Use of forms with frames

[Paul Peeling]

On Fri, 3 May 1996, Real Rodrigue wrote:

> Our OPAC is on the WWW. But I would like to use frames to display the
> search elements (ex: radio buttons to choose the database on the left
> frame, search criteria on the scrollable right frame, and the "submit"
> button always visible on the bottom frame).
> 
> I would like to know if the use of forms in multiple frames is possible.
> I know that I have to have a <form...></form> element in a particular
> frame in order for the form to be displayed in that frame; but can the
> "submit" button in the bottom frame actually submit the data from all
> the forms in all the frames (i.e., the chosen database from the left
> frame and the search criteria from the right frame)?

Except for the "scrollable right frame", I think you could accomplish what
you're after by using form tags built inside of a table instead of frames.
>From my limited experience with frames, I found that following a link in
one frame (e.g. clicking the Submit button in the bottom frame) will
retrieve results which display only in the frame area where the link was
activated. This would mean that your search results would only display in
theframe containing the Submit button, leaving the rest of the screen
unaltered.

Even if this is acceptable to you, I don't think the Submit button will
work the way you want. It appears to me that the contents of each frame
you define is actually a separate html document. Your layout would be
composed by four different files: one which descrbibes the whole scheme
and three others, each of which will appear in one of the frames defined
in the first document. I don't know of any way in html to have the Submit
button in one document submit the query string of another document.

Going with a table instead, will allow you some control over the sizing
and positioning of the screen areas. It is all in one document, so your
submit button should work. Also, compared to frames, the table element is
recognized by more browsers.

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