Forms Chapter 2

The forms in this tutorial will not work.

I am going to suggest for your first form, you create a simple comments form that will email the response to you. 

This is how you do it.

Open the page you want to put the form on.

Decide on where you want the form. Many people put it on a page by itself, and create links to it from many or all of the pages on their web site, others put numerous forms on their site, allowing visitors the convenience of not having to click to get to it. 

An introduction such as the one above is a very nice addition above your form.

Let's get started.

When you first begin your form, Click Insert - Form - One Line Text Box, and you will get the form above. Your curser should be between the one line text box and the submit button. Just hit the Enter key.

Is it beginning to look more like a form?

Click on the one line text box, then hit the Left Arrow Key on your keyboard.
This will put the curser on the left side of the text box. Now you can type in Name: and hit the space bar. I like to use bold text for this.

Name:

If your site is the type that requires the visitors full name, you can either ask for them for their Full Name, or create one line text boxes for each component, First Name: Middle Initial: Last Name:.

Click on the right of the one line text box and hit Enter. You will create a line break, and needed space between the name box and the Submit/Reset buttons.

Name:

Email:

Now your curser is exactly where you need it to add the next line. Type in Email: and hit the space bar. Go to Insert on the menu bar - Form - One Line Text Box.

Name:

Email:

I think you are probably getting the idea now. Lets add some radio buttons.

Place your curser to the right of the one line text box, and hit enter. Let's ask our visitor their age group.

Name:

Email:

What is Your Age Group? 

After you type in "What is Your Age Group?" Hold down the Shift Key and Hit Enter.
Holding the shift key as you hit enter will take the curser down one line, instead of creating a paragraph break (double space).

Now we can add radio buttons for the age groups. Insert - Form - Radio Button

Name:

Email:

What is Your Age Group:
Under 18 years old.
18 to 25
25 to 35
35 to 45
45 to 55
55 to 65
Over 65

Every time I added a radio button, I went to the menu bar, clicked on Insert - Form - Radio Button. I also held down the Shift Key when I hit Enter to go to the next line. Next to each radio button, type in the age range you want. It is not necessary to have this many, you will decide what is important for your site. 

Let's add a drop down menu to ask our visitors how they got to our web site. Insert - Form - Drop-Down Menu

Name:

Email:

What is Your Age Group?
Under 18 years old.
18 -25
25 -35
35 - 45
45 -55
55 -65
Over 65

How Did You Get to Our Web Site?
Don't worry about it being so small, we'll fix that in the next chapter.

Comments:
Don't worry about it's size, we'll fix this too.

Now let's add a Scrolling Text Box, then we can discuss how to make our new form work! Hit the Enter Key, don't hold down the shift key this time,  and type in Comments: Now, hold down the Shift Key and press Enter. Add a Scrolling Text Box from the Insert - Form menu.

If the Submit and Reset Buttons are to close to the Scrolling Text Box, hit Enter.

Using tables to set up your form helps it maintain shape and consistency for your visitors. Click here to see how to set a form up within a table.

Chapter 3