Use JavaScript to Enable Your Affiliates to Generate
a Custom Affiliate Link
By
William
Bontrager
When I started writing this
article, it was going to be a tutorial on how to implement the custom affiliate
link
generation we have for Master Series affiliates. But when I started writing
the tutorial, I realized there was a much easier way.
This presents the easier way.
Simply make a form with textarea or input fields that contain the affiliate
links, assuming affiliate code: XXXXX
Give the form a name. It can be any name, so long as it has a name.
Somewhere within the form, put an input field for your affiliates to type
in their affiliate code (the name of this input field must be "AffCode")
and a button for them to click. When they click the button, the JavaScript
will scan your textarea and input fields and replace every XXXXX code with
the affiliate code provided.
Here is an example form:
<form name="me">
<p>
Type your affiliate code in the box and click the button:
<input type="text" name="AffCode" size="17">
<input type="button"
value="Personalize links with my affiliate code"
onClick="CreateAffiliateLink(this.form)">
</p>
<p>
Image link:<br>
<textarea name="a" cols="46" rows="3" wrap="off">
<a href="http://willmaster.com/master/#XXXXX
<img src="http://willmaster.com/image.jpg">
</a>
</textarea>
</p>
<p>
An ezine text link:<br>
<input type="text" name="b" size="46"
value="http://willmaster.com/master/#XXXXX">
</p>
</form>
That's the form. The JavaScript
is a simple copy and paste:
<script type="text/javascript" language="JavaScript">
<!-- Copyright 2003 Bontrager Connection, LLC
function CreateAffiliateLink(F) {
var findstring = "XXXXX";
var ts='var replacewith=document.'+F.name+'.AffCode.value';
eval(ts);
if(replacewith.length < 1) { return; }
var re = new RegExp(findstring,"g")
for(i=0;i<F.length;i++) {
var s = new String(F.elements[i].value);
if(s.length > 0) {
var newstr=s.replace(re,replacewith);
F.elements[i].value = newstr;
}
}
}
// -->
</script>
Put the JavaScript somewhere above
the form, in the BODY or HEAD section, either one.
That's all there's to it.
A working demo page is
here.
Some notes:
1. The form tag must have a name. It can be anything
you please so long as it has one. Example:
<form name="anyname">
2. The form field where affiliates type in their
affiliate code must be named "AffCode"
3. The JavaScript will scan as many form fields as
your form has and replace each XXXXX with the
affiliate code provided by the affiliate. Then the
custom link can be copied and pasted into place
wherever the affiliate wants it.
4. Once replaced, the XXXXX is gone, so if another
affiliate code generation is desired the page must
be reloaded first to get the XXXXX back.
The working demo
here
has instructions for both JavaScript enabled and JavaScript disabled browsers,
so all affiliates can get the code. The first is within a SCRIPT tag and
the second is within a NOSCRIPT tag.
Will Bontrager
About the Author:
William
Bontrager Programmer/Publisher, "WillMaster Possibilities"
ezine
mailto:possibilities@willmaster.com
Are you looking for top quality scripts? Visit
Willmaster
and check out his highly acclaimed Master Series scripts. Some free, some
for a fee.