FORM FIELDS (OR INPUTS)

The areas where you enter information on a form (whether text or by selecting a button) are all called form fields.

When you go insert-> form field-> you're given 6 options in terms of form field (or input) (The first 5 can also be found as icons on the interface)

Here are your choices

now double click over your form field (or right click -> form field properties)

Lets bgin by looking at push buttons

Push buttons

In all form fields you need to set the name (A) of the form field (e.g. address or email)

This is important as when the data is sent on from the form the name acts as the data label for each value entered or selected by each form input (e.g name=entered value)

With buttons you can set just one value to be sent on. But the advantage is that value you set in the Value/label box (B) will appears on button (e.g. CLICK ME PLEASE as in our example above).

If this button were pushed the data would be sent on as follows button=CLICK ME PLEASE

Also remember we talked about different sorts of buttons (i.e. submit and reset), well you can define them with the button type option (C). You'll need these at the end of most forms. The Sumbit button send the form on for handling, whilst the reset button clears any data entered

Text Boxes

Just like push buttons, you need to set the name (1) of the form field

With text box enteries with the Initial value box (2) you can insert a message that appears when some one gets to your form for the first time (e.g. please insert your email address).

You can also create password like form entries (you know when you type in the data it doesn't appear as "secret" for example but ******) by selecting the yes option in the Password field option (3).

If you hit the validate button (4), you can determine what entries will be allowed for in that text box (e.g. you can set it so only digit entries are allowed)

Radio buttons and check boxes

Check boxes are used when you want to give a user a choice of some values for the same form entry

e.g.

What pet do you own

Provided you set all the field items with the same name (here we've used "pet") then all the selected values are sent on

(e.g you could get pet=cat+dog+bird)

Radio buttons operate much the same except you can't select more than one value in the same name group)

Compare this example

These are set up in much the same as above.

You can also set up one of the boxes or buttons to be pre-selected

Images as a form field

These behave much like buttons except you can't give them a label and you get an option to edit the image properties.

This makes them flexible as you can add in things like alternative descriptions.

Drop down menus

These are somewhat different

You set the name (a) as before but you'll need to enter each of the values and names (choice) of the menu options (b). Click on Add.. to do so.

You can turn your dropdown menu into a scrolling menu by increasing the Height (c) of it and you have the option of allowing multiple selections (d).

You can also validate it as before (e).

FUN FIELD EXAMPLE

Now lets have some fun with fields. He're a quick example click on the button

Create a Push Button as described earlier and then double click on the button itself

Enter the label for your button in value/label (B). Then click extended (below (C))

on the extended screen

Click add (X). Insert in the name box onClick and in the value enter exactly the following-> alert('hello');

(In both make sure the case is exact we're using an event handler and unlike HTML the case does matter). This is a quick way of incorporating a JavaScript command into HTML.

Okay so now we've seen how to add and adjust form field, but we need to move on to looking at the form itself before combining the both.

ADDING FORMS

FORM PROPERTIES

This page © 2002 A.Duncan BWRS