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Last updated on
Apr 25, 2024
Learn how to create a record insert page in your Dreamweaver application that allows users to insert new records in a database.
Note
The user interface has been simplified in Dreamweaver and later. As a result, you may not find some of the options described in this article in Dreamweaver and later. For more information, see this article.
About building record insert pages
Your application can contain a page that lets users insert new records in a database.
An insert page consists of two building blocks:
An HTML form that lets users enter data
An Insert Record server behavior that updates the database
When a user clicks Submit on a form, the server behavior inserts records in a database table.
You can add these building blocks in a single operation using the Record Insertion Form data object or you can add them separately using the Dreamweaver form tools and the Server Behaviors panel.
Note
The insert page can contain only one record-editing server behavior at a time. For example, you cannot add an Update Record or a Delete Record server behavior to the insert page.
Build an insert page block by block
You can also build an insert page by using the forms tools and server behaviors.
Add an HTML form to an insert page
Add an HTML form by placing the insertion point where
you want the form to appear and selecting Insert > Form >
Form.
An empty form is created on the page. You may have to enable Invisible Elements (View > Visual Aids > Invisible Elements) to see the form’s boundaries, which are represented by thin red lines.
Name the HTML form by clicking the <form> tag
at the bottom of the Document window to select the form, opening
the Property inspector (Window > Properties), and entering
a name in the Form Name box.
You don’t need to specify an action or method attribute for the form to tell it where and how to send the record data when the user clicks the Submit button. The Insert Record server behavior sets these attributes for you.
Add a form object such as a text field (Insert >
Form > Text Field) for each column in the database table
you want to insert records into.
The form objects are for data entry. Text fields are common for this purpose, but you can also use menus, options, and radio buttons.
Add a Submit button to the form (Insert >
Form > Button).
You can change the label of the Submit button by selecting the button, opening the Property inspector (Window > Properties), and entering a new value in the Label box.
Add a server behavior to insert records in a database table (ColdFusion)
In the Server Behaviors panel (Window >
Server Behaviors), click the Plus (+) button and select Insert Record
from the pop‑up menu.
Select a form from the Submit Values From pop‑up menu.
In the Data Source pop‑up menu, select a connection to
the database.
Enter your user name and password.
In the Insert Into Table pop‑up menu, select the database
table to insert the record in.
Specify a database column to insert the record in, select
the form object that will insert the record from the Value pop‑up
menu, and then select a data type for the form object from the Submit
As pop‑up menu.
The data type is the kind of data the column in your database table is expecting (text, numeric, Boolean option values).
Repeat the procedure for each form object in your form.
In the After Inserting, Go To box, enter the page to
open after the record is inserted in the table or click the Browse
button to browse to the file.
Click OK.
Dreamweaver adds a server behavior to the page that lets users insert records in a database table by filling out the HTML form and clicking the Submit button.
Add a server behavior to insert records in a database table (ASP)
In the Server Behaviors panel (Window >
Server Behaviors), click the Plus (+) button and select Insert Record
from the pop‑up menu.
In the Connection pop‑up menu, select a connection to
the database.
Click the Define button if you need to define a connection.
In the Insert Into Table pop‑up menu, select the database
table into which the record should be inserted.
In the After Inserting, Go To box, enter the page to
open after the record is inserted into the table or click Browse
to browse to the file.
In the Get Values From pop‑up menu, select the HTML form
used to enter the data.
Dreamweaver automatically selects the first form on your page.
Specify a database column to insert the record in, select
the form object that will insert the record from the Value pop‑up
menu, and then select a data type for the form object from the Submit
As pop‑up menu.
The data type is the kind of data the column in your database table is expecting (text, numeric, Boolean option values).
Repeat the procedure for each form object in your form.
Click OK.
Dreamweaver adds a server behavior to the page that lets users insert records in a database table by filling out the HTML form and clicking the Submit button.
To edit the server behavior, open the Server Behaviors panel (Window > Server Behaviors) and double-click the Insert Record behavior.
Add a server behavior to insert records in a database table (PHP)
In the Server Behaviors panel (Window >
Server Behaviors), click the Plus (+) button and select Insert Record
from the pop‑up menu.
Select a form from the Submit Values From pop‑up menu.
In the Connection pop‑up menu, select a connection to
the database.
In the Insert Table pop‑up menu, select the database
table to insert the record in.
Specify a database column to insert the record in, select
the form object that will insert the record from the Value pop‑up
menu, and then select a data type for the form object from the Submit
As pop‑up menu.
The data type is the kind of data the column in your database table is expecting (text, numeric, Boolean option values).
Repeat the procedure for each form object in your form.
In the After Inserting, Go To box, enter the page to
open after the record is inserted in the table or click the Browse
button to browse to the file.
Click OK.
Dreamweaver adds a server behavior to the page that lets users insert records in a database table by filling out the HTML form and clicking the Submit button.
Build the insert page in one operation
Open the page in Design view, and select
Insert > Data Objects > Insert Record >
Record Insertion Form Wizard.
In the Connection pop‑up menu, select a connection to
the database. Click Define if you need to define a connection.
In the Insert Into Table pop‑up menu, select the database
table into which the record should be inserted.
If you use ColdFusion, enter a user name and password.
In the After Inserting, Go To box, enter the page to
open after the record is inserted into the table or click the Browse
button to browse to the file.
In the Form Fields area, specify the form objects you
want to include on the insert page’s HTML form, and which columns
in your database table each form object should update.
By default, Dreamweaver creates a form object for each column in the database table. If your database automatically generates unique key IDs for each new record created, remove the form object corresponding to the key column by selecting it in the list and clicking the Minus (-) button. This eliminates the risk that the user of the form will enter an ID value that already exists.
You can also change the order of the form objects on the HTML form by selecting a form object in the list and clicking the up or down arrow on the right side of the dialog box.
Specify how each data-entry field should be displayed
on the HTML form by clicking a row in the Form Fields table and
entering the following information in the boxes below the table:
In the Label box, enter a descriptive label to display beside the data-entry field. By default, Dreamweaver displays the table column’s name in the label.
In the Display As pop‑up menu, select a form object to serve as the data-entry field. You can select Text Field, Text Area, Menu, Checkbox, Radio Group, and Text. For read-only entries, select Text. You can also select Password Field, File Field, and Hidden Field.
Note
Hidden fields are inserted at the end of the form.
- In the Submit As pop‑up menu, select the data format accepted by your database table. For example, if the table column only accepts numeric data, select Numeric.
- Set the form object’s properties. You have different options depending on the form object you select as your data-entry field. For text fields, text areas, and text, you can enter an initial value. For menus and radio groups, you open another dialog box to set the properties. For options, select the Checked or Unchecked option.
Click OK.
Dreamweaver adds both an HTML form and an Insert Record server behavior to your page. The form objects are laid out in a basic table, which you can customize using the Dreamweaver page design tools. (Make sure all the form objects remain within the form’s boundaries.)
To edit the server behavior, open the Server Behaviors panel (Window > Server Behaviors) and double-click the Insert Record behavior.
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