Adobe 38043740 - ColdFusion Standard - Mac Development Manual page 728

DEVELOPING COLDFUSION 9 APPLICATIONS
Requesting and Presenting Information
Creating custom forms with the cfform tag
The cfform tag and its CFML subtags let you create dynamic forms in three formats:
Generates standard HTML tags wherever possible, and uses applets or Flash for more complex controls, such
HTML
as grids, trees, and calendars. HTML lets you present a familiar appearance, but does not let you easily separate data
and presentation, or provide some of the more complex structures, such as Flash tabbed navigators or accordions, or
customized XML controls.
Presents a modern, visually pleasing appearance. Flash format supports several controls, such as tabbed
Flash
navigators and accordions, that are not available in HTML. Flash forms are also browser-independent. In Flash format,
Flash Player works in all commonly used browsers on Windows and Macintosh systems, and in Netscape and Mozilla
on Linux.
Lets you specify an Extensible Stylesheet Language Transformation (XSLT) skin that converts the XML into
XML
styled HTML output. Adobe ColdFusion provides several skins that you can use, and you can write your own custom
skins and support custom controls.
The tag and its subtags also provide you with several methods for validating input data. For example, you can
cfform
perform the validation on the browser or on the server. You can check the data type, or you can mask data input.
Individual tags have additional dynamic features. Several of the tags do not have HTML counterparts, and
cfform
others directly support dynamically populating the control from data sources. Also, the
attribute retains user input in a form after the user submits the form, so the data reappears if the form gets redisplayed.
The information here describes features of the
do not have HTML counterparts. For other features of ColdFusion forms that you create using the
following:
• "Validating Data" on page 743
•
"Creating Forms in Flash" on page 765
•
"Creating Skinnable XML
The cfform controls
The following table describes the ColdFusion controls that you use in forms created using the
these tags only inside a
cfform
skinnable forms.
Control Description
cfapplet Embeds a custom Java applet in the form. Not supported in Flash format
forms.
cfcalendar Displays an interactive Flash calendar that can be included in an HTML
or Flash format form. ignored in XML skinable forms. The calendar lets a
user select a date for submission as a form variable.
cfform Creates a container control for organizing and formatting multiple form
controls. Used in the
Ignored in HTML forms.
cfformitem Inserts a horizontal line, a vertical line, or formatted or unformatted text
in a Flash form. Used in the
and XML forms. Ignored in HTML forms.
cfgrid Creates a Java applet or Flash data grid that you can populate from a
query or by defining the contents of individual cells. You can also use
grids to insert, update, and delete records from a data source.
tag and focuses on using several of the
cfform
Forms" on page 783
tag. Unless otherwise stated, these controls are supported in HTML, Flash, and XML
cfform tag body of Flash and XML skinable forms.
or
cfform cfformgroup
Last updated 1/20/2012
cfform
For more information
"Embedding Java
The cfcalendar tag in the CFML Reference
"Creating Forms in
"Creating Skinnable XML
page 783
"Creating Forms in
tag body for Flash "Creating Skinnable XML
page 783
"Creating data grids with the cfgrid
page 732
723
tag
preservedata
child tags that
cfform
tag, see the
cfform
tag. You can use
cfform
applets" on page 741.
Flash" on page 765,
Forms" on
Flash" on page 765,
Forms" on
tag" on