remembering post data

[Troy Piggins]

Sorry if this is a dumb/freq asked question.

On our intranet we have html (well, more correctly php) forms to send
faxes. If you progress to the next screen to print, but realise you
made an error, or want to go back for some other reason, the data is no
longer there on the form. It is cleared.

I am not sure if this is a html thing, or could be an apache thing.

Is there a way for the form to 'remember' the data when you go back in
history?

I can provide further information if you need, but am not sure what is
relevant - since I don't know if it is a web server thing or a html
thing. Obviously if it's the former, I'll look elsewhere unless someone
can point me in the right direction quickly.

 

[Roy Schestowitz]

Sorry if this is a dumb/freq asked question.

On our intranet we have html (well, more correctly php) forms to send
faxes. If you progress to the next screen to print, but realise you
made an error, or want to go back for some other reason, the data is no
longer there on the form. It is cleared.

The policy regarding remembering or not remembering values should probably
depend on:

1) The browser

2) The security level

3) The protocol, e.g. https, feeds, etc.

Since no values are contained in the source, the server should not directly
be involved, i.e. it should not send values back to the user (unless you
program it to do so).

I am not sure if this is a html thing, or could be an apache thing.

Is there a way for the form to 'remember' the data when you go back in
history?

Try a range of different browsers and see how they behave.

I can provide further information if you need, but am not sure what is
relevant - since I don't know if it is a web server thing or a html
thing. Obviously if it's the former, I'll look elsewhere unless someone
can point me in the right direction quickly.

Having said all of that, I believe there might be an option (in the page
source) for 'remember', just as there is onefor 'hidden'. Let's see what
the others say...

Roy

 

[Troy Piggins]

[now crossposted to 24hoursupport.helpdesk,alt.apache.configuration]

The policy regarding remembering or not remembering values should
probably depend on:

1) The browser

Indeed this seems to be a large part of it. We use Firefox on all
workstations, and despite ticking the checkbox in
options->privacy->saved form information to save form info entered into
web pages, it does not work.

However MS IE *does* remember the same data entered into the same pages.

2) The security level

Not sure what you mean by this, unless you are referring to the security
settings in MS IE - but we aren't having problems with that, only
Firefox.

3) The protocol, e.g. https, feeds, etc.

It is just http.

Since no values are contained in the source, the server should not
directly be involved, i.e. it should not send values back to the user
(unless you program it to do so).


Try a range of different browsers and see how they behave.

Done as mentioned above. MS IE works fine, Firefox (preferred by me)
does not :-(

Having said all of that, I believe there might be an option (in the
page source) for 'remember', just as there is onefor 'hidden'. Let's
see what the others say...

I don't know what you mean by 'page source' - do you mean the actual
..php code? Or the httpd server config files?

Thanks.

 

[Roy Schestowitz]

Indeed this seems to be a large part of it. We use Firefox on all
workstations, and despite ticking the checkbox in
options->privacy->saved form information to save form info entered into
web pages, it does not work.

However MS IE *does* remember the same data entered into the same pages.

If you have entire forms with open textboxes, this might be considered a
_bad_ behaviour. The Windows terminals that we have set up for students to
log in connection problems illustrate this issue. One can just press back
(In Explorer sadly) and see all the correspondence of the previous person
to use the terminal.

Not sure what you mean by this, unless you are referring to the security
settings in MS IE - but we aren't having problems with that, only
Firefox.

Yes, I was referring to that. Maybe Explorer is configured to be poor on
privacy. Try raising the bar and see what happens.

It is just http.

No problem there then.

Done as mentioned above. MS IE works fine, Firefox (preferred by me)
does not :-(

"MS IE works fine"
^^^^^^^^^^


Saving form values can also be interpreted as "does not work". Security
verus ease of use.

I don't know what you mean by 'page source' - do you mean the actual
.php code? Or the httpd server config files?

You can program something that will fetch the values at each step (assuming
a multi-page form-filling process). It can then send back the values to the
form. In other words, forms will be saved progressively rather than once --
upon completion.


Roy

 

[Troy Piggins]

If you have entire forms with open textboxes, this might be considered
a _bad_ behaviour. The Windows terminals that we have set up for
students to log in connection problems illustrate this issue. One can
just press back (In Explorer sadly) and see all the correspondence of
the previous person to use the terminal.

The forms I speak of are for generating faxes. It is only a small
company, and security is not a risk in terms of someone going back in
history and seeing a fax someone else sent. Unfortunately the large
open text box is the best way I could think of doing it.

^^^^^^^^^^

I hear ya! I meant it did what I wanted for a change.

Saving form values can also be interpreted as "does not work".
Security verus ease of use.

Yeah, in this case I want the latter, not the former.

You can program something that will fetch the values at each step
(assuming a multi-page form-filling process). It can then send back
the values to the form. In other words, forms will be saved
progressively rather than once -- upon completion.

Might try that. When I have some more time on weekends.

Thanks for all your help Roy.

 

[Roy Schestowitz]

I hear ya! I meant it did what I wanted for a change.


Yeah, in this case I want the latter, not the former.

A funny analogy:

Mr. Jones drives to his local supermarket, parks his car and leaves the
door open because, let's face it, opening the door is a chore. He steps
into the supermarket, puts the necessary groceries in a clean and shiny
container that the supermarket lends. When finished, he walks by the main
door and drops a tenner into an open bucket of money.

Mr. Jones and his supermarket use Internet Explorer by the way. Time to get
that security pack...

Might try that. When I have some more time on weekends.

Thanks for all your help Roy.

I have just tested an old JavaScript form that I have on my site
(http://www.schestowitz.com/Feedback/) and saw the behaviour you describe
in Firefox and in Konqueror. Oddly enough, only First name(s) gets saved. I
have looked at the source code to find an explanation, but could gather
none. Can you? This might be the key to solving your problem.

Roy

 

[Troy Piggins]

I have just tested an old JavaScript form that I have on my site
(http://www.schestowitz.com/Feedback/) and saw the behaviour you
describe in Firefox and in Konqueror. Oddly enough, only First name(s)
gets saved. I have looked at the source code to find an explanation,
but could gather none. Can you? This might be the key to solving your
problem.

Hmm. This seems a bit different in that it also only remembers the
first name in IE also. So same behaviour in Firefox and IE.

I will go through the source code, but I doubt I will find anything you
can't. Like my original post - I am no html guru.