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Forms - Working with Text Form Fields

Text form fields allow users to type in information. There are two kinds of text form fields that can be used in a form -- text fields and text areas. Text fields are used for small amounts of text input; text areas are used for multiple lines of input.

In order to use a text form field, two processes must be completed: inserting the text form field into the form and assigning a name and initial value. This document will cover both of these processes for the following fields:

• Text Fields
• Text Areas

The following links may also be helpful as you work with form fields:

• Inserting the First Form Field
• Opening the Form Field Properties Dialog field
• Terminology

Text Fields

Inserting a Text Field

1. Place your cursor within the form boundary where you would like to insert the form field
   For information on inserting a form boundary, refer to Creating Forms.

2. From the Insert menu, select Form Objects » Text Field
   OR
   From the Forms tab on the Insert bar, click TEXT FIELD
   A text field will appear.

3. Type any desired text before or after the text field

4. Proceed with Assigning the Name and Initial Value

Assigning the Name and Initial Value

The name for a text field should indicate what type of information you are prompting the user for, or identify what question you were asking (e.g., a text field requesting a user's name may have the name "username" which will correspond to the value of the text field: the user's name).

The initial value of a text field is visible to users and will appear to the users in the text field when the page is loaded. This text should indicate the type of response you would like from a user (e.g., a text field prompting users to enter their names may have the initial text "Name" displayed).

When a user submits the form, the information the user entered in the text field will be matched with the name of that text field. The information the form developer receives may look like this:

name: value (e.g., username: Susan)

Therefore, the name username identifies what question was being asked and the value indicates what the user answered for the particular question.

To assign the Name and Initial Value:

1. After inserting the text field, click it
   The Text Field Properties pane appears.
   

2. In the TextField text box, type the name for your text field (e.g. username)

3. In the Init Val text box, type an initial value for the text field

4. In the Char Width text box, type a width for the text field

5. In the Max Chars text box, type the maximum number of characters you will allow users to enter

6. OPTIONAL: If the text field is going to be used for a password field, from the Type section, select Password

Text Areas

Inserting a Text Area

1. Place your cursor within the form boundary where you would like to insert the form field
   For information on inserting a form boundary, refer to Creating Forms.

2. From the Insert menu, select Form Objects » Textarea
   From the Forms tab on the Insert bar, click TEXTAREA
   A text area will appear.

3. Type any desired text before or after the text area

4. Proceed with Assigning the Name and Initial Value

Assigning the Name and Initial Value

The name for the text area should indicate what type of information you are prompting the user for, or identify what question you are asking. For example, a text area prompting users to enter a description of their qualifications may have the name "qualifications," which will correspond to the value of the text field, the user's entered qualifications.

The initial value of the text area is visible to users and appears in the text field when the page is loaded; this text should indicate the type of response you would like from a user (e.g., a text area prompting users to enter a description of their qualifications may have the initial text "qualifications" displayed).

When a user submits the form, the user-supplied value of the text area will be matched with the name of the text area. The information the form developer receives may look like this:

name: value (e.g., qualifications: BS Degree from UW-Eau Claire).

Therefore, the name qualifications identifies what question was being asked and the value indicates what the user answered for the particular question.

To assign the Name and Initial Value

1. After inserting the text area, click it
   The Text Area Properties pane appears.
   

2. In the TextField text box, type a name for the text area

4. In the Init Val text area, type the initial value for the text area

5. In the Char Width text box, type a width for the text field
   NOTE: This width does not indicate how many characters users can enter into the text field, it indicates how many characters wide the text field will appear on the screen.

6. In the Num Lines text box, type the height for the text field
   HINT: This does not reflect how much the user can type in the text area, only the height of the text field on the screen.

Wrapping Text in Text Areas

When Netscape users complete a text area, the text does not automatically wrap. This can be disconcerting to the user. To force the wrap for all users:

1. Select the text area by clicking it once
   The Text Area Properties pane appears.

2. From the Wrap pull-down list, select Virtual
   This forces the text to wrap to the next line when the user’s input exceeds the right boundary of the text area.