Note:
The user interface has been simplified in Dreamweaver CC and later. As a result, you may not find some of the options described in this article in Dreamweaver CC and later. For more information, see this article.
Your application can contain a set of pages that lets users update existing records in a database table. The pages normally consist of a search page, a results page, and an update page. The search and results page let users retrieve the record and the update page lets users modify the record.
When users want to update a record, they must first find that record in the database. Accordingly, you need a search and a results page to work with the update page. The user enters search criteria in the search page and selects the record on the results page. When the user clicks the record on the results page, the update page opens and displays the record in an HTML form.
After creating the search and results pages, you create links on the results page to open the update page. You then modify the links to pass the IDS of the records the user selects. The update page uses this ID to find the requested record in the database and display it.
You use the same process to open the update page and pass a record ID that you do to open a detail page and pass a record ID. For more information, see Create links to the detail page.
After the results page passes a record ID to the update page identifying the record to update, the update page must read the parameter, retrieve the record from the database table, and store it temporarily in a recordset.
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Configure the Filter area so that the value of your key column equals the value of the corresponding URL parameter passed by the results page.
This kind of filter creates a recordset that contains only the record specified by the results page. For example, if your key column contains record ID information and is called PRID, and if the results page passes the corresponding record ID information in the URL parameter called id, the Filter area should look like the following example:
Filter area
- A filtered recordset to retrieve the record from a database table
- An HTML form to let users modify the record’s data
- An Update Record server behavior to update the database
table
You can add the final two basic building blocks of an update page separately using the form tools and the Server Behaviors panel.
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Add a form object such as a text field (Insert > Form > Text Field) for each column you want to update in the database table.
The form objects are for data entry. Text fields are common for this purpose, but you can also use menus, options, and radio buttons.
Each form object should have a corresponding column in the recordset you defined earlier. The only exception is the unique key column, which should have no corresponding form object.
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(ASP) In the Select Record From pop‑up menu, specify the recordset that contains the record displayed in the HTML form. 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. Select the Numeric option if the value is a number. A key column usually accepts only numeric values, but sometimes accepts text values.
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(ASP) Specify a database column to update, select the form object that will update the column from the Value pop‑up menu, and then select a data type for the form object from the Submit As pop‑up menu. The data type is the kind of data the column in your database table is expecting (text, numeric, Boolean option values). Repeat the procedure for each form in your form.
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Dreamweaver adds a server behavior to the page that lets users update records in a database table by modifying the information displayed in the HTML form and clicking the Submit button.
To edit the server behavior, open the Server Behaviors panel (Window > Server Behaviors) and double-click the Update Record behavior.
A filtered recordset to retrieve the record from a database table
An HTML form to let users modify the record’s data
An Update Record server behavior to update the database table
You can add the final two building blocks of an update page in a single operation using the Record Update Form data object. The data object adds both an HTML form and an Update Record server behavior to the page.
Before you can use the data object, your web application must be able to identify the record to update, and your update page must be able to retrieve it.
After the data object places the building blocks on the page, you can use the Dreamweaver design tools to customize the form to your liking, or the Server Behaviors panel to edit the Update Record server behavior.
Note:
The update page can contain only one record-editing server behavior at a time. For example, you cannot add an Insert Record or a Delete Record server behavior to the update page.
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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.
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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 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 options, select the Checked or Unchecked option.
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Dreamweaver adds both an HTML form and an Update Record server behavior to your page.
The data object adds both an HTML form and an Update Record server behavior to your page. The form objects are laid out in a basic table, which you can customize using the Dreamweaver page design tools. (Make sure all the form objects remain within the form’s boundaries.)
To edit the server behavior, open the Server Behaviors panel (Window > Server Behaviors) and double-click the Update Record behavior.
The purpose of the Form Element Properties dialog box is to set the options for form elements on pages that let users update records in a database.
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