HTML::FillInForm vs. checked by default checkboxes

kappa has asked for the wisdom of the Perl Monks concerning the following question:

Good day to all!

There is an old HTML problem -- browsers do not send anything about unchecked checkboxes when submitting forms. How do you people usually use HTML::FillInForm to uncheck checkboxes which default to checked state?

Example:

<form>
<input type=checkbox name=c checked>
</form>
[download]

Suppose, I want to refill this form using HTML::FillInForm after user submitted the form. She unchecked the checkbox. To repeat unchecking the checkbox I need to pass c => 0 to fill() but browsers in their eternal wisdom do not send me anything about the checkbox so my code now needs knowledge that there is such a control on the form.

I've faced the issue ten or more times and always used some hacks with enumerating all checkboxes in a list and then generating pairs to pass to fill(). Are there cleaner ways?

--kap

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Re: HTML::FillInForm vs. checked by default checkboxes by bradcathey (Prior) on Feb 18, 2009 at 19:32 UTC
I've been using HTML::FillInForm for ages now, but only in conjunction with HTML::Template and the cool plug-ing that comes with CGI::Application. Anyway, pulling from the docs: `my $output = HTML::FillInForm->fill( \$html, \%fifvalues);` [download] If look at the above, note 3 main concepts: You need your HTML in a variable* (e.g., `$html` built by hand, CGI, or HTML::Template in your Perl script). You need the form value(s) in a variable (I always use a hash ref because I'm always pulling from a database, e.g., `$fifvalues->{'gender' => 'male'}`) assuming your radio button is named "gender" and one of the values is "male". Then you will need to print the `$output`, e.g., `print "Content-type: text/html\n\n"; print $output;` So, forget `checked`, it will be done for you. But just try it, that's how I learned. Update: You can just reference an actual static html page with a form, negating the need to build it with the script. —Brad "The important work of moving the world forward does not wait to be done by perfect men."* George Eliot	[reply] [d/l] [select]
Re^2: HTML::FillInForm vs. checked by default checkboxes by kappa (Chaplain) on Feb 19, 2009 at 13:40 UTC
Well, thanks, but I need checkboxes checked by default in HTML source. --kap	[reply]


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