When you want a default value to be removed when a user selects a form field to enter some text, you don’t need to go out searching for a ten line script someone has generously distributed online. While there may be merit in other ways of doing this, there is one way that only requires a single line of code.
For each field that you want to clear the initial value add the following event handler to the input element:
onfocus="this.value=''"
For more on web forms visit W3Schools.com and scroll part way down the page for the “forms and input” section.
There are, of course, better ways of doing this with unobtrusive Javascript and the DOM. This is intended as a stop gap solution, not a best practice.
June 22nd, 2005
Ok. You’re right. I admit that my mind is a sieve when it comes to some simple light scripting solutions. This one gets me every time. Whenever you want people to be able to get back to where they came from without any heavy lifting, you’ll probably rely on JavaScript. If you don’t have something right at your fingertips, you’ll search online and find a bunch of scripts demanding a copyright acknowledgement and requiring a script insert in your page’s head area. But there is another way!
All you need is a bit of JavaScript magic. Your link needs the following code:
Back to Referring Page
This should do the trick. Of course, change the text in the link to whatever you want to say.
It goes without saying that any browser that does not support Javascript will be left helpless and that there might be better ways to achieve this referral link. PHP offers the predefined variable, HTTP_REFERER, but cautions against its use because it is set by the user agent and is a bit unreliable. I know of no better alternatives right now.
An open question: Is there a better way to create referral links that does not rely on Javascript or PHP’s unreliable user agent reporting capabilities?
June 22nd, 2005
