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1、Behavior Research Methods 2005, 37 (4), 703-710Generic HTML Form Processor: A versatile PHP script to saveWeb-collected data into a MySQL databaseAnja S G?ritz and Michael H BirnbaumIn the last decade, the execution of experiments and surveys via the World-Wide Web has become an establishedmethod (s
2、ee Birnbaum, 2001, 2004a, 2004b; Kraut etal.,2004). Several reviews have concluded that the quality of data achieved in online studies can be comparable to, and sometimes better than, that obtained. by more traditional methods involving a lab, paper questionnaires, or telephone interviews (Birnbaum,
3、 2001; Krantz & Dalal, 2000; McGraw, Tew, & Williams, 2000). There are other advantages of Web research. On the Web, people can be tested at any time and place, laboratory rooms or physically present experimenters are not necessary (so experimenter effects remain constant), and automated data handli
4、ng reduces both the labor and error of data coding and entry (Birnbaum & Reips, 2005; G?ritz & Schumacher, 2000).In addition, the Web method allows one to collect large samples inexpensively, which makes it possible to draw clear conclusions and to check their generality to different subsamples test
5、ed (Birnbaum, 1999; Reips, 2002). An example of an HTML Web form is given in Birnbaum (2000). Such an HTML page can be placed on a server, where the participant can view it and fill in answers by typing in information and clicking on choices. When the participant is finished, he or she can then clic
6、k on a button to send the data. Birnbaum s (2000) surveyWiz faancdtorWiz are freely available programs that make it easy to create HTML forms for simple surveys and within subjects factorial experiments. Reips and Neuhaus (2002) have developed WEXTOR, which is useful for generating Web experiments t
7、hat utilize (for instance) between subjects factorial designs with multiple pages for different conditions.Sending Data From an HTML FormThere are three methods of receiving data that have been collected through an HTML form. The first method is to use the “ get ” method and extract the form inputfr
8、om the server log files (see Birnbaum & Reips, 2005). A second method is to have the form data e-mailed to the researcher. This can be done by means of the HTML form s actioanttributefor example,. ”However, some systems refuse such an action attribute if, for example, no e-mail client is set up (as
9、might be the case for, e.g., computers in a public library). Moreover, some browsers issue a more or less draconian alert, which the participant has to confirm for the data to be e-mailed. Most problematic for large efforts, though, is the fact that each submission generates its own e-mail, so data
10、need to be extracted from thousands of individual e-mails and merged into one data file. Thus, whereas the e-mail method might be useful during testing of a form or for small efforts likeobtaining RSVPs to a party, the method is not practical for large research projects.The third method is to use se
11、rver-side CGI (commgoanteway interface) scripts toprocess and save the form data. In this case, the action attribute of a Web form sends the form s data to a CGI script that is located on a Web se(rSvcehr midt, 1997, 2000).An example of such an attribute is.”Thus, use of CGI requires the researcher
12、to have access to a CGI-enabled directory on a Web server. There are several benefits of using a CGI script: First, the CGI can process the data and save them in a file format ready for analysis. Order bias can be eliminated by presenting items and alternative answers in random order, and the CGI ca
13、n reorganize the data. Also, skip patterns can be incorporated into questionnaires. In addition, participants input can be validated in real time; for example, data errors can be detected and respondents pointed to omitted items (rGitz? & Schumacher, 2000).CGI scripts can be written in any language
14、that a given server can execute, such as ASP ( “ active server pages” ),Perl ( “ practical extraction and repolanguage ”o),r PHP ( “hypertextpreprocessor ”PH).P is an increasingly popular scripting language (see As with Perl, PHP interpreters are open-source, free, and available for many different
15、platforms. One can check the availability of PHP for one sown platform and download a suitable installation package from the Downloads section of the PHP home at .Run Your Own Server With Apache, PHP, and MySQLThere are many advantages to running your own server (Birnbaum & Reips, 2005; Schmidt, Hoffman, & MacDonald, 1997). You can configure the most common Web servers to work with PHP. You can install PHP on a server by following the installation instructions that come with the downloaded package. In most cases, PHP is installed on the same server where the HTML form
