Setting the Record Update Form dialog box options

The purpose of this dialog box is to build a page that lets users update records in a database.

Before starting, you must complete the following tasks:

• Build one or more pages that let the user find the record they want to update. For more information, see Searching for the record to update (ColdFusion).
• Add logic to the update page allowing it to retrieve the user’s chosen record from the database in preparation for updating. For instructions, see Retrieving the record to update (ColdFusion).

With these prerequisites in place, you can complete the dialog box as follows.

To set the dialog box options:

1. In the Connection pop-up menu, select a connection to the database.

   Click the Define button if you need to define a connection.

2. In the Table to Update pop-up menu, select the database table that contains the record to update.
3. In the Select Record From pop-up menu, specify the recordset that contains the record displayed in the HTML form.
4. In the Unique Key Column pop-up menu, select a key column (usually the record ID column) to identify the record in the database table.

   If the value is a number, select the Numeric option. A key column usually accepts only numeric values, but sometimes it accepts text values.

5. In the After Updating, Go To text box, enter the page to open after the record updates in the table.
6. In the Form Fields area, specify which columns in your database table each form object should update.

   By default, Dreamweaver creates a form object for each column in the database table. If your database automatically generates unique key IDs for each new record created, remove the form object corresponding to the key column by selecting it in the list and clicking the Minus (-) button. This eliminates the risk that the user of the form will enter an ID value that already exists.

   You can also change the order of the form objects on the HTML form by selecting a form object in the list and clicking the up or down arrow on the right side of the dialog box.

7. Specify how each data-entry field should appear on the HTML form by clicking a row in the Form Fields table and entering the following information in the boxes below the table:
   • In the Label text box, enter a descriptive label to display beside the data-entry field. By default, Dreamweaver displays the table column’s name in the label.
   • In the Display As pop-up menu, select a form object to serve as the data-entry field. You can select Text Field, Text Area, Menu, Checkbox, Radio Group, and Text. For read-only entries, select Text. You can also select Password Field, File Field, and Hidden Field.

     NOTE

     Hidden fields are inserted at the end of the form.

   • In the Submit As pop-up menu, select the data format expected by your database table. For example, if the table column only accepts numeric data, select Numeric.
   • Set the form object’s properties. You have different options depending on the form object you select as your data-entry field. For text fields, text areas, and text, you can enter an initial value. For menus and radio groups, you open another dialog box to set the properties. For checkboxes, select the Checked or Unchecked option.
8. Set the properties of other form objects by selecting another Form Fields row and entering a label, display as value, and submit as value.

   For menus and radio groups, open another dialog box to set the properties. For checkboxes, define a comparison between the current record’s value for the checkbox and a given value to determine whether the checkbox is checked or not when the record is displayed.

9. Click OK.

Dreamweaver adds both an HTML form and an Update Record server behavior to your page.

Related topics

• Completing the update page in one operation (ColdFusion)
• Inserting dynamic HTML form objects