No Email, Lots of Questions

So far I have spent about 10 hours, trying to create a simple stock contact form-- doesn't work. I'm using Dreamweaver CS4 with CSS Form builder 2 and trying on 2 different servers that both are supposed to have php functionality installed--NewTek with PHP5 and 1and1 both are Linux and support PHP.

When submitted the form seems to operate correctly (although the CAPCHA is VERY hard to read), the form seems to submit, the progress bar completes, but (using either host provider), neither one results in an email being sent.

There seem to be so many gaps in the instructions, I have re-read them, watched videos, scoured the postings and still nothing works.

I am uploading the entire Webassist and SpryAssets directories.

OK, a few basic questions
1) Is there something about NewTek and 1and1 I need to know? Neither one has anything about PEAR mail, so I assume I don't use that option
2)Universal email is built into Formbuilder 2 right? So I don't have to install that separately--I have the old Universal Email 3 extension.
3)Is the SMTP just the regular one, like mail.mycompany.com or is it like MailA22.webcontrolcenter.com ?
4)How do you even begin to troubleshooot
5)How can the email be sent if I am not entering a password?
6)In Server Behavior I show Universal Email 6 (mail).....why?
7)1and1 doesn't seem to offer many hints, but Newtek says:

Add the following code to the top of your email script if your mail script continues to fail.

// Please specify your Mail Server - Example: mail.yourdomain.com.
ini_set("SMTP","mail.YourDomain.com");

// Please specify an SMTP Number 25 and 8889 are valid SMTP Ports.
ini_set("smtp_port","25");

// Please specify the return address to use
ini_set('sendmail_from', 'ValidEmailAccount@YourDomain.com');

Is that something I have to do.

Again, just seems like the instructions are very skimpy and no trouble shooting.

I am trying to make the simplest contact form work and it doesn't.
9)Because both of these hosters support PHP MySQL through FTP that is all I am specifying in my testing server setup in Dreamweaver. Is there something else that has to be done.

10) am I able to start over by just deleting the SpryAssets and webassist directories remotely?

11) is there an easy way to get rid of the CAPTCHA and just rely on the question? 2/3 times I cannot read the CAPTCHA.

1) I dont know about newtek, but if they dont mention pear, than the regular mail object should work instead of pear

2) Yes, universal Email is intergrated into CSS Form Builder 2, you do not need to install Universal Email as well

3) you need to contact the host to determinethe smtp server that should be used for sending through the php mail() function. I cant realy say what should be used. In many cases, 1 and a for example, the smtp server can be left blank.

4) the first step to troubleshooting the mail is to create a very simple page with only UE on it. Set the Go To page in UE to go to another page after the email has been sent. then test the page, if the page is redirecting them the email is being sent to the SMTP server, from there troubleshooting gets quite a bit more complex, but that is the first step.

5) Most hosts offer an smto server that will not require a password for relaying, as long as certain other conditions are met, one of which is a valid from email address for the domain.

6) If you keep applying a new UE behavior to the page rather than editing the existing one, it will keep incrementing the number. To edit the existing one, double click it in the server behaviors panel.

7) No that is not something you will need to do as long as you ad d the correct smtp server address in Universal Email and setthe from address correctly.

looks like you skip 8

9) no, tyhat should be fine

10) You can edit the form contents by clicking the pencil icon next to the form type selection, here you can add or remove for elements including captcha.

To start with, create a simple contact form that does not include any of the security. I can speak for newtek, but i have gotten the contact form working in 1 and 1.

For 1 and 1, the key is to make sure that the from address is a valid address for your domain. you do not need to set the smtp server or the port, it will use the info from the php.ini file


for newtek, it looks like they want you to use:
mail.YourDomain.com
where yourdomain is your hosted domain name.

and a valid from address for your domain.