Setting the a form's hidden input type

[Jim Tome]

Hi,

I am trying to change and pass the value of a hidden input type on a
form tag to a cgi processing script based on the value of a checkbox
within the form:

function CheckBoxes () {
if (document.MyFor m.CheckBox1.che cked) {
document.MyForm .recipient.valu e = "2";
document.MyForm .submit();
}
}
...

<form name="MyForm" action="http://www.mycompany.c om/cgi/MailMyForm.pl"
method="post" onSubmit="retur n CheckBoxes()">
<input type="hidden" name="recipient " value="1">
<input name="CheckBox1 " type="checkbox" value="yes">
...
</form>

Obviously, this is a simplified version of the real example.

The "recipient" value of "1" is a default recipient's e-mail address in
case no checkboxes are selected. If (in this case) the checkbox
"CheckBox1" is checked, then "recipient" should get set to a value of
"2" which the cgi script will recognize as a different e-mail address
and process the form accordingly (it would just go to the e-mail
address defined in the cgi script for a "recipient" value of "2").

Any idea why this won't work? Is it that I cannot change the value of
"recipient" ?

Any help is appreciated.

[Mick White]

Jim Tome wrote:

function CheckBoxes () {
if (document.MyFor m.CheckBox1.che cked) {
document.MyForm .recipient.valu e = "2";
document.MyForm .submit();
}
}
..

<form name="MyForm" action="http://www.mycompany.c om/cgi/MailMyForm.pl"
method="post" onSubmit="retur n CheckBoxes()">

<input name="CheckBox1 " type="checkbox" value="yes">
..
</form>

Why not get rid of the function, and use the onclick event handler of
the checkbox in its stead?

<form action="http://www.mycompany.c om/cgi/MailMyForm.pl"
method="post" >
<input type="hidden" name="recipient " value="1">
<input name="CheckBox1 " type="checkbox" value="yes"
onclick='recipi ent.value=this. checked?"2":"1" '>

However you need to be certain that the user has javascript enabled.
Mick

[Michael Winter]

On Thu, 06 May 2004 15:19:23 GMT, Mick White
<mw******@BOGUS rochester.rr.co m> wrote:

[snip]

<input name="CheckBox1 " type="checkbox" value="yes"
onclick='recipi ent.value=this. checked?"2":"1" '>

That won't work in most browsers. Remember that using ids and names as
global identifiers is a Microsoft-ism that isn't standardised, and
certainly not copied in all cases.

onclick="this.f orm.elements['recipient'].value=this.che cked?'2':'1'"

Probably best in a function.

Mike

--
Michael Winter
M.******@blueyo nder.co.invalid (replace ".invalid" with ".uk" to reply)

[Jim Tome]

Yes, thank for your suggestion. My next question is, suppose there are
three checkboxes (any or all of which can be selected). Checking a
checkbox indicates that a copy of the form's submission get e-mailed to
a separate recipient depending on the checkbox checked (so, in this
simple example, the form would e-mail to one, two or three people).

How can I test and handle this?

Thanks again for your help ? sometime I get too close to these things
to see the simple solution!

On 2004-05-06 10:19:23 -0500, Mick White <mw******@BOGUS rochester.rr.co m> said:

Jim Tome wrote:

function CheckBoxes () {
if (document.MyFor m.CheckBox1.che cked) {
document.MyForm .recipient.valu e = "2";
document.MyForm .submit();
}
}
..

<form name="MyForm" action="http://www.mycompany.c om/cgi/MailMyForm.pl"
method="post" onSubmit="retur n CheckBoxes()">

<input name="CheckBox1 " type="checkbox" value="yes">
..
</form>

Why not get rid of the function, and use the onclick event handler of
the checkbox in its stead?

<form action="http://www.mycompany.c om/cgi/MailMyForm.pl"
method="post" >
<input type="hidden" name="recipient " value="1">
<input name="CheckBox1 " type="checkbox" value="yes"
onclick='recipi ent.value=this. checked?"2":"1" '>

However you need to be certain that the user has javascript enabled.
Mick

[Mick White]

Michael Winter wrote:

On Thu, 06 May 2004 15:19:23 GMT, Mick White
<mw******@BOGUS rochester.rr.co m> wrote:

[snip]

<input name="CheckBox1 " type="checkbox" value="yes"
onclick='recipi ent.value=this. checked?"2":"1" '>

That won't work in most browsers. Remember that using ids and names as
global identifiers is a Microsoft-ism that isn't standardised, and
certainly not copied in all cases.

onclick="this.f orm.elements['recipient'].value=this.che cked?'2':'1'"

Probably best in a function.

Mike

Yes, proper, unambiguous, references are important. I should note that.

I am not sure which browsers would fail. None of my current crop, each
is tolerant of my miscoding!!.

For a one-off, I wouldn't create a function. Your points are well taken,
though.
Mick

[Michael Winter]

On Thu, 06 May 2004 16:07:47 GMT, Mick White
<mw******@BOGUS rochester.rr.co m> wrote:

Michael Winter wrote:

On Thu, 06 May 2004 15:19:23 GMT, Mick White
<mw******@BOGUS rochester.rr.co m> wrote:

[snip]

<input name="CheckBox1 " type="checkbox" value="yes"
onclick='recipi ent.value=this. checked?"2":"1" '>

[snip]
I am not sure which browsers would fail. None of my current crop, each
is tolerant of my miscoding!!.

