Method Community

i cannot get the web leads form to load on my website.  does anyone have specific instructions for uploading sample form from google sites interface?  I tried saving as personl gaget but i am recieving syntax error on line 6. it appears to be bad table reference.  i am not an idiot but my coding days are long behind me. try to keep it simple. 

Update: I tried inserting an "html box" on a web page.  The error posted was 0+0: "with" boxes are not allowed.

Any suggestions? 

@KieranD - Really the web forms were designed so that they would go on any server, on any site.  They use just simple basic HTML, Javascript, CSS and form posts.  It's like 1995 all over again, and the web as we know it has just been born!!  That was the challenge for us - we didn't want it to matter whether your site was on .NET or Python, or whatever....it would just work.

Now.....enter ultra-restrictive setups like Google Sites......that's a whole different game.  It doesn't even let you put your own javascript on your pages....we really can't be expected to support that.

This is where our support on web form typically ends (and it has to, I'm sure you can understand the trouble we open ourselves up once users start taking our code and changing it, adding it to their code, or having us diagnose the infinite setups beyond our control).  Our code works out of the box, but after that.....it's on you.

However - I'm currently involved with our upcoming gmail add-in, so I'm quite familiar with Google Gadgets.  So, I took up the challenge.....and I got it to work. :)

Here's how I did it, bare with me, it's not as bad as it looks. Though, this entirely defeats the purpose of our web forms, which in a non-Google Sites scenario is really a "click, click, click, paste, save, it's live!" experience.

The thing is, Google Sites only supports regular HTML if it is embedded in an externally hosted Google Gadget.  Silly.

Step 1: Creating the Google Gadget

1. I opened notepad on my computer, and created a new text file.  I started with:
   <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
   <Module>
   <ModulePrefs title="Custom Gadget" />
   <Content type="html"><![CDATA[ 
    
2. Then right below I copied and pasted the full output from the Method webform from the web form wizard.
3. Then right below that I copied and pasted:
   ]]>
   </Content>
   </Module>
    
4. I then saved the file as mygadget.xml. (not mygadget.xml.txt, it has to be a .xml extension)
    

Step 2: Hosting the gadget

1. I created a free account at dropbox.com.  It could be any free website. I assume you don't have access to a public server somewhere else....otherwise you wouldn't be using Google Sites!
2. I uploaded my xml file to the public folder in dropbox.
3. I right-clicked on the file and chose Copy public link.  It gave me: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/68523278/mygadget.xml

Step 3: Inserting the gadget on my Google Sites page

1. In Google Sites, I went to edit my contact us page.
2. I clicked Insert > More Gadgets.
3. I clicked Add gadget by URL.
4. I put in http://dl.dropbox.com/u/68523278/mygadget.xml and clicked OK.
5. Gave it a whirl and it failed the first time. It could not authenticate the post URL.  I checked my email, and I got a nice error from Method telling me what I needed to know.  Google was posting from "https://6m66o2v1odsdfsdffsda2amca-a-sites-opensocial.googleusercontent.com".  So I added that as a permitted site to my web form (step 3) and tried again, and it worked. I'm expecting you won't have this problem because you are hosting it on a real domain, rather than a test domain like I was using....but just in case....that's how I solved it.

Paul,  Thanks for the heads-up.  I will try your way because of the possibility to future modify the form using web forms.  Thanks for the bits of code, beyond my present ability.  In the meantime, I had created a google spreadsheet form and hosted it.  It spits out an excel like spreadsheet with the replys.  My plan was to use your csv  import wizard on the data. It should work fine once I save a mapping. 

Off topic: I had built a really nice small business server, 15 seats in the office, full application suites, Drobo backup and Pirhanna firewall with remote access for an additional 35 sales reps.  Professionally managed.  Spent a wad.  User adoption at the office, NIGHTMARE! When I opened my consulting firm...? Google offered much of the same functionality without any capital and no ongoing IT.  The application suites were already built in. If I needed someone to collaborate, I just used share or bought a domain license for them for the year, so we had control of the output.  Totally light and flexible.  Thats were Method fits in to the plan.  We have hosted CRM already, but there is disconnect between financial and sales.  I am trying to close that hole.  The speed and flexibilty of apps hosted gmail is addictive. If Method addresses this, I am ahead.  

KieranD - The steps above shouldn't be above your ability....you don't have to do any coding (that's all done for you), it's just a copy and paste. It looks waaaaay more intimidating than it actually is.  So just keep that in mind for the future.

