- Introduction
- Understanding Forms
- Creating a Form
- Inserting Form Objects
- Modifying Text Fields and Text Areas
- Modifying Radio Buttons and Check Boxes
- Modifying Lists and Menus
- Modifying Buttons
- Inserting an Image Button
- Making Form Objects Dynamic
- Using Tables to Control Forms
- Validating Forms
- Creating and Editing a Jump Menu
- Viewing Example Code for Forms
This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
Making Form Objects Dynamic
Instead of setting static form options in Dreamweaver, you can set form options dynamically (on the fly) from your web server, known as a dynamic form object. For example, you can dynamically set a form menu or list menu with entries from a database, display content in text fields when viewed in a browser, or preset a radio button or check box when viewed in a browser.
When a page with a dynamic form object is displayed from a web server, the initial state is determined by the server. Making form objects dynamic makes updating and maintaining a web site much easier. Instead of manually changing a menu item, you can simply change an entry in a database table where the information is stored.
In order to use dynamic form objects, you need to have a data source set up, such as a MySQL database, and available on your web server. The set up and connection of a data source is outside the scope of this book, so you should see your ISP or web administrator for more details.
Make Form Objects Dynamic
Select the form object you want to make dynamic within a form document.
Open the Properties panel.
Click the Dynamic button or click the Lighting Bolt icon.
Select the options you want to make the form object dynamic; the options vary depending on the form object.
- Select an existing data source, or click the Plus (+) button to define a new data source.
Click OK.