REQUIRED FORM FIELDS??

[Sister Lynne]

Is there a way to make fields on a web form REQUIRED? Meaning that the
person completing the form would get an error message if certain fields are
left blank when they try to submit the form. I am using Publisher 2003.

 

[David Bartosik [MSFT MVP]]

No there is not.

David Bartosik - [MSFT MVP]
www.publishermvps.com
www.davidbartosik.com

 

[Lynn]

Actually, there is a place in the form control when you select a line
Single line text box properties - Data Processing, you check the box that
says This Control Must be Filled in By User.

Which leads me to my question for you - I have been using this on webpages
with success, however, my business webpage, for some reason, it is not
working.

I am using Publisher 2000.

 

[DavidF]

Lynn,

I have understood that you cannot require a field in a form in Publisher.
Could you post the URL of the page where your form is located, that does
require a field, and the specific form control?

DavidF

 

[Lynn]

My website - www.myrottweilerpups.com/page7.html has a form control that
works. The form control is the single line text.

The contest has closed, but I can reopen the page so you can see how it
worked.

 

[Lynn]

I take that back. Rather than me reopening my photo contest, you can go to
my www.frescaaire.com site and click on the link for selecting the right
unit. That page will not submit without the e-mail link filled in.

There is another page in this website - www.frescaaire.com/page9.html which
has an order form that rquires the e-mail link.

 

[Lynn]

Sorry, I added a page when my created form didn't work using the standard
form control and the order page is now 10, not 9.

 

[DavidF]

Hi Lynn,

Thanks. I learned something today. You can require a field in a form with
Pub 2000, but not with Pub 2003. I didn't realize that MS had taken away
that functionality.

Now as to your question, are you still using Pub 2000 to produce the site
where the required field function does not work? Are you hosting it with the
same webhost? Does the form work, although it does not require the field?

DavidF

 

[Lynn]

You asked:
Now as to your question, are you still using Pub 2000 to produce the site
where the required field function does not work? Are you hosting it with the
same webhost? Does the form work, although it does not require the field?

Yes, everything is the same, except that I was able to figure it out in my
photo contest and couldn't figure it out for the business page. I have since
deleted the ones that didn't work and put in a separate page using a prepared
form from Publishers catalog which works. Can't figure out why the problem
with them, but rather than drive myself crazy, I decided to go with the ready
made one.

Hope to figure it out thought just for understanding why.

 

[DavidF]

The only thing I can think of is that in the process of customizing the
form, you did something different such as overlapping a form control with
something else, or perhaps it is because the form controls are out of order,
which might affect the JavaScript that is used to render a field as
required. If you go to a page on one of your sites where the form with the
required field does work, and open it in IE, then to the Menu > View >
Source you will see the reference to the JavaScript.

You can put the form controls back in order by rebuilding the form, but a
user posted a faster way, and it is described at the end of this article by
David Bartosik: Publisher web publication forms 101:
http://msmvps.com/blogs/dbartosik/archive/2006/01/07/80564.aspx

Sometimes I never figure out why things don't work, and like you I just
rebuild things...or reboot

DavidF