[WEB4LIB:14784] Submitting Multiple HTML Forms

Wed Aug 12 14:11:57 EDT 1998

What I've done in the past is have the CGI script print out a typical
"Thanks for your submission..." message, followed by another copy of the
form, pointing back to itself, with the fields likely to be repeated
filled in by the values from the previous form.

#!/usr/local/bin/perl
#Skipping over the nuts and bolts of what the form actually does...
print <<ENDOFHTML ;
Content-type: text/html

<html>...
<p>Thanks for subitting.  Wanna do another?</p>
<form action="/cgi-bin/myself.pl" method=POST>
<p>Your name: <input name="patron_name" value="$in{patron_name}"><br>
E-Mail Address: <input name="patron_email" value="$in{patron_email}">...
ENDOFHTML

Thomas Dowling
OhioLINK - Ohio Library and Information Network
tdowling at ohiolink.edu

> -----Original Message-----
> From: web4lib at webjunction.org
> [mailto:web4lib at webjunction.org]On Behalf Of
> Timon.P.Tesar at am.pnu.com
> Sent: Wednesday, August 12, 1998 2:10 PM
> To: Multiple recipients of list
> Subject: [WEB4LIB:14784] Submitting Multiple HTML Forms
>
>
>           We have an HTML form people can use to request article
>           copies from our Document Delivery service. Internet Explorer
>           3 is our standard browser.
>
>           People sometimes want to submit multiple requests in which
>           much of the data in the form is the same. After clicking on
>           the submit button, a confirmation page appears.
>           Unfortunately, if the user then clicks on the browser Back
>           button to return to the form, all the data they previously
>           entered is gone and they have to type everything all over
>           again.
>
>           1. Is there anything I can do with the forms page (some kind
>           of JavaScript perhaps?) so that the data will remain in the
>           form when they click the Back button?
>
>           2. We will be switching to I.E. 4 in six months or so. Do
>           forms work the same in I.E. 4 as they do in I.E. 3 (i.e. the
>           form data is not retained)?
>
>           Any advice will be appreciated and thanks in advance.
>
>           Tim Tesar
>           pharmacia & Upjohn Research Library
>           timon.p.tesar at am.pnu.com
>