dynamic radio button issues.

Report · Jan 31, 2010

Hello;

I changed around the way I do a contact form from one page loading onto another to just one page. I had my radio buttons working the 2 page way, but now, it throws an error and says that the TYPE is undefined in the form. The type is the name of my group of radio buttons. Here is what I'm doing, can someone help me fix this so a form will remember if it has to be reloaded what radio button you chose?

My code:

</cfif>

</cfif>

</cfif>

those are the 3, I need this form to remember your choice, they control parts of the form. The if statement is throwing the error, this is the error:

Element TYPE is undefined in FORM.

The error occurred in C:\quoteReq.cfm: line 282
Called from C:\Websites\187914kg3\quoteReq.cfm: line 276
Called from C:\Websites\187914kg3\quoteReq.cfm: line 275
Called from C:\Websites\187914kg3\quoteReq.cfm: line 260
Called from C:\Websites\187914kg3\quoteReq.cfm: line 1

280 :                 <span class="contactText">Select the type of project to get a quote.</span><br>
281 :                 <br>
282 :                 <input name="type" type="radio" id="type" onClick="setVisibility('sub3', 'inline');setVisibility('sub4','none');setVisibility('sub5','none');" value='male' <cfif form.type EQ 'male'>checked="checked"</cfif>/>
283 :                 <span class="contactText">Magnets</span>
284 :                 <input type="radio" name="type" id="type" value='female' onClick="setVisibility('sub3', 'none');setVisibility('sub4','inline');setVisibility('sub5', 'none');" <cfif form.type EQ 'female'>checked="checked"</cfif>/>

Can anyone help me fix this please?

Report · Feb 01, 2010

Yup, it's a simple one this.

In your code you're doing <cfif FORM.type EQ ... >, but until the form has been submitted there's no such variable as TYPE in the FORM scope, as it says.

Therefore use the CFPARAM tag at the top of your page:

Which simply sets a default value for a variable. That should sort your problems.

O.

Report · Feb 01, 2010

That worked on the error. It's loading the form now. But now my radio buttons don't change the

part of the form they're supposed too. They don't do anything.

I had to set my default to male, because when it loads, and there is no default, part of the form doesn't show until you chose one of the radio buttons. Is there a better way to do this? What I need it to do it this, male has to be default. when you click on a radio button, it swaps out part of the form for what you need it to send. When they hit submit, lets say they forgot their state, then when the form submits, I need it to remember wich radio button you clicked so it doesn't load the wrong part.

Right now, it just loads male and won't load anything else.

Report · Feb 01, 2010

instead of cfparam, use if/else logic on whether or not the form has been submitted. Either IsDefined() or StructKeyExists() can be used to check.

Report · Feb 01, 2010

Granted that'd work, but you then need to wrap every single reference to the variable on your page in an isDefined() or structKeyExists(). Param'ing it at the top of the page just makes your code neater, hence it's my preferred method.

Report · Feb 01, 2010

My code for this simple action is looking really nasty at this point. I agree with making this neater, it controls a lot on this page. It's a problem in the java script, let me show you how this is set up:

if you click on a radio button (step 1 in the form) it changes a spot in the site (div tags) to your selection. I'm stripping this down to just the java right now, then add in logic to it.

this is my java, but It's not working right now even strait up with no coldfusion involved.

<input name="type" type="radio" onClick="setVisibility('sub3', 'inline');setVisibility('sub4','none');setVisibility('sub5','none');" value='male' checked="checked"/><span class="contactText">Magnets</span>

<input type="radio" name="type" value='female' onClick="setVisibility('sub3', 'none');setVisibility('sub4','inline');setVisibility('sub5', 'none');"/><span class="contactText">Paper Steel</span>

my div tags

<div id="sub3" class="showHide" style="display:inline;">div one content here</div>

<div id="sub4" class="showHide">div 2 content here</div>

<div id="sub5" class="showHide">div 3 content here</div>

right now, this isn't functioning as is. I had it working, until I redid my form approach in programming. Now I need to rethink this. What I'm trying to do is this.

first, get this script working again. then, once it's swaping out div tags, I need it to remember what radio button you clicked so that respective div tag stays open on page reload of any errors from required fields. f I click on a radio button and send the form with now required fields, it brings up the proper div. I also went with the structkeyexists approach and it kind of helped me, but it's making my code really big and messy going this road.

any ideas on how to approach this problem? starting with this broken script.

Right now, there is not dynamic interaction, but i

Report · Feb 01, 2010

Regarding, " but you then need to wrap every single reference to the variable on your page in an isDefined() or structKeyExists()."

No you don't. You just do this.

process it.

</cfif>

the rest of the page.

Report · Feb 01, 2010

Not if the rest of the page has things like this in it you can't:

<input type="radio" name="type" id="type" value='female'
onClick="setVisibility('sub3', 'none');
setVisibility('sub4','inline');
setVisibility('sub5', 'none');" <cfif form.type EQ 'female'>checked="checked"</cfif>

Report · Feb 01, 2010

Owainnorth is correct. Each radio has if statements as well as each div tag.

To the point now the java doesn't work anymore. Trying to find a more efficiant way of doing this, and coming up fry right now

.