Microsoft FrontPage 2003
Illustrated Complete
Creating a Form
Objectives
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Understand forms
Open a Web page that contains a
form
Add a text box and a text area
Add a drop-down box
Creating a Form
Unit G
2
Objectives
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Add an option button group
Add a check box
Set form properties
Create a search form
Creating a Form
Unit G
3
Creating a Form
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Forms provide a way for your site’s
visitors to supply information or
answer questions
After completing a form, the visitor
submits it
Submitted forms are sent to a Web
server, where the data is processed
and stored
Creating a Form
Unit G
4
Understanding Forms

A form in a Web page is similar to a paper
form that you might use to register for a
class, apply for a job, or order a product
 A form field is a data-entry field in a form,
such as a text box or an option button
 A form handler is a program that collects
and processes the data contained in a
form
Creating a Form
Unit G
5
Understanding Forms (cont.)

The collection of data entered into the
form by the user and processed by a
server is the form’s results
 A form handler might store a form’s results
in a file, an HTML document, or in a
database, or send the results to an e-mail
address
 The server usually sends a confirmation
page to the user via the browser from
which the form was submitted
Creating a Form
Unit G
6
Understanding Forms (cont.)

A confirmation page might include a copy
of the form results so the user can verify
its accuracy; other times it might only send
a message indicating that the server
received the form
Creating a Form
Unit G
7
Understanding Forms (cont.)

A confirmation page
Creating a Form
Unit G
8
Understanding Forms (cont.)

A form component is a container that
stores all the form’s fields and other form
content and identifies the part of the Web
page that the server will process
 You can create a variety of forms using
FrontPage form templates and a wizard
Creating a Form
Unit G
9
Understanding Forms (cont.)

Web page
containing a
form
component
Creating a Form
Unit G
10
Opening a Web Page That
Contains a Form

If you use a template or wizard to create a
form, the new page that you create will
contain content and form fields that you
can edit and format to match your needs
 If you create a form from scratch by
inserting a form component using the
Form command on the Insert menu, it’s up
to you to enter and insert all of the form’s
fields and content
Creating a Form
Unit G
11
Adding a Text Box and a Text
Area

A text box accepts a single line of typed
information
 The initial width of a text box is 20
characters
 A text area, also called a scrolling text box,
has the same characteristics as a text box,
except that it accepts multiple lines of data
 The initial size of a text area is 20
characters wide and two lines high
Creating a Form
Unit G
12
Adding a Text Box and a Text
Area (cont.)

Text Box Properties dialog box
Creating a Form
Unit G
13
Adding a Drop-Down Box

A drop-down box organizes choices in a list
 A user can select the desired choice by clicking
the list arrow that appears on the form field, then
scrolling the choices as necessary and clicking
the desired choice in the list
 You can set the form field to display one or more
choices or to accept one or more selections
Creating a Form
Unit G
14
Adding a Drop-Down Box (cont.)

Drop-Down Box Properties dialog box
Creating a Form
Unit G
15
Adding an Option Button Group

An option button, also called a radio
button, usually appears in a group with
other option buttons in a form
 A group name identifies a related set of
option buttons
 Within a group of option buttons, a user
can select only one option button at a time
- selecting an option button deselects
another selected option button
Creating a Form
Unit G
16
Adding an Option Button Group
(cont.)

Like other form fields, an option button is
given an initial name until you rename it
 An option button is also given a value,
which indicates what to store in the results
file when the button is selected
 Option buttons are useful when you need
to limit the form’s users to one of a few
mutually exclusive choices
Creating a Form
Unit G
17
Adding an Option Button Group
(cont.)

Option Button Properties dialog box
Creating a Form
Unit G
18
Adding a Check Box
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A check box lets users indicate a yes/no response
to a single question or statement
You can also use check boxes in groups so users
can indicate a yes/no response to a group of
related questions or statements that appear in a
list
Selecting one check box in a check box group
doesn’t deselect another check box
You can use check boxes when you want a user
to select from a group of one or more
independent and nonexclusive choices
Creating a Form
Unit G
19
Adding a Check Box (cont.)

Check Box Properties dialog box
Creating a Form
Unit G
20
Setting Form Properties
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After creating a form component in a Web page,
you need to set its properties so it will store the
form results in the format that you need
You can store the form results in a(n):
– Text file
– HTML document
– Database
– Using a script that you create
Creating a Form
Unit G
21
Setting Form Properties (cont.)

Form Properties dialog box
Creating a Form
Unit G
22
Creating a Search Form

A search form contains a component
that searches the Web site for text that
the user specifies
 The default settings for a search form
create a single text box into which
users can type their search text, along
with two push buttons that let users
submit the form (start the search) and
clear the text box
Creating a Form
Unit G
23
Creating a Search Form (cont.)

When you submit a search form to a
server, the server searches the Web
site for matching entries and displays a
revised page that includes the search
component and a result table
Creating a Form
Unit G
24
Creating a Search Form (cont.)

Search form added to a Web page
Creating a Form
Unit G
25
Summary



A form is a Web page that you use to
submit information
A form field is a data-entry field in a
form
A form handler is a program that
collects and processes the data
contained in a form
Creating a Form
Unit G
26
Summary

If you use a template or wizard to create a
form, the new page that you create will
contain content and form fields that you
can edit and format
 If you create a form from scratch, it’s up to
you to enter and insert all the form’s fields
and content
 In either case, you must enter text that
helps users enter data in the form, create
the form fields that will collect data, and
specify a form handler to process the
results
Creating a Form
Unit G
27
Summary



You can add a text box, which
accepts a single line of typed
information
You can add a text area, which
scrolls if a user enters more data
than the text area can display
You can add a drop-down box, which
organizes choices in a list
Creating a Form
Unit G
28
Summary


You can add option buttons, which
allow users to select only one option
You can add check boxes, which
allow users to indicate a yes/no
response to a single question or
statement or a group of questions or
statements
Creating a Form
Unit G
29
Summary


After creating a form, you must set its
properties
You can create search forms
Creating a Form
Unit G
30