Form Woes !

8 Message(s) by 3 Author(s) originally posted in javascript

From: Leon

Date: Tuesday, February 13, 2007

Hi Chaps,

I've been looking around the internet and I really can not see what I'm
doing wrong here !

This code

<software> Instructions for a computer in some programming
	language, often {machine language}.  The word "code" is often
	used to distinguish instructions from {data} (e.g. "The code
	is marked 'read-only'") whereas "{software}" is used in
	contrast with "{hardware}" and may consist of more than just
	code.

	(2000-04-08)

works in firefox, but not internet explorer.

Any suggestions please? Internet

<networking> (Note: not capitalised) Any set of networks
	interconnected with {routers}.  The {Internet} is the biggest
	example of an internet.

	(1996-09-17)

Explorer just doesnt update the action
of the form so when you hit

1. <architecture> {cache hit}.

	2. <World-Wide Web> A request to a {web server} from a {web
	browser} or other {client} (e.g. a {robot}).

	The number of hits on a server may be important for
	determining advertising revenue.

	In the course of loading a single {web page}, a browser may
	hit a web server many times e.g. to retrieve the page itself
	and each {image} on the page.  In contrast, caching by
	browsers and {web proxies} reduces the number of hits on the
	server because some requests are satisfied from the cache.

	3. <jargon> To press and release a key on the keyboard.  Some
	prefer the less aggressive "tap".

	(2000-02-20)

the button

1. <electronics> {push-button}.

	2. <operating system> A graphical representation of an
	electrical {push-button} appearing as part of a {graphical
	user interface}.  Moving the {mouse pointer} over the
	graphical button and pressing one of the physical mouse
	buttons starts some software action such as closing a window
	or deleting a file.

	See also {radio button}.

	(1997-07-07)

- it seemingly just refrehes the
page!

<form name="actions" action="" method="post">
<select name="action" class="formBox">
<option

<software> (Or "option", "flag", "switch", "option switch") An
	argument to a command that modifies its function rather than
	providing data.  Options generally start with "-" in {Unix} or
	"/" in {MS-DOS}.  This is usually followed by a single letter
	or occasionally a digit.

	Some commands require each option to be a separate argument,
	introduced by a new "-" or "/", others allow multiple option
	letters to be concatenated into a single argument with a
	single "-" or "/", e.g. "ls -al".  A few Unix commands
	(e.g. {ar}, {tar}) allow the "-" to be omitted.  Some options
	may or must be followed by a value, e.g. "cc prog.c -o prog",
	sometimes with and sometimes without an intervening space.

	{getopt} and {getopts} are commands for parsing command line
	options.  There is also a {C} library routine called getopt
	for the same purpose.

	(1996-12-11)

value="null" onclick="this.form.action.value='';">Select Action
From List
<option value="resendActEmail"
onclick="this.form.action.value='./admin_process.php?a=resend';">Re-Send
Activation Email
<option value="deletaccount"
onclick="this.form.action.value='./admin_process.php?a=delete';">Delete
This Account
</select>
<input class="formBox" type="submit" name="submit" value="Go">
</form>

Thanks,

Leon

From: VK

Date: Tuesday, February 13, 2007

wrote in message:

Hi Chaps,
I've been looking around the internet and I really can not see what I'm
doing wrong here !
This code works in firefox, but not internet explorer.

IE has a severe name resolution

1. <hardware> the maximum number of {pixels} that can be
	displayed on a {monitor}, expressed as (number of horizontal
	pixels) x (number of vertical pixels), i.e., 1024x768.  The
	ratio of horizontal to vertical resolution is usually 4:3, the
	same as that of conventional television sets.

	2. <logic> A mechanical method for proving statements of
	{first order logic}, introduced by J. A. Robinson in 1965.
	Resolution is applied to two {clauses} in a {sentence}.  It
	eliminates, by {unification}, a {literal} that occurs
	"positive" in one and "negative" in the other to produce a new
	clause, the {resolvent}.

	For example, given the sentence:

		(man(X) => mortal(X))  AND  man(socrates).

	The literal "man(X)" is "negative".  The literal
	"man(socrates)" could be considered to be on the right hand
	side of the degenerate implication

		True => man(socrates)

	and is therefore "positive".  The two literals can be unified
	by the binding X = socrates.

