Introduction
Adobe ColdFusion offers a powerful web development framework, and one of its useful features is the ability to customize form elements like date fields. This tutorial example demonstrates how to modify month names in a date input field using ColdFusion’s <cfinput> tag with the type="datefield" attribute. The goal is to provide a user-friendly form for submitting a joining date, where the names of the months can be customized to fit specific needs, such as formatting preferences or localization requirements.
In this guide, we’ll walk through how this example code works and highlight key ColdFusion features, such as using the <cfinput> tag, customizing month names, validating the date input, and dynamically displaying the selected date.
Understanding the Structure
The code begins by defining a simple HTML structure with a <head> section for metadata and a <body> section where the main content of the page is displayed. Within the <body>, a header is styled to make the form visually appealing, and ColdFusion markup (CFML) is integrated into the HTML to handle the dynamic elements of the page.
This example uses a ColdFusion form (<cfform>) to encapsulate the input fields, which provides advanced features like validation, and integrates CFML logic to process user input when the form is submitted.
Displaying the Submitted Date
The first ColdFusion logic block (<cfif IsDefined("Form.SubmitDate")>) checks whether the form has been submitted. If the form has been submitted, ColdFusion outputs a message displaying the chosen joining date using the DateFormat function. This is a crucial feature because it dynamically presents the user’s input back to them, confirming the date they selected.
The DateFormat(Form.DateChooser) expression ensures that the submitted date is properly formatted before being displayed. This part of the code adds interactivity and real-time feedback to the form submission process.
Customizing the Date Input Field
The core of this example revolves around the ColdFusion <cfinput> tag used inside the form. The type="datefield" attribute defines the input as a date picker, allowing users to easily select a date from a calendar widget.
What makes this example unique is the use of the monthnames attribute, which allows the developer to specify custom names for the months. By default, the month names in ColdFusion forms may follow a standard format or the locale’s settings. However, the monthnames attribute enables developers to override this and provide their own labels for each month. In this example, the months are listed in English, with slight customizations (e.g., “March” instead of the usual “Mar”).
The date picker is also validated with the validate="date" attribute to ensure that only valid dates are submitted by the user.
Form Layout and Styling
The form is styled using basic HTML and inline CSS to enhance readability and user experience. A table layout is employed to structure the form, and each field is assigned colors and text formatting to create a professional appearance. The submit button is designed with additional CSS properties to stand out, making it larger and more visually distinct with its bold, italicized, orange-red text.
Handling Form Submission
When the form is submitted, the ColdFusion backend processes the data. The form uses the method="post" to send the data securely to the server. If the date input passes validation, ColdFusion will then display the selected joining date on the screen in the pre-defined format.
The form also includes a submit button with the name SubmitDate, and when clicked, it triggers the form submission. ColdFusion will detect this submission and process the input as outlined in the earlier ColdFusion logic block.
Conclusion
This example demonstrates a practical use of ColdFusion’s form handling capabilities, focusing on how to create a date input field with customizable month names. By using ColdFusion's cfinput and cfform tags, you can easily create user-friendly and interactive forms that enhance the user experience.
The ability to modify month names is especially useful for applications that require localized or customized date formats. ColdFusion simplifies this task, allowing developers to focus more on the functionality and user interface while handling complex date inputs with ease. This example highlights how ColdFusion efficiently integrates server-side logic with front-end form handling to create dynamic web applications.
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
<head>
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" />
<title>cfinput type datefield: how to use monthnames in input type datefield</title>
</head>
<body>
<h2 style="color:OrangeRed; font-style:italic">cfinput type datefield example: how to use monthnames attribute</h2>
<hr width="650" align="left" color="Orange" />
<br />
<cfif IsDefined("Form.SubmitDate")>
<cfoutput>
<h3 style="color:OrangeRed;">
Your Joining date is: #DateFormat(Form.DateChooser)#
</h3>
</cfoutput>
</cfif>
<cfform name="InputTypedateFieldMonthNamesTest" method="post" format="html">
<table border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" bordercolor="RosyBrown">
<tr>
<td colspan="2" bgcolor="RosyBrown" style="color:Snow; font-size:large" align="center">
Joining Date Submit Form
</td>
</tr>
<tr valign="top">
<td style="color:RosyBrown; font-weight:bold">
Your Joining Date?
</td>
<td height="250">
<cfinput
name="DateChooser"
type="datefield"
validate="date"
monthnames="Jan,Feb,March,April, May,June,July,August,September,October,November,December"
>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td colspan="2" align="right">
<cfinput
name="SubmitDate"
type="submit"
value="Submit"
style="height:45px; width:150px; font-size:large; font-style:italic; font-weight:bold; color:OrangeRed;"
>
</td>
</tr>
</table>
</cfform>
</body>
</html>
