obfuscatr - 1.2.0

I've been using this for a while. It generates a little encrypted javascript thingy that you put in your html instead of a mailto tag. The result on the webpage looks like a mailto, but the source as seen by the spambots, is unintelligible.

If the person reading your webpage has java disabled, they see a blank space where your address should be. But less than 1% of my visitors have java turned off, so this isn't a problem.

I use it, I like it, and I recommend it. It's simple, easy to use, it works really well, and it's free!

I don't know what silly game the developer is playing but my advice is unequivocal — stay away from this ill-conceived bit of rubbish!

It is unwise to put a regular email on a web site. An unsuspecting user might put this in the HTML code of a web site:

<a href="mailto:sales@website.com?subject=General mail">email us</a>

Try viewing that in your web browser and you will see what happens. You will generate an email addressed to sales@website.com with "General mail" in the subject line.

The problem is that spammers send robots out searching for email addresses to add to their mailing lists. Within hours, your email address will be added.

The solution is to use ASCII codes in the HTML to disguise the address. If you go to (for example) <http://www.wbwip.com/wbw/emailencoder.html> and enter the above email address, the following will be generated automatically for you:

&#115;&#097;&#108;&#101;&#115;&#064;&#119;&#101;&#098;&#115;&#105;&#116;&#101;&#046;&#099;&#111;&#109;

which you put in place of the regular email address.

Your HTML code now looks like this

<a href="mailto: &#115;&#097;&#108;&#101;&#115;&#064;&#119;&#101;&#098;&#115;&#105;&#116;&#101;&#046;&#099;&#111;&#109;?subject=General mail">email us</a>

and everyone's browser will still perform as intended but your address will be invisible to spammer assholes..

By contrast, this useless little widget will generate something totally unhelpful when you enter the email address as required. The output looks like this

<script type="text/javascript">eval(unescape("%64%6f%63%75%6d%65%6e%74%2e%77%72%69%74%65%28%27%3c%61%20%68%72%65%66%3d%22%6d%61%69%6c%74%6f%3a%73%61%6c%65%73%40%77%65%62%73%69%74%65%2e%63%6f%6d%22%3e%73%61%6c%65%73%40%77%65%62%73%69%74%65%2e%63%6f%6d%3c%2f%61%3e%27%29%3b"));</script>

which, when put into a web page, achieves nothing! People will laugh and you will get no mail.