Form Scripting

Designer > Data > Objects > {object} > Forms > {form} > [Edit Form Script]

Form Scripting lets you specify JavaScript code to execute when a Form is loaded or saved.

Compare to Post Selection JavaScript and Field Scripting

Learn more:

• Using AJAX and REST to communicate with the platform

About Form Scripting

JavaScript code can be invoked at these form-level events:

• On Load

• This event happens when the form loads
• By default, the On Load scripts are triggered on any record action (View, Add, Update)

Optionally, invoke the script on a specific action (View or Add or Update)

Learn more: Trigger on a Specific Action

• On Save

• This event happens when a user clicks the [Save] button on a form
• At this event, optionally perform custom front-end validations before sending the data to the server
• Return false to cancel the save

• Resusable Script Functions

• Available to be called from the On Load or On Save event form scripts
• Also available to be called from the On Change and On Focus event field scripts

Working with Form Scripts

Editing Form Scripts

Follow these steps to add or change scripting in a form:

1. Click Designer > Data > Objects > {object} > Forms
2. Click the script icon ()
3. Enter or change the JavaScript in On Load Script, On Save Script, and/or Reusable Script Functions.
4. Click the [Save] button.

Writing Form Scripts

In the HTML document object model (DOM), the current form is named mainForm. For example, the line of code below gets a reference to the current form in the variable named form:

var form = document.mainForm;

You can refer to a field in a form using the name under "Field Name" when you select Designer > Data > Objects > {object} > Fields. For example, the line of code below gets a reference to the firstName field in the variable elem:

var elem = document.mainForm.firstName;

Fields have two properties that you can access in code:

• name: the name of the field
• value: the value of the field

Example - Update the field value of a text field

To update the field value of a text field first_name, use the following syntax:

form.first_name.value = "Adam"

Example - Update the field value of a Lookup field

To update the field value of a Lookup field, two parameters are required:

RecordID

lookup.value

This is the Record Id of the record in the object

Field value

lookup_name.value

This is the value of the record in the object

To update the field value of a lookup field (project_number), use the following syntax:

form.project_number.value = "123456"; 
// 123456 is the internal record identifier of the record present in lookup object
form.project_number_name.value = "My Project"; 
// My project is the value present in the record locator field(s) of the lookup object

On Load Examples

Set the opportunity name with the account name when adding an opportunity.

var form = document.mainForm; 
form.name.value = form.reference_id_name.value;

Convert the current date into day name, month name, and day number format and puts the resulting value in the account_order field.

var form = document.mainForm; 

var v1 = new Date(); 
var v2 = new Array('Sunday', 'Monday', 'Tuesday', 'Wednesday', 'Thurs', 'Fri', 'Sat', 'Sun'); 
var v3 = new Array('Jan', 'Feb', 'Mar', 'Apr', 'May', 'Jun', 'Jul', 'Aug', 'Sep', 'Oct', 'Nov', 'Dec'); 
form.account_order.value = v2[v1.getDay()] + " " + v3[v1.getMonth()] + " " + v1.getDate(); 

Trigger on a Specific Action

To invoke a script On Load + Action (View, Update, Add or Clone a record):

Trigger on record View:

var action = document.mainForm.a.value; if ( action == "view") { // java script to be triggered on the view of the record only <!--...--> }

Trigger on record Update:

var action = document.mainForm.a.value; if ( action == "update") { // java script to be triggered on the update of the record only <!--...--> }

Trigger on record Add or Clone:

var action = document.mainForm.a.value; if ( action == "add") { //java script to be triggered on the add or clone of the record only <!--...--> }

On Save Examples

Make sure there is a contact when creating an Lead.

var form = document.mainForm;
if (form.reference_type[form.reference_type.selectedIndex].value == 'Lead')
{
    if (form.contact_id.value == "")
    {
      alert("Please enter Contact Name");
      return false; // cancel the save operation
    }
}

If a user checked the "Done" radio button in a radio button group named technical_spec_completed, set the spec_date field with the current date formatted as month number, day number, and year.

var form = document.mainForm;
function formatDate(value)
{
    return value.getMonth()+1 + "/" + value.getDate() + "/" + value.getFullYear();
} 
for (var i=0; i<form.technical_spec_completed.length; i++) {
    if(form.technical_spec_completed[i].checked &&
        form.technical_spec_completed[i].value == 'Done' && form.spec_date.value == '')
    {
        t = new Date();
        form.spec_date.value = formatDate(t);
    }
}

The email address field on a form is not mandatory, but you want to encourage users to enter it. If the user clicks OK in the confirm dialog, it cancels the save so they can then enter the email address. If they click cancel, the save proceeds.

var form = document.mainForm;

if(form.email.value=="")
    if (confirm("While the Email field is optional, we recommend that you
enter a value")) 
    {
        //User clicked OK: do not proceed with save
       return false;
    else
    {
        //User clicked cancel: let save happen
        return true;
    }
}

Change the value of a checkbox field to True based on an integer meeting some criteria.

if(form.contract_amount.value > 100000)
{
     form.approved_for_loan.checked = true;
}

Learn More

• Field Name and Field Value syntax
• Use AJAX and REST to communicate with the platform in JavaScript code.
• Global JavaScript Variables
• Accessing Additional Lookup Variables in a Form