CFML Reference
ColdFusion Tags

cfform

Description

Builds a form with CFML custom control tags; these provide more functionality than standard HTML form input elements.

Category

Forms tags

Syntax

<cfform 
  name = "name"
  action = "form_action"
  preserveData = "Yes" or "No"
  onSubmit = "javascript" 
  target = "window_name"
  encType = "type"
  passThrough = "HTML_attribute(s)"
  codeBase = "URL"
  archive = "URL" 
  scriptSrc = "path">
...
</cfform> 

See also

cfapplet, cfgrid, cfinput, cfselect, cfslider, cftextinput, cftree, cftreeitem

History

New in ColdFusion MX: the enableCAB attribute is deprecated. Do not use it in new applications. It might not work, and might cause an error, in later releases.

New in ColdFusion MX: the name and action attributes are optional.

Attributes

Attribute	Req/Opt	Default	Description
name	Optional	CFForm_1 [, ...]	A name for the form.
action	Optional		Name of ColdFusion page to execute when the form is submitted for processing.
scriptSrc	Optional	/cfide/scripts/cfform.js	Lets the user control the URL of the script file; useful if you do not keep the file in the /cfide directory.
preserveData	Optional	No	When the cfform action attribute posts back to the same page as the form, this determines whether to override the control values with the submitted values. false: values specified in the control tag attributes are used true: corresponding submitted values are used Applies to these controls: cfform controls cfinput, cfslider, cftextinput; overrides value attribute value cfselect controls that are populated from queries. Overrides the selected attribute. See cfselect. cftree controls: Overrides the cftreeitem expand attribute. If true, expands previously-selected elements. The cftree completePath attribute must be set to Yes. cfgrid controls: has no effect. (This avoids confusion as to whether data has been resubmitted to the database by the control.)
onSubmit	Optional		JavaScript function to execute after input validation. Use to for preprocessing data before form is submitted. See Developing ColdFusion MX Applications with CFML.
passThrough	Optional		For HTML attributes that are not supported by cfform. Attributes and values are passed to the HTML code that is generated for the tag. For example: "style=""font-weight:bold;"""
codeBase	Optional	See Description	URL of downloadable JRE plug-in (for Internet Explorer only). Default: /CFIDE/classes/cf-j2re-win.cab
archive	Optional	See Description	URL of downloadable Java classes for ColdFusion controls. Default: /CFIDE/classes/CFJava2.jar

Usage

This tag requires an end tag.

Some custom control tags that you can use within this tag require the client to download a Java applet; they might execute slightly more slowly than using an HTML form element to get the same information. In addition to regular HTML form elements, you can use the following custom control tags within the cfform tag:

• cfinput: Creates and validates an input element (radio button, text box, checkbox)
• cfselect: Creates a drop-down list box
• cfslider: Creates a slider control (Java support required)
• cftextinput: Creates a text input box (Java support required)
• cftree: Creates a tree control (Java support required)
• cfgrid: Creates a grid control to display tabular data (Java support required)
• cfapplet: Embeds a registered Java applet (Java support required)

All of these control tags require that the browser is JavaScript-enabled.

If you use this tag after the cfflush tag on a page, an error is thrown.

The method attribute is automatically set to post; if you specify a value, it is ignored.

If you specify a value in quotation marks, you must escape them by doubling them; for example: passThrough = "readonly = ""Yes"" ".

Any form field name, from the cfform tag or an HTML form, that ends in one of the following suffixes invokes server-side form validation:

• _integer: Verifies that the user entered a number.
• _float: Verifies that the user entered a number.
• _range: Verifies that a numeric value entered is within specified boundaries.
• _date: Verifies that the user entered a date; converts to ODBC date format.
• _time: Verifies that the user correctly entered a time; converts to ODBC time format.
• _eurodate: Verifies that the user entered a date in a standard European date format; converts to ODBC date format.

Do not use these suffixes for your field names.

For more information, see the Retrieving and Formatting Data chapter in Developing ColdFusion MX Applications with CFML.

Incorporating HTML form tags

The cfform tag lets you incorporate these standard HTML elements:

• Standard form tag attributes and values. The attributes and values are included in the form tag that cfform outputs in the page. For example, you can use form tag attributes like target with cfform. Other pass-through attributes include CLASS, ENCTYPE, ID, ONLOAD, ONRESET, and STYLE.
• HTML tags that can ordinarily be put within the HTML form tag. For example, you can use the HTML input tag to create a submit button in a cfform, without the other features of cfinput:

  <cfform>
    <input type = "Submit" value = " update... ">
  </cfform>
  

Example

<h3>cfform Example</h3>
<cfif IsDefined("form.oncethrough") is "Yes">
  <cfif IsDefined("form.testVal1") is True>
  <h3>Results of Radio Button Test</h3>
  <cfif form.testVal1 is "Yes">Your radio button answer was yes</cfif>
  <cfif form.testVal1 is "No">Your radio button answer was no</cfif>
  </cfif>
  <cfif IsDefined("form.chkTest2") is True>
  <h3>Results of Checkbox Test</h3>
    Your checkbox answer was yes
  <cfelse>
    <h3>Results of Checkbox Test</h3>
    Your checkbox answer was no
  </cfif>
  <cfif IsDefined("form.textSample") is True 
   AND form.textSample is not "">
  <h3>Results of Credit Card Input</h3>
    Your credit card number, <cfoutput>#form.textSample#</cfoutput>, 
was valid under the MOD 10 algorithm.
  </cfif>
  <cfif IsDefined("form.sampleSlider") is "True">
  <h3>You gave this page a rating of <cfoutput>#form.sampleSlider#
   </cfoutput></h3>  
  </cfif>
  <hr noshade>
</cfif>
<!--- begin by calling the cfform tag --->
<cfform action = "cfform.cfm">
<table>
<tr>
  <td>
  <h4>This example displays radio button input type for cfinput.</h4>
  Yes <cfinput type = "Radio" name = "TestVal1" value = "Yes" checked>
  No <cfinput type = "Radio" name = "TestVal1" value = "No">
  </td>
</tr>
<tr>
  <td>
  <h4>This example displays checkbox input type for cfinput.</h4>
  <cfinput type = "Checkbox" name = "ChkTest2" value = "Yes">
  </td>
</tr>
<tr>
  <td>
  <h4>This shows client-side validation for cfinput text boxes.</h4>
  <br>(<I>This item is optional</i>)<br>
  Please enter a credit card number:
  <cfinput type = "Text" name = "TextSample" 
    message = "Please enter a Credit Card Number" 
    validate = "creditcard" required = "No">
  </td>
</tr>
<tr>
  <td>
  <h4>This example shows the use of the cfslider tag.</h4>
  <p>Rate your approval of this example from 1 to 10 by sliding control.
  <p>1 <cfslider name = "sampleSlider" 
      label = "Sample Slider" range = "1,10"
      message = "Please enter a value from 1 to 10" 
      scale = "1" bold = "No"
      italic = "No" refreshlabel = "No"> 10
  </td>
</tr>
</table>
<p><input type = "submit" name = "submit" value = "show me the result">
<input type = "hidden" name = "oncethrough" value = "Yes">
</cfform>
</body>
</html> 

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