Google Apps - our company also runs on Google Apps.  So, yes, we know *exactly* what you are talking about.  Right now we mostly use Outlook internally, and Google Apps Sync.  That way we can use the Method CRM Outlook Plug In.

However, we are pretty far in the process of getting our gmail gadget into beta.  When you open an email it checks to see if that contact exists in Method, and if so displays a gadget where you can view their contact info, see past activities, open cases, open opportunities, documents (including SmartVault documents), and all financial transactions for that contact.  You can one-click each element to fly right into Method to get more detail or edit it.  You can also add new contacts, activities, opportunites and cases from within the gadget.  Is this what you are looking for? If so, I expect it go to in beta some time mid to late April (no promises).  Keep in mind that we are initially only targetting gmail, and not the calendar, documents or contacts (this will come later).

Paul

This sounds so awesome... can hardly wait...

BTW..I could be way off base here as I am such a novice...But I have G apps and I have been able to do portals with google sites. Is that the same as above. I did have to allow the specific google location for the site to Method and it worked.   

Fran - no the portals would have been a bit different for two reasons:

1. Portals actually run on Method servers. Web forms run on your web site.

2. The snippet to put embed a portal is an iFrame (no javascript), whereas a web form requires javascript (for validation).

Paul

Reviewed your google gaget description in email.  Beta may be due out soon.  Sounds great.  I will gineau pig if you'll let me.  

Your described functionality is beyond my hopes.  I think key feature is correspondence threading to opportunities, cases (especially cases!) and work orders.  (i said, you said) now you have history recording function (activity) that could be replaced by automated threading links. 

Believe it or not Act before 2006 had this nailed.  Then they screwed the whole thing up. (it wasn't cloud based either....doah) 

Kieran - we're still testing it internally, and cleaning up the workflow, so it looks like early May instead of late April for the start of the beta.

But not to leave you hanging.....here's a preview of how it looks after you get an email from someone you know (edited slightly to remove some sensitive info).

By the way, if you are ever in San Francisco, check out Per Diem restaurant. Awesome place to grab a bite to eat.

Paul

The Gmail gadget looks great!  I'd like to beta test this if possible too.

Also, I tested the procedure for adding a web form on a Google Sites website and I followed the procedure by creating the text file and using a dropbox account, but when I first edited the page and added the gadget, I immediately got the following error:

The gadget you added is not valid

Unsupported feature: org.apache.shindig.common.xml.XmlException: White space is required between the processing instruction target and data. At: (1,13)

This error indicated that there was an error i nthe first line of code, so I decided to put a space between "xml" and "version" on the very first line, and then tested and it worked just fine.  The first line was:

<?xmlversion="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>

It should be:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>

Not sure if this will work in all instances, but thought I'd send along the feedback.

Selwyn - thanks for the heads up. You are correct, it should read "xml version". I have edited the post above.  Weird, I checked the gadget that I used to post the steps and it actually had "xml version" in it. So I'm going to point fingers and lay blame on the forum software! :)

Gmail Gadget - just finishing the documentation, and implementing a few last minute tweaks from staff recommendations (we're all using it internally now). Should go into beta as early as next week. I'll say one thing confidently and proudly - if you use gmail, this is absolutely a game changer.

Paul

@Kieran, @Fran - good news. Starting today we're now slowly and quietly accepting requests for beta invites. Here's the Help Center article that discusses the gadget:

http://www.methodintegration.com/method/kb.aspx?folder=MethodCRM&id=204

Paul

I am almost giddy.  Reviewed your documentation.  Bring it ON! 

Kd

Hi Paul,

I'm trying my hand at the web form and have set up a test site on Google Sites. The good news is that I was able, with Fran's help, to get the form to work. Except when I hit the submit button, I get the error message you were talknig about. However, I'm having a problem in that Step 7 where I enter the Internal Email Alert, it won't take more than the default Admin email. I try to enter another email using a comma like the Tip says, and it won't take. No matter what I do, it replaces the email address I want it to send messages to for testing purposes with the default Admin. Therefore, I'm not able to receive the error messsage containing the correct url. Am I wrong in that I should see all the email addresses I input when I relook at this field after saving, or will it only show the default email address in the form, but in reality it will send it to everyone I listed? If so, how would I be able to know who I asked to send it to? 

Dave

Hi DaveGutie,

You should be able to include more than one email address in the 'To' field on Step 7 of 9. I've just tested it and confirmed it saves and displays correctly when I go back to step 7. I then made a submission on the webform and received the notification at both email addresses. If this is not the behaviour you're experiencing then clear your browser history/cache or try using a different browser.

Let me know the outcome.

- Ashur