All Mozilla-based browsers will fail with unqualified references like the
above.

Mike

--
Michael Winter
M.******@blueyo nder.co.invalid (replace ".invalid" with ".uk" to reply)

[Mick White]

On Thu, 06 May 2004 16:07:47 GMT, Mick White
<mw******@BOGUS rochester.rr.co m> wrote:

[snip]

<input name="CheckBox1 " type="checkbox" value="yes"
onclick='recipi ent.value=this. checked?"2":"1" '>

[snip]

Michael Winter wrote: All Mozilla-based browsers will fail with unqualified references like
the above.

Mike

http://www.mickweb.com/demo/formRef.html

Not to belabour the point, but it works in Netscape 7, IE 5.2, Safari
1.1 and Firefox 1.8 (All Mac)
I'm not which of these browsers are Mozilla based or not.
Mick

[Grant Wagner]

Michael Winter wrote:

On Thu, 06 May 2004 16:07:47 GMT, Mick White
<mw******@BOGUS rochester.rr.co m> wrote:

Michael Winter wrote:

On Thu, 06 May 2004 15:19:23 GMT, Mick White
<mw******@BOGUS rochester.rr.co m> wrote:

[snip]

<input name="CheckBox1 " type="checkbox" value="yes"
onclick='recipi ent.value=this. checked?"2":"1" '>

[snip]

I am not sure which browsers would fail. None of my current crop, each
is tolerant of my miscoding!!.

All Mozilla-based browsers will fail with unqualified references like the
above.

Mike

For some reason the code in a form element event handler executes in the
context (or namespace or whatever you want to call it) of the container form,
as a result:

<form>
<input type="text" name="recipient ">
<input name="CheckBox1 " type="checkbox"
value="yes" onclick="recipi ent.value=this. checked?2:1">
</form>

works just fine in Firefox 0.8, Netscape 4.78 and Opera 7.23. I recall a
discussion about this some time ago (don't have time to google for it right
now) and it seems to me that this is in fact documented behaviour and can be
relied on. Of course there are a large number of reasons to fully qualify the
reference, just pointing out that it isn't actually necessary in this case.

--
| Grant Wagner <gw*****@agrico reunited.com>

* Client-side Javascript and Netscape 4 DOM Reference available at:
*
http://devedge.netscape.com/library/...ce/frames.html

* Internet Explorer DOM Reference available at:
*
http://msdn.microsoft.com/workshop/a...ence_entry.asp

* Netscape 6/7 DOM Reference available at:
* http://www.mozilla.org/docs/dom/domref/
* Tips for upgrading JavaScript for Netscape 7 / Mozilla
* http://www.mozilla.org/docs/web-deve...upgrade_2.html

[Michael Winter]

On Thu, 06 May 2004 19:34:29 GMT, Grant Wagner
<gw*****@agrico reunited.com> wrote:

[snip]

For some reason the code in a form element event handler executes in the
context (or namespace or whatever you want to call it) of the container
form, as a result:

<form>
<input type="text" name="recipient ">
<input name="CheckBox1 " type="checkbox"
value="yes" onclick="recipi ent.value=this. checked?2:1">
</form>

works just fine in Firefox 0.8, Netscape 4.78 and Opera 7.23. I recall a
discussion about this some time ago (don't have time to google for it
right now) and it seems to me that this is in fact documented behaviour
and can be relied on. Of course there are a large number of reasons to
fully qualify the reference, just pointing out that it isn't actually
necessary in this case.

I can't find any documentation to support this, nor can I think of any
reason why it should be so. In fact, both Netscape and Microsoft state
that you should either use the name of the element or the elements
collection in conjunction with the form name or the forms collection (they
don't mention named look-ups with the collections):

myForm.myInput
myForm.elements[0]

Of course, only the latter, in conjunction with the forms collection not
the form name, is standardised.

Mike

--
Michael Winter
M.******@blueyo nder.co.invalid (replace ".invalid" with ".uk" to reply)

[Michael Winter]

On Thu, 06 May 2004 18:56:01 GMT, Mick White
<mw******@BOGUS rochester.rr.co m> wrote:

[unqualified reference from inside a form]

Not to belabour the point, but it works in Netscape 7, IE 5.2, Safari
1.1 and Firefox 1.8 (All Mac)
True, but why not use the method that is more likely to work? Moreover, a
fully qualified reference documents itself.

I tested the success of unqualified controls accesses from outside of the
form. The tests involve whether the control is inside a form (F) and if a
name (N) or id (I) is used. The success (S) is qualified by browser.

F I N S
n y n IE, Opera
n n y IE, Opera
y y n -none-
y n y -none-

Mozilla 1.8a and NN4 failed all four. Strangly, Microsoft's documentation
state that the third (an id'd control inside a form) should work, yet it
doesn't. From inside a form:

I N S
y n IE, Opera, Mozilla
n y IE, Opera, Mozilla, NN4

Using a fully qualified reference works in all cases, except in NN4 when
the control or form uses an id exclusively.
I'm not which of these browsers are Mozilla based or not.

Only Netscape, as far as I'm aware, though Firefox (don't you mean 0.8?)
is Mozilla Firefox.

Mike

--
Michael Winter
M.******@blueyo nder.co.invalid (replace ".invalid" with ".uk" to reply)