	The {truth table} for the implication function is

		A | B | A => B
		--+---+-------
		F | F |   T
		F | T |   T
		T | F |   F
		T | T |   T

	(The implication only fails if its premise is true but its
	conclusion is false).  From this we can see that

		A => B   ==   (NOT A) OR B

	Which is why the left hand side of the implication is said to
	be negative and the right positive.  The sentence above could
	thus be written

		((NOT man(socrates)) OR mortal(socrates))
		AND
		man(socrates)

	Distributing the AND over the OR gives

		((NOT man(socrates)) AND man(socrates))
		OR
		mortal(socrates) AND man(socrates)

	And since (NOT A) AND A == False, and False OR A == A we can
	simplify to just

		mortal(socrates) AND man(socrates)

	So we have proved the new literal, mortal(socrates).

	Resolution with {backtracking} is the basic control mechanism
	of {Prolog}.

	See also {modus ponens}, {SLD Resolution}.

	3. <networking> {address resolution}.

	(1996-02-09)

flaw in forms.
btw thanks for remainding - for records I gonna check if this ugliness
was finally fixed in IE7 (1:10 by my estimate :-(

For the time being NEVER EVER name form controls same names as default
attributes and methods of form itself.

As a side comment: onclick list

<data> A data structure holding many values, possibly of
	different types, which is usually accessed sequentially,
	working from the head to the end of the tail - an "ordered
	list".  This contrasts with a (one-dimensional) {array}, any
	element of which can be accessed equally quickly.

	Lists are often stored using a cell and pointer arrangement
	where each value is stored in a cell along with an associated
	pointer to the next cell.  A special pointer, e.g. zero, marks
	the end of the list.  This is known as a (singly) "linked
	list".  A doubly linked list has pointers from each cell to
	both next and previous cells.

	An unordered list is a {set}.

	(1998-11-12)

ener for option element

1. <data, programming> One of the items of data in an {array}.

	2. <language, text> One kind of node in an {SGML}, {HTML}, or
	{XML} {document} {tree}.  An SGML element is typically
	represented by a start {tag} ("<p>") and an end tag ("</p>").
	In some SGML implementations, some tags are omissible, as with
	"</p>" in {HTML}.

	The start tag can contain {attributes} ("<p lang="en-UK"
	class='stuff'>"), which are an unordered set of key-value
	bindings for that element.  Both the start tag and end tag for
	an element typically contain the "tag name" (also called the
	"{GI}" or generic identifier) for that element.

	In {XML}, an element is always represented either by an
	explicit start tag and end tag, or by an empty element tag
	("<img src='thing.{png}' alt='a dodad' />").

	Other kinds of SGML node are: a section of character data
	("foo"), a comment ("<!-- bar -->"), a markup declaration
	("<!ENTITY reg CDATA '&#174'>"), or a processing instruction
	("<?xml-stylesheet href="shop-english.xsl" type="text/xsl"
	?>").

	(2001-01-30)

isn't a
documented feature, so some browsers may implement it and some not.
<select onchange="myfunction(this.options[this.selectedIndex].value)"
is the universally supported alternative.

<form name="actions" action="" method="post">
<select name="MyAction" class="formBox">
<option value="null" onclick="this.form.action.value='';">Select
Action From List
<option value="resendActEmail" onclick="this.form.action.value='./
admin_process.php?a=resend';">Re-Send
...
</select>
<input class="formBox" type="submit" name="MySubmit" value="Go">
</form>

From: Leon

Date: Tuesday, February 13, 2007

wrote in message:
wrote in message:
Hi Chaps,

I've been looking around the internet and I really can not see what I'm
doing wrong here !

This code works in firefox, but not internet explorer.
IE has a severe name resolution flaw in forms.
btw thanks for remainding - for records I gonna check if this ugliness
was finally fixed in IE7 (1:10 by my estimate :-(
For the time being NEVER EVER name form controls same names as default
attributes and methods of form itself.

Yeah - I noticed this already and updated - thanks :-)

As a side comment: onclick listener for option element isn't a
documented feature, so some browsers may implement it and some not.
<select onchange="myfunction(this.options[this.selectedIndex].value)"
is the universally supported alternative.

would I need to make the value of each option equal to the URL

<World-Wide Web> (URL, previously "Universal") A {standard}
	way of specifying the location of an object, typically a {web
	page}, on the {Internet}.  Other types of object are described
	below.  URLs are the form of address used on the {World-Wide
	Web}.  They are used in {HTML} documents to specify the target
	of a {hyperlink} which is often another HTML document
	(possibly stored on another computer).

