Ektron CMS400.Net Reference

>>Managing Content > HTML Forms > Creating a Form's Content

Creating a Form’s Content

Here is an example of form content that you can create.

Note that some fields are required, and some provide a dropdown list of choices. You can learn how to create such a form by following the directions below.

The Form Toolbar Options

Creating form content is similar to creating standard content. (See Adding HTML Content). The big difference is a form toolbar (illustrated below), which lets you insert form elements.

When using the form toolbar, place the cursor where you want field. Then, click the appropriate toolbar button.

Adding a Field to the Screen

The final screen of the Forms setup lets you arrange a form that collects exactly the information you want. To create the form, insert fields that prompt a site visitor to enter information. Then, add a button that enables the user to submit data.

If you chose a sample form at the beginning of the Forms Wizard, the form includes fields. If you did not, the screen has only a Submit button.

Tip! 

Note: In addition to inserting fields, you can add explanatory text, lines, images, etc. to the form. To lay out fields in columns, insert a table and place the fields within table cells.

The table below explains each field type you can enter.

Button

Inserts this kind of field

Description

For more information, see

Checkbox

User’s response is either checked or unchecked

Inserting a Checkbox Field

Text

Free text field; user cannot format text

Inserting a Text Field

Choices

Several choices appear on screen. User checks any number of appropriate responses.

Inserting a Choices Field

Calendar

Lets user insert a date by clicking a calendar

Inserting a Calendar Field

Insert Button

Button with no text. You can easily add text to it.

When a site visitor completing the form presses this button, the data on the screen is submitted to your Web server.

Inserting or Editing Buttons on the Form

Insert Reset

Button with Reset as its text. When a site visitor completing the form presses this button, the form’s field values are set to their state when the form first loaded.

Inserting or Editing Buttons on the Form

Insert Submit

Button with Submit as its text.

When a site visitor completing the form presses this button, the data on this screen is submitted to your Web server.

Inserting or Editing Buttons on the Form

After you complete the form, you have the following options.

Button or Tab

Description

Postback Message

See Composing the Postback Message

Metadata

Edit the metadata for the form. See Also: Working with Metadata

Schedule

Assign start or end dates, or both, for when the form is published to Web site See Also: Scheduling Content to Begin and End

Comment

Enter history comment to indicate changes made to the form

Templates

The template assigned to the form.

Note: Technical HTML forms must reside in a folder whose template uses the FormBlock server control.

See Also: Creating/Updating Templates

Category

Any taxonomy categories assigned to the content. See Also: Taxonomy

Web Alerts

Assign or update Web Alert information for the form. See Administering the Web Alert Feature.

Submit

Submit content into approval process.

Publish

Publish content to Web site.

Note: If the content has any active tasks, a comments window pops up. You can insert comments to describe how approving or declining the content affects the task.

Note: Only the last approver in the approval chain sees this button.

Check In

Save and check-in content. This button does not submit the content into the approval process, but rather lets other users change it.

Save

Save the content without submitting it into the approval process.

If a user clicks save and then closes the editor, other users cannot edit the content.

Decline

This button appears if you are the next approver in the approval list. Click it to decline the changes made to the content.

Note: If content has any active tasks, a comments window pops up. You can insert comments to describe how approving or declining the content affects the task.

Cancel

Close the editor without saving changes.

Next, click Save and Submit or Publish (). The form only appears on your Web site after it is published.

After you complete and save the form, it may need to go through the approval process. When that is complete, add it to the site by assigning it to a page template. See Implementing a Form on a Web Page.


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Ektron CMS400.NET Reference Version 8.02 SP1 Rev 1

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