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20100612MoreSubmits

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Description

I needed the following form: an input field; a submit button (that stores the input text in the session); and a clear button (that removes the text from the session, i.e. replaces it with an empty string). I wanted them in one line.

Difficulty

Both the submit button and the clear button need to do some action. The input textfield and the submit button can be grouped in a form, and the clear button can go to another form. But in this case the clear button appears in a new line. If I used a table for formatting, it meant that the clear button's form was included in the other form => it stopped working :(

Solution

Put them in a table. Create a form with the textfield and the submit button, and add a link to the clear button (instead of putting it in another form).

<portlet:actionURL var="searchUrl">
    <portlet:param name="searchPressed" value="true" />
</portlet:actionURL>

<portlet:actionURL var="clearUrl">
    <portlet:param name="clearPressed" value="true" />
</portlet:actionURL>

<form action="<%= searchUrl %>" method="POST">
  <table border="0" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="5">
    <tr>
      <td>
        <input type="text" name="searchGlobalTerm" value="<%= searchTerm %>">
      </td>
      <td>&nbsp;</td>
      <td>
        <input name="save" type="submit" value="Search">
      </td>
      <td>&nbsp;</td>
      <td>
        <%-- if you press the Clear button, an action will be activated, but we don't use a form here --%>
        <a href="<%= clearUrl %>"><input type="submit" name="reset" value="Clear" /></a>
      </td>
    </tr>
  </table>
</form>