	Here are some example URLs:

	 http://www.w3.org/default.html
	 http://www.acme.co.uk:8080/images/map.gif
	 http://www.foldoc.org/?Uniform+Resource+Locator
	 http://www.w3.org/default.html#Introduction
	 ftp://wuarchive.wustl.edu/mirrors/msdos/graphics/gifkit.zip
	 ftp://spy:secret@ftp.acme.com/pub/topsecret/weapon.tgz
	 mailto:fred@doc.ic.ac.uk
	 news:alt.hypertext
	 telnet://dra.com

	The part before the first colon specifies the access scheme or
	{protocol}.  Commonly implemented schemes include: {ftp},
	{http} (World-Wide Web), {gopher} or {WAIS}.  The "file"
	scheme should only be used to refer to a file on the same
	host.  Other less commonly used schemes include {news},
	{telnet} or mailto ({e-mail}).

	The part after the colon is interpreted according to the
	access scheme.  In general, two slashes after the colon
	introduce a {hostname} (host:port is also valid, or for {FTP}
	user:passwd@host or user@host).  The {port} number is usually
	omitted and defaults to the standard port for the scheme,
	e.g. port 80 for HTTP.

	For an HTTP or FTP URL the next part is a {pathname} which is
	usually related to the pathname of a file on the server.  The
	file can contain any type of data but only certain types are
	interpreted directly by most {browsers}.  These include {HTML}
	and images in {gif} or {jpeg} format.  The file's type is
	given by a {MIME} type in the HTTP headers returned by the
	server, e.g. "text/html", "image/gif", and is usually also
	indicated by its {filename extension}.  A file whose type is
	not recognised directly by the browser may be passed to an
	external "viewer" {application}, e.g. a sound player.

	The last (optional) part of the URL may be a query string
	preceded by "?" or a "fragment identifier" preceded by "#".
	The later indicates a particular position within the specified
	document.

	Only alphanumerics, reserved characters (:/?#"<>%+) used for
	their reserved purposes and "$", "-", "_", ".", "&", "+" are
	safe and may be transmitted unencoded.  Other characters are
	encoded as a "%" followed by two {hexadecimal} digits.  Space
	may also be encoded as "+".  Standard {SGML} "&<name>;"
	character entity encodings (e.g. "&eacute;") are also accepted
	when URLs are embedded in HTML.  The terminating semicolon may
	be omitted if &<name> is followed by a non-letter character.

	{The authoritative W3C URL specification
	(http://www.w3.org/hypertext/WWW/Addressing/Addressing.html)}.

	(2000-02-17)

I want it
to go to then ?

Eg..

<select name="myselect" action="" method="post"
onchange="myfunction(this.options[this.selectedIndex].value)">

<option value="admin_process.php?a=resend">Resend

</select>

?

<form name="actions" action="" method="post">
<select name="MyAction" class="formBox" >
<option value="null" onclick="this.form.action.value='';">Select
Action From List
<option value="resendActEmail" onclick="this.form.action.value='./
admin_process.php?a=resend';">Re-Send
...
</select>
<input class="formBox" type="submit" name="MySubmit" value="Go">
</form>Thanks,

Leon

From: VK

Date: Tuesday, February 13, 2007

wrote in message:

would I need to make the value of each option equal to the URL I want it
to go to then ?
Eg..
<select name="myselect" action="" method="post"
onchange="myfunction(this.options[this.selectedIndex].value)">
<option value="admin_process.php?a=resend">Resend
</select>

Yes. There is an usability

<programming> The effectiveness, efficiency, and satisfaction
	with which users can achieve tasks in a particular environment
	of a product.  High usability means a system is: easy to learn
	and remember; efficient, visually pleasing and fun to use; and
	quick to recover from errors.

	{(http://www.orrnet.com/)}.

	(1999-04-01)

impact in either case - because of bias
against keyboard

<hardware> A {hardware} device consisting of a number of
	mechanical buttons (keys) which the user presses to input
	characters to a computer.

	Keyboards were originally part of {terminals} which were
	separate {peripheral} devices that performed both input and
	output and communicated with the computer via a {serial line}.
	Today a keyboard is more likely to be connected more directly
	to the processor, allowing the processor to scan it and detect
	which key or keys are currently pressed.  Pressing a key sends
	a low-level {key code} to the keyboard input driver routine
	which translates this to one or more {characters} or special
	actions.

	Keyboards vary in the keys they have, most have keys to
	generate the {ASCII} {character set} as well as various
	{function keys} and special purpose keys, e.g. reset or volume
	control.

