Format database results as a table or list

About formatting database results

The Database Results Wizard provides the following formatting options for displaying data in the Database Results region (Database Results region: An area on an Active Server Page that can be dynamically populated by the results of a database query when the page is displayed in a Web browser.).

  An HTML table on a web page displaying information from a record source. One row corresponds to one record. By default, the table column headings correspond to the labels for the record source column headings.

  A list on a web page displaying three records from a record source. Each row contains the label of the record source column heading followed by the column value. By default, the wizard inserts horizontal lines between records. You can select from a variety of list formats, including bulleted and numbered lists.

  A drop-down list containing record source column values (for example, beverages, seafood and cereals) and identified by the label of the record source column heading (such as food categories). Using this type of list in a form enables you to efficiently update its values for site visitors.

To format the database results, choose from the following formatting options (start from an open web site, in Page view):

Format database results as a table

1. Right-click the Database Results region, and then click Database Results Properties. The Database Results Wizard starts. Click Next to get to Step 4.
2. In Step 4 of the wizard, in the Choose formatting options for the records returned by the query list, click Table - one record per row.
3. Specify any additional table formatting you want for the Database Results region:

   Hide inside and outside table borders

   Clear the Use table border check box.

   Create a table only as wide as necessary based on its contents

   Clear the Expand table to width of page check box.

   Create a table with no header row identifying the contents of each column

   Clear the Include header row with column labels check box.

Format database results as a list

1. Right-click the Database Results region, and then click Database Results Properties. The Database Results Wizard starts. Click Next to get to Step 4.
2. In Step 4 of the wizard, in the Choose formatting options for the records returned by the query list, click List - one field per item.
3. Specify any additional list formatting options you want, as follows:
   • To hide field labels and display only data, clear the Add labels for all field values check box.
   • To display the results in one continuous list, with no separator between records, clear the Place horizontal separator between records check box.
4. In the List options box, select a formatting style for the list, such as Bullet list or Numbered list.

Format database results as a drop-down list

1. Right-click the Database Results region, and then click Database Results Properties. The Database Results Wizard starts. Click Next to get to Step 4.
2. In Step 4, in the Choose formatting options for the records returned by the query box, click Drop-down list - one record per item.
   • In the Display values from this field list, select the field you want to use for the choices that will be displayed to the site visitor. 
   • In the Submit values from this field box, select the field to be submitted if the drop-down list is inside a form.

     Sample scenarios for choosing submit values

     The display value is what you see on the screen; the submit value is what's processed by a form. Following are two potential scenarios in which you would want to choose different submit and display values.

     Example   You've devised a new marketing strategy for your confectionary web site. With their permission, you use the names of your best customers, along with the names of their favorite products in a drop-down list.

     Thus, in March, your drop-down list shows Teatime Chocolate Biscuits as Nancy Davolio's Favorite Biscuits; and in April the selection reads Michael Suyama's Favorite Biscuits.

     However, not wanting to confuse your shipping clerk with these new product names, when someone selects one of these "custom-named" products, the inventory number (not the product name) is sent as the submit value, by e-mail, to your clerk.

     Example   You've created an Internet resource web site and have compiled a database listing the names of every country/region in the world and its international Internet country/region code. You select the country/region name for your drop-down list display value (so the site visitor will see Argentina, Austria, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, and so on), but you want to send another value to a Database Results region — the corresponding country/region code. The submit values in this example would be AR, AT, AU, BE, BR, and so on.