[thelist] Hidden Fields

[Palyne Gaenir]

On 12 Jul 2000, at 22:36, kev.skindrill wrote:
(Regarding hidden fields in forms)
> Yeah (kind of). I understand now how it works but I can't see why
> I would want to use it. 

If you do many forms, and especially dynamic sites (other than very 
simple shopping), you'll likely need to use hidden fields constantly. 
So it's worth understanding.  

The examples used related to multi-page forms.  That's a common use 
for them.  Handy even on single-page forms where you want the visitor 
to have a full-page display after entry to proof and then 'confirm' 
before submitting.  But at least in my case (cfml work), mainly I 
have to use them in data entry forms (single page).  Many forms are 
long.  The user does not need to know the record ID in the system, 
the many options that only the admins can change/set, etc. and I 
don't want it on the screen, so the fields are hidden.  

In some cases, similar to the example given on ASP elsewhere, you 
might just be auto-setting "what/where" data belongs, so that when a 
person goes to a (even single page) form, that data is encoded.  If I 
have a page related to 'martial arts' and you can add your article or 
link to it, when you click on the button to 'add new X', it's going 
to pass the values that tell the system, "this belongs to the martial 
arts section."  When your form comes up, that value will probably be 
hidden; you don't need to know.

I use hidden fields when for security reasons I don't want to pass 
values on the URL.  Sometimes I duplicate the values on the URL 
simply because the client wants a given page to be bookmarkable.

In dynamic work you often use more than one db table and that brings 
up a whole host of values that often need to be passed to relate data 
from one application table to another.

The best way to learn about the logic behind things, why they're 
useful, and how to use them, is to actually MAKE something.  Find 
something you're interested in that could be databased -- even in a 
flat file -- and make yourself a little app for it.  Categorize and 
list your refrigerator contents, I don't know, everybody has got 
something they're interested in (one hopes).

I learned stuff that way.  I was a warehouse mgr, couldn't imagine 
sitting for a living (ha) and after a vacation went home and worked 
temp; this guy wanted me to take a job and I said, if you buy me this 
and that (computer stuff) so I can learn.  He did, and I spent eons 
of personal time typing in (and then databasing) my 400-odd songs and 
poems (word processing), my personal budget (spreadsheet), etc.  Then 
I was bored with filling out these forms at work so I made macros in 
my spreadsheet to auto calculate all kinds of numbers for inventory 
control and sales stats etc. so I didn't have to do so much work on 
them. Ended up getting all kinds of stuff adopted by corporate -- by 
the time I got computer training I knew more than the teachers ever 
seemed to, and ended up teaching software myself later.  Ironic end 
to the story: After about 14 months of working 40 hrs plus nearly 
that on my own time, I had touched and reorganized probably millions 
of papers in the office, built all kinds of neat little systems, and 
had maybe 1.5 hours of work to do a day.  Ended up leaving to become 
a troubleshooter because I was bored out of my mind.  Automated 
myself right out of a job, I did. :-)  In a perfect world, as a 
webmaster, you can automate yourself into making money and having a 
life at the same time.

I'm still working on the last part...

You gotta start somewhere.  If you can't see the value of XYZ (and I 
understand that perfectly), do some more of whatever it is that seems 
to make people want to use XYZ, and you'll probably figure out why.

Palyne