	(2003-07-04)

users. On come UAs onchange fired on each scroll
using arrow keys. On other UAs onchange is fired if Enter is pressed
with select having focus. That means that users have to use mouse to
be able to scroll, and still a danger of an "occasional navigation" is
rather high. I'm sure youselve at least once navigated on some site
while simply studying the list of options. IMHO

<chat> (From SF fandom via {Usenet}) In My Humble Opinion.
	Also seen in variant forms such as IMO, IMNSHO (In My
	Not-So-Humble Opinion) and IMAO (In My Arrogant Opinion).

	[{Jargon File}]

	(1998-09-24)

- but yours of decide
of course - "active select" is a sample

<digital signal processing> The result of measuring the
	amplitude of an analog signal at a specified time.  In
	{digital signal processing} a sample is a signed or unsigned
	number and the number of samples per second is called the
	{sample rate}.

	(2001-06-06)

of intended convenience which
is on practice a big disconvenience. A nice confirmation button near
of "passive select" will require one extra click

<hardware> To press and release a {button} on a {mouse} or
	other {pointing device}.  This generates an {event}, also
	specifying the screen position, which is processed by the
	{window manager} or {application program}.  On a mouse with
	more than one button, the unqualified term usually implies
	pressing the left-most button (with the right index finger),
	other buttons would be qualified, e.g. "{right-click}".
	{Keyboard} modifiers may also be used, e.g. "shift-click",
	meaning to hold down the shift key on the keyboard while
	clicking the mouse button.

	If the mouse moves while the button is pressed then this is a
	{drag}.

	(1995-03-14)

from your users but
it'll save a lot of nerves to them.

From: Leon

Date: Tuesday, February 13, 2007

wrote in message:
wrote in message:
would I need to make the value of each option equal to the URL I want it
to go to then ?

Eg..

<select name="myselect" action="" method="post"
onchange="myfunction(this.options[this.selectedIndex].value)">

<option value="admin_process.php?a=resend">Resend

</select>
Yes. There is an usability impact in either case - because of bias
against keyboard users. On come UAs onchange fired on each scroll
using arrow keys. On other UAs onchange is fired if Enter is pressed
with select having focus. That means that users have to use mouse to
be able to scroll, and still a danger of an "occasional navigation" is
rather high. I'm sure youselve at least once navigated on some site
while simply studying the list of options. IMHO - but yours of decide
of course - "active select" is a sample of intended convenience which
is on practice a big disconvenience. A nice confirmation button near
of "passive select" will require one extra click from your users but
it'll save a lot of nerves to them.

There are only actually 2 users who will be using the select boxes, one
is myself. The problem is - I use Firefox, the other guy uses Internet
Explorer !

I tried to implement your suggestion - with no luck !

<script language="JAVAscript">
function

1. <mathematics> (Or "map", "mapping") If D and C are sets
	(the domain and codomain) then a function f from D to C,
	normally written "f : D -> C" is a subset of D x C such that:

	1. For each d in D there exists some c in C such that (d,c) is
	an element of f.  I.e. the function is defined for every
	element of D.

	2. For each d in D, c1 and c2 in C, if both (d,c1) and (d,c2)
	are elements of f then c1 = c2.  I.e. the function is uniquely
	defined for every element of D.

	See also {image}, {inverse}, {partial function}.

	2. <programming> Computing usage derives from the mathematical
	term but is much less strict.  In programming (except in
	{functional programming}), a function may return different
	values each time it is called with the same argument values
	and may have {side effects}.

	A {procedure} is a function which returns no value but has
	only {side-effects}.  The {C} language, for example, has no
	procedures, only functions.  {ANSI C} even defines a {type},
	{void}, for the result of a function that has no result.

	(1996-09-01)

myfunction(gourl) {
document.test.submit.value=gourl;
}

</script>
<form name="test" action="" method="post">
<select name="myselect" action="" method="post"
onchange="myfunction(this.options[this.selectedIndex].value)">

<option value="admin_process.php?a=resend">Resend

</select>
<input class="formBox" type="submit" name="submit" value="Go">
</form>

Leon

From: VK

Date: Tuesday, February 13, 2007

wrote in message:

I tried to implement your suggestion - with no luck !
<script language="JAVAscript">
function myfunction(gourl) {
document.test.submit.value=gourl;
}

submit is method, not a field.

function myfunction(gourl) {
document.forms['test'].action = gourl;
document.forms['test'].submit();
}

On cold turkey I don't remember if all browsers are smart to resolve
the partial URL against the current

<electronics> The quantity of {charge} per unit time, measured
	in Amperes (Amps, A).  By historical convention, the sign of
	current is positive for currents flowing from positive to
	negative {potential}, but experience indicates that electrons
	are negatively charged and flow in the opposite direction.

