Using hidden fields in Java

Generator QR Code 2d barcode in Java Using hidden fields

Many scripts, including the formmailpl script, require the use of hidden fields fields that hold data you want associated with a form but not shown to visitors to a site (such as the e-mail address to which a form is sent when a visitor clicks the Submit button) To insert and use a hidden field, follow these steps:

1 Click to place your cursor inside the <form> tag If you haven t yet inserted the <form> tag (which appears as a red dotted line around your form), follow the steps in the first exercise in the Creating HTML Forms section before continuing with this exercise Even though the hidden field doesn t appear in the form area, make sure that it s inside the <form> tag before you add a hidden field Placing your cursor at the top or bottom of the form area before inserting a hidden field is a good option because it makes the hidden field easier to find in the HTML code After the hidden field is inserted into the <form> tag, the Property inspector changes to feature the Hidden Field options (shown in Figure 11-12) 2 In the Property inspector, enter a name If you re using formmailpl, you d enter recipient as the name and the e-mail address where you want the form data sent as the value You can even enter more than one e-mail address, separated by commas So, for example, I could enter janine@jcwarnercom, janine@digitalfamilycom in the Value field, and the data from the form would be e-mailed to both these e-mail addresses when a user clicks the Submit button (as shown in Figure 11-12)

3 Click to place your cursor inside the <form> tag and then click the Hidden Field icon in the Forms Insert Bar to add another hidden field to create a subject line 4 In the Property inspector, enter the name subject; in the Value field, include a subject line you want inserted into the e-mail message automatically when a user submits the form In this example, I entered Contact Information from DigitalFamilycom as the value You can add many other hidden fields to a form, depending on the script you re using and on how much you want to customize the results That s it Assuming all fields are filled in correctly and formmailpl (or a similar script) is properly installed and configured on your server, you should receive via e-mail any data a user enters into your form and submits

When you create a form, it s good practice to include features that validate the form as a user submits it For example, you can use form validation to ensure that a user has entered an e-mail address in a text field If they have not, you can return the form with a message stating that the e-mail address field is required You can set up validation for forms in many ways, but the simplest way in Dreamweaver is to use the Spry form fields, which I cover in more detail on my Web site at DigitalFamily com

There are many reasons to create forms on the Web, but e-mailing the contents of a contact form is one of the most common I hope this little exercise has helped give you an idea of what to do to make your HTML forms interact with a CGI script on your server Most service providers offer a collection of scripts you can use to create forms for common features of Web sites, such as guest books and contact forms All you have to do is create the HTML part of the form and then specify the form fields to interact with the script on your server Check the Web site of your Web-hosting service for instructions specific to the scripts available on your server