Update Record Transaction

The basic building blocks of an update page can be added separately using the form tools and the Server Behaviors panel. This procedure requires the adding of the following items:

• an HTML form that would allow users to enter new data;

• an Update Record server behavior to update records from a database table;

The form objects will be laid out in a basic table, which you can customize by 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 tab of the Application panel (Window -> Server Behaviors) and double-click the Update Transaction server behavior.

You can also add the building blocks all at once by using the Update Record Form Wizard. For more information on building an update page in a single operation, see Update Record Form Wizard.

To add an HTML form to an update page, follow the next steps:

1. Create a new dynamic page (File -> New) and lay out your page using the Dreamweaver design tools;
2. 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 turn on Invisible Elements (View -> Visual Aids -> Invisible Elements) to see the form’s boundaries, which are represented by thin red lines;
3. Name the HTML form by selecting it first (single click on it in the Design View of the involved file), then opening the Property inspector (Window -> Properties), and entering a name in the Form Name text 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 Update Record Transaction server behavior sets these attributes for you;
4. Add a form object such as a text field (Insert -> Form -> Text Field) for each column of the database table into which you want to update records; or you can add text fields only for the fields that will be updated; the form objects are for the data entry. Text fields are common for this purpose, but you can also use menus, check boxes, and radio buttons.
   For more information on form objects, see the Macromedia Help on form elements.
5. 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 text box.

To add an Update Record Transaction server behavior to an update page, follow the next steps:

1. Access the server behavior from the Application panel, Server Behaviors -> + -> MX Kollection -> Forms -> Advanced -> Update Record Transaction.
2. Complete the dialog box that pops-up, following the instructions below for each of the three tabs:
   · The Basic tab
   · The Fields tab
   · The Advanced tab
3. Click OK when done.

Dreamweaver adds a server behavior to the page that allows users to update records from a database table by clicking the Submit button on the form.

The Basic tab

To set the dialog box options, follow the next steps:

1. In the Connection drop-down menu select the database connection defined for your site; if you don't have a connection yet, you can use the Define button and create one now.
2. In the Update in table drop-down menu select the database table into which you want to update records.
3. In the Primary key column drop-down menu specify the primary key column for the current table. The content of this drop-down menu is refreshed each time the user changes the table for the update operation. By default, the first element is selected.
4. The Numeric checkbox specifies whether the selected Primary key column has a numeric type (integer, double, etc). The state for this checkbox is altered each time the user changes the selected value of the Primary key column according to the meta-data retrieved by Dreamweaver for the specified table column.
5. In the First check variable drop-down menu select which element should act as a starter condition for the update operation (either URL Parameter, Form Variable, Cookie, Session Variable, Server Variable, Entered Value), and type its name in the associated text-box.
6. In the Primary key equals drop-down menu select by which element the current record to be updated can be identified (either URL Parameter, Form Variable, Cookie, Session Variable, Server Variable, Entered Value), and type its name in the associated text-box.
7. In the After updating, go to text box enter the page to be opened after the record is updated or click the Browse button to select the file page. You can also use the InterAKT Dynamic Data (the lighting bolt icon) to build the file name.
8. The three buttons in the top right corner of the interface offer you the next functionalities:
   · Click OK when you are done configuring the server behavior.
   · Click Cancel to exit without the new settings to be applied.
   · The Help button takes you to this help page.
   These buttons appear on all three interfaces of the Update Record Transaction server behavior.
9. Click on the Fields tab to continue with configuring the server behavior.

The Fields tab

This dialog box allows you to define exactly which fields get which data and where they get it from, so you can associate database fields with form controls:

To set the dialog box options, follow the next steps:

1. In the Fields area specify the form objects you want to include on the HTML form of the update page, and which columns in your database table each form object should update.
   By default, ImpAKT creates a form object for each column in the database table. If your database automatically generates primary key ID's for each new record created, remove the form object corresponding to the primary key column by selecting it in the list and clicking the Minus (-) button. This eliminates the risk of the user changing the ID value, which should not be altered.
   The Plus (+) button offers you the opportunity of reintroducing form objects that you had previously removed, but decided that you want them back in the form.
   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 and down arrows on the right top side of the dialog box.
2. Specify the required settings for each data-entry in the HTML form by selecting a row (single click) in the Fields area and entering the required information in the interface controls below the grid. Read along for instructions.
3. In the Submit as drop-down menu select the data format accepted by your database table. For example, if the table column only accepts numeric data, select Numeric. All the options that you have are listed below: Text, Numeric, Double, Date, Check box: Y,N, Check box: 1,0, Check box:-1,0, File.
4. In the Get value from drop-down menu select the way the parameter is passed (either URL Parameter, Form Variable, Cookie, Session Variable, Server Variable, Entered Value, Form in page, File field).
5. The next interface field depends on the selection you made in the Get value from drop-down menu. You might have to enter the Variable name, to enter a static value, or to select a form field in the page.
6. Click on the Advanced tab to continue configuring the server behavior.

The Advanced tab

This last step in configuring the server behavior requires the user to set some transaction options. It is not mandatory to change or even access this last tab, as it is by default completed with correct settings:

To set the dialog box options, follow the next steps:

1. In the Transaction name text box enter the desired name for the update transaction. Be careful when choosing it, because it has to be unique on each page. By default, MX Kollection 3 assigns unique names to each transaction, and this setting should not be changed, unless you really know what you are doing.
2. After completing the user interface, click on the OK button to apply the server behavior, or Cancel to dismiss it without making any changes to your page.