Forms

Index

To learn about a particular object, click on its name.

Click here for a Quickstart step-by-step tutorial

Creating Forms

Forms let you obtain information from visitors to your website. Visitors enter information using form objects such as text fields, list boxes, checkboxes, and radio buttons, and then click a button to submit the information.

To create an HTML form

Open a page and place the insertion point where you want the form to appear.
Select Insert > Form, or select the Forms category in the Insert bar and click the Form icon.

Dreamweaver inserts an empty form. With a page in Design view, forms are indicated by a dotted red outline. If you don’t see this outline, check that View > Visual Aids > Invisible Elements is selected.

Sending a Form

All forms have a submit button. When you click it , it sends the form data. Most forms use some form of script to post form data, but it is possible to post data using an email address. Here's what you do;

If the form is not selected, click on the 'form' tag in the tag inspector so you can see the form properties.

Change the name from form1 to something more meaningful (it's not essential, but it's a good habit to get into). In the 'Action' field, type mailto:yourname@youraddress.com (substitute your email address!!) Make sure the method is set to 'Post', leave the other fields blank.

Form Objects

Form objects are the things you put in your form. There are several types... To see the different types click on the 'Forms' tab in the insert bar.

The icons are, from left to right;

form, single line text field, hidden field, text area (multi-line text field), checkbox, radio button, radio group, list menu, jump menu, image field, file field, and button.

Text fields: accept any type of alphanumeric text entry. The text can be displayed as a single line, multiple lines, and as a password field where entered text is replaced by asterisks or bullets to hide the text from onlookers.
Buttons: perform actions when clicked. Typically these actions include submitting or resetting a form. You can add a custom name or label for a button, or use one of the predefined "Submit" or "Reset" labels.
Checkboxes: allow multiple responses within a single group of options. A user can select as many options as apply.
Radio buttons: represent exclusive choices. Selecting a button within a radio button group deselects all others in the group (a group consists of two or more buttons that share the same name).
List/menus: display option values within a scrolling list that allows users to select multiple options. The Menu option displays the option values in a menu that allows users to select only a single item.
Jump menus: are navigational lists or pop-up menus that let you insert a menu in which each option links to a document or file.
File fields: let users browse to a file on their computer and upload the file as form data.
Image fields: let you insert an image in a form. Image fields can be used to make graphical buttons such as Submit or Reset buttons.

Inserting Form Objects

To learn about a particular object, click on its name.