No. What I said or at least I think I said was that the "current" <select>
wouldn't be good for
an auto parts catalog. A nested <select> would help. This case might be
better served by using
multiple forms "and" nested <select>s.
Yes. I am trying to over-extend the Form to fit other needs.
I thought I had given a good example but here is another one:
I am an owner of a retail car parts store. I want to sell my parts on the web.
I tell my
web programmer to create a form that my customers can use to order these parts.
I am currently a small car parts dealer and so I sell a limited number of
items.
I sell parts for Ford - engines parts - headlights - antennas
Chevy - engines parts - headlights - antennas
Honda - engines parts - antennas - hubcaps
My customers are good weekend mechanics but they don't usually know all the
different models and parts for their cars. I want my web form to "guide" them
to the correct
choice without making incorrect ones in the process.
My programmer comes back and says: "Hey look at this form using radio buttons!"
make
[] Ford [] Chevy [] Honda
part type
[] Engine [] headlight [] antenna [] hubcaps
I reply: "Hmmm. What happens if my customer picks Ford - hubcaps? I don't sell
those!
Do something else. It's just a matter of programming. "
My programmer comes back and says: " Hey look at this form!"
make Parts
[] Ford [] Engine [] headlights [] antennas
[] Chevy [] Engine [] headlights [] antennas
[] Honda [] Engine [] antennas [] hubcaps
I say: "Hmmm. This is better but while I am guided towards Ford - engine
-headlight - or antennas
I can still pick Ford - hubcaps"
My programmer says: "But they probably won't"
I say: "But someone will. I don't want the customer to have that option or
make that mistake.
Try something else. What am I paying you all this money for anyway?"
Programmer: "Look at this."
[] Ford Engine [] Honda Engine [] Chevy Engine
[] Ford antennas [] Honda antennas [] Chevy headlights
[] Ford headlights [] Honda hubcaps [] Chevy antennas
Owner: "But I have over a thousand different engine parts just for Ford. Not to
mention,
20 different model years, and makes. How can you put all
that on the form? And I also sell antennas that are just for a
particular make and
model but I also sell universal antenna replacements that cross make
boundries.
What about that?"
Programmer: "I guess I could create multiple forms and put in hidden fields for
for the previous
selections in order to keep the previous state. But that starts
to get
a little hairy. And I'm not sure how fast this would be for me
or the
customer. And if you discontinued a part it might be a pain to
update
all the forms."
Owner: "Hmmm. So it's going to be slow for my customers, it's going to take you
a long time
to write all these pages and debug them, costing me more money. Say,
how come
you just don't use those pull down/pull right menus like on my PC?"
Programmer: "You can't do that in HTML"
Owner: "What's HTML?"
Programmer: "I quit."
As far as trying to convince others in the group to implement a nested <select>
I have finished my
diatribe.
I admit I don't have the required expertise to put my idea into an "official"
spec but in general
this is what I would want:
<select>Ford
<option><select>engine
<option>rotors
<option>belts
<option>fans
</select>
<option><select>headlights
<option>highbeams
<option>lowbeams
<option>fog
</select>
<option><select>antennas
<option>radio
<option>t.v.
<option>cb
</select>
</select>
This is what it should do:
______________ ______________
| FORD <-|-- select FORD and get |engine | ...ad
infinitum
|______________| |headlights |
|antennas |
------------
I won't send any more mail about <select> unless I can write a spec.
That said, I am willing to discuss any possible changes to the forms specs.
Matt