Macromedia Dreamweaver 8

Forms: Working with Lists/Menus

The List/Menu form field allows users to select an option or multiple options from a list of choices. The List option displays values in a scrolling list, this allows a user to select multiple values at once. The Menu option displays values in a drop-down list, this allows a user to select only a single value.

To use a list or menu, both must be inserted it into a form and assign an item label and value. When users submit a form, their entries must go somewhere -- possibly to the designer via email or to a database or text file. Item labels and values are used to pass form inputs to the script or form handler and then to the designer. This is done by matching the user's form inputs to the form field that requested it.

NOTE: For more information about working with optional form fields, please refer to Inserting the First Form Field, Opening the Form Field Properties Dialog Box, and Terminology.

Inserting a List/Menu
Assigning Item Labels and Values

Inserting a List/Menu

Place your cursor within the form boundary where you would like to insert the form field
NOTE: For more information on inserting forms, refer to Creating Forms.
From the Insert menu, select Form » List/Menu
OR
From the Insert pane, in the Forms tab, click LIST/MENU
The Input Tag Accessibility Attributes dialog box appears.
In the Label text box, type an appropriate and descriptive label
NOTE: The Label is the text that identifies a button's function to users.
Make any appropriate selection(s) under Style, Position, Access key and Tab Index
Click OK
NOTE: If you are prompted to insert a form tag, click YES.

Assigning Item Labels and Values

The item label for the form field is the text the user sees when selecting an item from your list. The value of the form field should identify what option the drop-down item represented for the user (e.g., the location option below is an option to answer "location" in response to the question and has the value "location"). If no value is identified, Dreamweaver will automatically set the identified label as the value.

When a user submits the form, the inputs are sent to the owner of the form via email; the value of the drop-down box field will be matched with the item label of the drop-down menu field. The information the owner receives may look like this:

item label: value
EXAMPLE: UWEC: location

To assign the item label and value

Once the List/Menu has been inserted , select it
The List/Menu Properties pane appears at the bottom of the screen.
From the Type section, specify whether you want to create a list or a menu
NOTE: A List allows more than one selection to be made while a Menu permits only one selection.
From the List/Menu Properties pane, click LIST VALUES...
The List Values dialog box appears.

Under Item Label, type the appropriate text for the item
This text is what the user will see when selecting from your list.
Press [Tab]

Under Value, type the appropriate value
This text should identify the label it corresponds to.
To add additional items to your list:
1. Click ADD
2. Repeat steps 4-6
To remove an item from your list
1. Select the item
2. Click REMOVE
To change the order in which an item appears
1. Select the item
2. Click the appropriate arrow
When finished, click OK
OPTIONAL: In the List/Menu Properties pane, in the Selections section, specify whether you want to allow multiple selections by checking Allow multiple
NOTES:
This option is only applicable when you create a list.
The option is selected when a check mark appears in the box.
In the Initially Selected section, select the list item you want to appear selected by default