Do not show form field requirements

[Career Centre]

I am trying to create a form (in Frontpage 2002) for
students to request certain information by entering their
e-mail and student number. (I would like them to
automatically receive this information.)
Since all valid student numbers will have the same number
of digits and fall within certain values, I have set the
form field validation to require these things. Right now,
however, if someone submits an incorrect number the error
message that pops up gives the criteria for this field
(ie. "Please enter a value greater than...").
Instead, I would like them to simply get an error such
as "Please submit a valid student number."
Can this be done?

 

[clintonG]

There are two types of validation: clinet-side and server-side.
You have apparently already developed the client-side which
validates the form entry 'format' valid before the 'value' of the
entry is submitted to the server.

In general practice, the only way to determine if the actual value
itself is incorrect can only be determined if the submitted value is
compared to what is stored in the database. This is perhaps the
most common type of server-side validation.

Google: "server-side validation"+"asp"

Finally, I don't know if this shoe fits but I hope you are not another
corporate rat requiring students to compromise their security by
mandating they submit a Social Security number through a web page
without using a AT LEAST 128 bit SSL certificate which is strong
but not absolutely secure. Still, a social security number should
NEVER be submitted through a web page.

The proper way to achieve your objective without being a stinking
corporate rat allows the student's to submit their name and e-mail
address as both can be looked up in the database as easily as the
Social Security number most corporate rats dishonestly refer to
as a 'Student Number' or some other such lie.

I hope this shoe doesn't fit.

--
<%= Clinton Gallagher
A/E/C Consulting, Web Design, e-Commerce Software Development
Wauwatosa, Milwaukee County, Wisconsin USA
NET csgallagher@ REMOVETHISTEXT metromilwaukee.com
URL http://www.metromilwaukee.com/clintongallagher/

 

[Career Centre]

Thank you, this gives me something more to look into.
Could you please clarify for me, though - for this type of
server-side validation, do I need to actually have a
database of all valid numbers for comparison, or is it
enough to supply inclusive values? (I am not really
familiar with databases as they relate to Frontpage).

And no, I certainly am not a corporate rat, although I am
glad you are concerned about this. I am at a university
college which supplies an access code to students for the
purpose of checking our online job postings. Since this
code is only supposed to go to legitimate students and
alumni, and not put online, I am looking some way for
students to get the information when noone is around to
respond to their request (ie. evenings and weekends). I
was hoping to make it at least somewhat difficult to guess
at a valid number.

www.ucfv.ca/jobs

 

[clintonG]

Yes, the database should store a 'unique' student number
for each student. The SQL query does all the work looking
for all values in the table and comparing the submitted value
with any value that may or may not be found in the table.

I can suggest that this student 'number' will not be a number
at all as in practice it is a string data type often comprised of
alphanumeric characters. The most unique identifiers use
date and time values as it is impossible for more than one
time stamp to have identical values. There are several approaches
to create an indentifier as a 'student number' but which will
depend on circumstances that are best resolved by a sound
introduction to database design methodology.

It seems correct to say you need to learn a lot more about
database design before you need to worry about what FrontPage
can and can not do to create and manage a database.

Two resources I can recommend for perusal...

Example Database Designs...
http://www.databaseanswers.com/data_models/index.htm

Database Design for Mere Mortals
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0201694719/103-2141131-0802245?v=glance

--
<%= Clinton Gallagher
A/E/C Consulting, Web Design, e-Commerce Software Development
Wauwatosa, Milwaukee County, Wisconsin USA
NET csgallagher@ REMOVETHISTEXT metromilwaukee.com
URL http://www.metromilwaukee.com/clintongallagher/