Dreamweaver CS4 Resources
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Insert and edit the Validation Text Field widget
Insert the Validation Text Field widget- Select Insert > Spry >
Spry Validation Text Field.
- Complete the Input Tag Accessibility Attributes dialog
box and click OK.
Note: You can also insert a Validation Text Field widget
by using the Spry category in the Insert panel.
Specify a validation type and formatYou can specify different
validation types for the Validation Text Field widget. For example,
you can specify a credit card validation type if the text field
will receive credit card numbers.
- Select a Validation Text Field widget in the Document
window.
- In the Property inspector (Window > Properties),
select a validation type from the Type menu.
- If applicable, select a format from the Format pop-up
menu.
Most validation types cause the text field to expect
a standard format. For example, if you apply the integer validation
type to a text field, the widget won’t validate unless the user
has entered numbers in the text field. Some validation types, however,
let you choose the kind of format your text field will accept. The following
table lists validation types and formats that are available through
the Property inspector:
Validation type
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Format
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None
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No particular format required.
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Integer
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Text field accepts numbers only.
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Email Address
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Text field accepts e-mail addresses that
contain @ and a period (.) that is both preceded and followed by
at least one letter.
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Date
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Formats vary. Make your selection from the
Format pop-up menu of the Property inspector.
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Time
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Formats vary. Make your selection from the
Format pop-up menu of the Property inspector. (“tt” stands for am/pm
format; “t” stands for a/p format.)
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Credit Card
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Formats vary. Make your selection from the
Format pop-up menu of the Property inspector. You can choose to
accept all credit cards, or specify a particular kind of credit
card (MasterCard, Visa, etc.). The text field does not accept spaces
in credit card numbers, i.e. 4321 3456 4567 4567.
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Zip Code
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Formats vary. Make your selection from the
Format pop-up menu of the Property inspector.
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Phone Number
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Text field accepts phone numbers formatted
for U.S. and Canada (000) 000-0000 or custom formats. If you select
custom format as an option, enter the format, for example, 000.00(00),
in the Pattern text box.
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Social Security Number
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Text field accepts social security numbers
formatted as 000-00-0000. If you want to use a different format,
select Custom as your validation type and specify a pattern. The
pattern validation mechanism accepts only ASCII characters.
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Currency
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Text field accepts currency formatted as
1,000,000.00 or 1.000.000,00.
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Real Number/Scientific Notation
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Validates various kinds of numbers: integers
(for example, 1); float values (for example, 12.123); and float
values in scientific notation (for example, 1.212e+12, 1.221e-12
where e is used as a power of 10).
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IP Address
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Formats vary. Make your selection from the
Format pop-up menu of the Property inspector.
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URL
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Text field accepts URLs formatted as http://xxx.xxx.xxx
or ftp://xxx.xxx.xxx.
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Custom
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Lets you specify a custom validation type
and format. Enter the format pattern (and hint if desired) in the
Property inspector. The pattern validation mechanism accepts only
ASCII characters.
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Specify when validation occursYou can set the point at which
validation occurs—when the site visitor clicks outside the widget,
as the visitor types, or when the visitor tries to submit the form.
- Select a Validation Text Field widget in the Document
window.
- In the Property inspector (Window > Properties)
select the option that indicates when you want validation to occur.
You can select all of the options or Submit only.
- Blur
- Validates whenever the user clicks outside the text field.
- Change
- Validates as the user changes text inside the text field.
- Submit
- Validates when the user tries to submit the form. The submit
option is selected by default, and cannot be deselected.
Specify a minimum and maximum number charactersThis option
is only available for None, Integer, E-mail Address, and URL validation types.
- Select a Validation Text Field widget in the Document
window.
- In the Property inspector (Window > Properties),
enter a number in the Min Chars or Max Chars box. For example, if
you enter 3 in the Min Chars box, the widget only validates if the
user enters three or more characters.
Specify minimum and maximum valuesThis option is only available
for Integer, Time, Currency, and Real Number/Scientific Notation
validation types.
- Select a Validation Text Field widget in the Document
window.
- In the Property inspector (Window > Properties),
enter a number in the Min Value or Max Value box. For example, if
you enter 3 in the Min Value box, the widget only validates if the
user enters the number 3 or a value greater (4, 5, 6, and so on)
in the text field.
Display widget states in Design view- Select a
Validation Text Field widget in the Document window.
- In the Property inspector (Window > Properties),
select the state you want to see from the Preview States pop-up
menu. For example, if you want to see the widget in its valid state,
select Valid.
Change required status of a text fieldBy default, all Validation Text
Field widgets that you insert with Dreamweaver require
user input when published on a web page. You can, however, make
the completion of text fields optional for the user.
- Select a Validation Text Field widget in the Document
window.
- In the Property inspector (Window > Properties),
select or deselect the Required option, depending on your preference.
Create a hint for a text fieldBecause there are so many different kinds
of formats for text fields, it is helpful to give your users a hint
as to what format they need to enter. For example, a text field
set with the Phone Number validation type will only accept phone
numbers in the form (000) 000-0000. You can enter these sample numbers
as a hint so that the text field displays the correct format when
the user loads the page in a browser.
- Select a Validation Text Field widget in the Document
window.
- In the Property inspector (Window > Properties),
enter a hint in the Hint text box.
Block invalid charactersYou can prevent your users from
entering invalid characters in a Validation Text Field widget. For
example, if you select this option for a widget set with the Integer
validation type, nothing appears in the text field if the user tries
to type a letter.
- Select a Validation Text Field widget in the Document
window.
- In the Property inspector (Window > Properties),
select the Enforce Pattern option.
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