[Sigia-l] "clear" button on web forms

[T. Karsjens]

>Hmmm....why might "client server applications" be different? And aren't 
>web forms generally a type of client/server app?

>- Hal Taylor

First, to answer the second question; I do not consider web forms analogous
to a client/server app.  The biggest difference is with a web app, you have
to separate the inputs and outputs, where in a client server app inputs and
outputs can be mixed.  Web forms may resemble, loosely, a client
application, but essentially a client application can contain significantly
more functionality on one screen than a web app.  A client app can be
significantly more recursive, faster, and more powerful than a web
application.

A client server application "may" be different, due to the difference I
listed above.  In a web app, you either submit the data or you do not.  You
can bail out of a web form in a couple of easy to identify ways.  You either
close the window or hit the back button.  In a client server application,
you only have the one option of closing the window.  I can see the merits of
having a clear, or a reset button in a client server app, especially if it
is a data entry form that clears on final submit, enabling the user to enter
a new data record.

In this scenario, the data entry person might enter the same information
twice, accidentally.  Rather than automatically clearing the screen for
them, it would be beneficial to have a "clear" button to clear the client
form.  This would put the burden on the user to decide to dump the
information, instead of auto-magically assuming the information is bunk.

In another scenario, a user is filling out the fields in an intelligent
filter application to sift through thousands of records.  This initial form
limits the "results" of the filter in another panel in the client
application.  Once they reach the desired record, and they want to move on
to the next record, having a "clear" button here would also be beneficial.
One may also argue that in a similar web application that carries the
entered data across the session, having a "clear" button would also be
beneficial.

Really, the point of any application, whether web or client/server, is to do
what works for the target audience.  If the users want a clear button on a
form, give it to them, as they will be the ones using it, not you.  However,
when in doubt, if I am architecting a web application, I will, by default,
leave the "reset", "clear" or "undo" button off of any form.

Timothy Karsjens
Almost Human Studios