	(1995-10-05)

page URL. In case if make a
complete URL yourself:

function myfunction(gourl) {
document.forms['test'].action = "http://www.foo.bar/" + gourl;
document.forms['test'].submit();
}

From: Leon

Date: Tuesday, February 13, 2007

wrote in message:
wrote in message:
I tried to implement your suggestion - with no luck !

<script language="JAVAscript">
function myfunction(gourl) {
document.test.submit.value=gourl;

}
submit is method, not a field.
function myfunction(gourl) {
document.forms['test'].action = gourl;
document.forms['test'].submit();
}
On cold turkey I don't remember if all browsers are smart to resolve
the partial URL against the current page URL. In case if make a
complete URL yourself:
function myfunction(gourl) {
document.forms['test'].action = "http://www.foo.bar/" + gourl;
document.forms['test'].submit();
}

oops that submit shouldnt have been in there - was just me testing

<testing> The process of exercising a product to identify
	differences between expected and actual behaviour.  Typically
	testing is bottom-up: {unit testing} and {integration testing}
	by developers, {system testing} by testers, and {user
	acceptance testing} by users.

	{Test coverage} attempts to assess how complete a test has
	been.

	2. The second stage in a {generate and test} search
	{algorithm}.

	[{Jargon File}]

	(2003-09-24)

to
see if I could update the submit button value.

I will give it a go and report !

Thanks,

Leon

From: Randy Webb

Date: Tuesday, February 13, 2007

Leon said the following on 2/13/2007 3:43 PM:
wrote in message:
wrote in message:
would I need to make the value of each option equal to the URL I want it
to go to then ?
Eg..
<select name="myselect" action="" method="post"
onchange="myfunction(this.options[this.selectedIndex].value)">
<option value="admin_process.php?a=resend">Resend
</select>

Yes. There is an usability impact in either case - because of bias
against keyboard users. On come UAs onchange fired on each scroll
using arrow keys. On other UAs onchange is fired if Enter is pressed
with select having focus. That means that users have to use mouse to
be able to scroll, and still a danger of an "occasional navigation" is
rather high. I'm sure youselve at least once navigated on some site
while simply studying the list of options. IMHO - but yours of decide
of course - "active select" is a sample of intended convenience which
is on practice a big disconvenience. A nice confirmation button near
of "passive select" will require one extra click from your users but
it'll save a lot of nerves to them.

There are only actually 2 users who will be using the select boxes, one
is myself. The problem is - I use Firefox, the other guy uses Internet
Explorer !
I tried to implement your suggestion - with no luck !
<script language="JAVAscript">
function myfunction(gourl) {
document.test.submit.value=gourl;
}

document.test.action=gourl

--
Randy
Chance Favors The Prepared Mind
comp.lang.JAVAscript FAQ

<convention> (FAQ, or rarely FAQL, FAQ list) A document
	provided for many {Usenet} {newsgroups} (and, more recently,
	{World-Wide Web} services) which attempts to answer questions
	which new readers often ask.  These are maintained by
	volunteers and posted regularly to the newsgroup.  You should
	always consult the FAQ list for a group before posting to it
	in case your question or point is common knowledge.

	The collection of all FAQ lists is one of the most precious
	and remarkable resources on the {Internet}.  It contains a
	huge wealth of up-to-date expert knowledge on many subjects of
	common interest.  Accuracy of the information is greatly
	assisted by its frequent exposure to criticism by an
	interested, and occasionally well-informed, audience (the
	readers of the relevant newsgroup).

	The main {FTP archive} for FAQs is on a computer called {RTFM}
	at {MIT}, where they can be accessed either {by group
	(ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/usenet-by-group/comp.answers/)} or {by
	hierarchy (ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/usenet-by-hierarchy/)}.
	There is another archive at {Imperial College
	(ftp://src.doc.ic.ac.uk/usenet/news-info/)}, London, UK and a
	{World-Wide Web} archive in {Ohio
	(http://www.cis.ohio-state.edu/hypertext/faq/usenet/top.html)},
	USA.

	The FAQs are also posted to {Usenet} newsgroups:
	{news:comp.answers}, {news:news.answers} and
	{news:alt.answers}.

	(1997-12-08)

- http://jibbering.com/faq/index.html
JAVAscript Best Practices - http://www.JAVAscriptToolbox.com/bestpractices/
Answer:It destroys the order of the conversation
Question: Why?
Answer: Top-Posting.
Question: Whats the most annoying thing on Usenet?

Next Message: extract dynamic IP number from router

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