and views.
Rule name, Active/Inactive, Select contacts

Define separate fields and field positions for each contact. For our example, use the settings shown in the screenshots.

Field assignments:

order number|before_name|4|6
example-checkbox|after_message|10|6

In our example:

Extreme precision is required here.

Email subject

Here you can enter a subject for this contact email.

Mail Templates:

Here, email content can be stored in plain text and/or HTML.

HTML templates are possible per rule.
Placeholders: { name }, { email }, { subject }, { message }, { fields }

Auto reply:

Here you can enter a message for an automatic reply in plain text and/or HTML.

Upload:

Optional upload as an email attachment.

General logic:

If no field mappings are set, no user fields will be visible in the selected contact form.

This is what our example form looks like in the frontend:

With our extension EBW ContactFormPro, any type of contact form is possible, as every field available in Joomla can be used and positioned individually.

Assignment (global) and their field positions:

Scope:

Empty = all contacts. If you select contacts, the plugin will only apply to those contacts. Categories and menu items can further restrict the selection. This global mapping serves as a fallback if no form rule is used.

File upload:

Here you specify whether a file upload is possible for the form and define the parameters for it.

Protective honeypot:

Honeypot protection is an IT security measure designed to attract and deceive attackers or malware in order to analyze their behavior and protect the actual system.

Currently not in use!

Automatic response:

not already defined for the respective form in the form rules.

Storage of email inquiries:

The email requests are stored in the database in the table #__ebw_contactformpro_submissions.

EBW ContactFormPro tool has a component for viewing and editing.

System parameters – contact field positions:

Examples:

order number|before_name|4|6

example-checkbox|after_message|10|6

Meaning:

field name = internal field name
position = Position in the form
order = order within this position
width = Bootstrap column width

The positions in the contact template are:

before_name
after_name
before_ email
after_ email
before_subject
after_subject
before_message
after_message
before_submit
after_submit

Width:

12 = full width
6 = half width
4 = one third
3 = a quarter

Important:

no semicolons
no commas
exactly one entry per line
Field names must be the internal names, not the titles.