Automatically moving curser to next box in form

[Numpty]

This is probably an easy thing to do, but I can't find info anywhere.

I want to make it easier for people entering phone numbers in a form by automatically moving them to the next box when they've completed the first.

A similar thing is in action at www.smile.co.uk. Clcik on bank login and complete some of the boxes. You'll notice that as you enter the sort code, the cursor automatically moves to the next field.

Anyone know how this is done. I've been unable to work out how to view Smile's code.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions!

[crashomon]

Not sure if this is what you need, but try this:

[tech.irt.org...]

I sticky'd it to you in case this URL is verboten.

good luck.

Patrick Elward

[DrDoc]

Not that you asked, but I absolutely hate that kinda stuff. It makes it harder to use, since people are used to clicking TAB when done entering info in a field. So, if you think that it helps your users -- that's not true. Instead, you make it more difficult for them to enter the info.

[vkaryl]

Opposite to drdoc's post:

I LOVE forms where the cursor/focus moves to the next box in multiple-entry-field forms! Anything else is COUNTER-intuitive....

[DrDoc]

>> Counter intuitive

So, in a form that asks for personal information such as address and stuff... Why doesn't it jump to the next box when I've entered my name, but it does when I start typing the phone number? ;)

[Bernard Marx]

Im with Dr Doc on this, or rather, I don't see the point at all.
How do you know that someone has completed their entry?
- When they press tab.

If the tabindexing is properly set up (or often even without) the focus shifts to the next box. There's no need for Javascript here.

[wavebird23]

I'm not sure if that feature is annoying, PayPal and eBay both use it. Search javascriptkit's website for "form scripts". Good luck!

[DrDoc]

PayPal and eBay both use it

Even big players can make mistakes...

[vkaryl]

So, in a form that asks for personal information such as address and stuff... Why doesn't it jump to the next box when I've entered my name, but it does when I start typing the phone number? ;)

Because the form isn't done properly? Though hmmm.... actually the address field is probably always going to need a tab for end-field simply because NO ONE is percipient enough to write a form which "knows" exactly how long an address is.... so right you are - that particular field would always be problematic.

In that case then it makes more logical sense if ALL the fields are done the same way. I don't especially like reaching for the tab key, but that's life I guess....

[moltar]

It's a bad idea to this. Most of the websites do not use that technique and users are not used to that behaviour, thus they won't like it.

A lot of people do not know how to type properly and they look at the keyboard when they type. They also know that you can use tab to skip fields of a form.

One user types in an area code in a form and it automatically jumps him onto the next field and at the same time the user also pressed tab to go onto the next field (because they look at the keyboard and do not see the screen), eventually him/her end up with a completely wrong form... That can also happen with users that type very fast, as they will press tab even before the cursor had time to jump onto the next field.

Also if you finally decide to do such technique, you should consider making backspace jump boxes backwards as well, without moving your cursos manually. (I am not sure if that is possible).

The only reasonable use for that technique would be some sort of web based application that is used a lot by the same number of people and slight learning curve is expected.

[Numpty]

Thanks wavebird

I found just what I need here...
[javascriptkit.com...]

[MichaelBluejay]

I have to agree that this is a bad idea. It's so amazingly bad that it's a wonder there's not 100% agreement about it, and if someone doesn't agree then obviously they have other ideas about how to utilize logic and can't be convinced otherwise. But I'll take a stab at it anyway.

Anyone who thinks that automatically tabbing the cursor is a good idea is assuming that:

1. The user sees the cursor tab to the next field before hitting Tab.

2. The user processes that information in time to prevent him/her from hitting the Tab key.

3. The user likes the fact that they didn't have to hit Tab.

If any ONE of these things isn't true then the whole system fails. If two of them aren't true then it's just overkill that this is a bad idea. But in fact I think that often ALL THREE are not true.

1. I see the cursor move before I hit tab maybe 10% of the time or less. The result is that my cursor is now in a completely different field than the one it should be in. This is convenience?

2. In the few times I see the cursor move, in about 95% of those cases I hit Tab anyway because Tabbing behavior is so ingrained that it's not easy to stop myself from hitting tab. When I realize that the web designer decided to make their page different from the 99.99% other pages out there and thwart expected user behavior I get angry at the website for not knowing better.

3. In those rare, rare, rare cases in which I see the cursor move and can stop myself from hitting Tab in time, instead of feeling grateful that the form auto-tabbed for me I feel bitter and resentful that I had to waste processing power in my brain to circumvent my normal behavior because of the page programmer's contempt for how pages are supposed to work on the net.

Unless the page is really important to me I just close my browser window whenever a programmer force-feeds me a bad interface. If they're going to try to subvert my user experience like this, what other crazed ideas will the programmer be springing on me as I use the site? I don't care, I'm not going to stick around to find out.

[DrDoc]

Numpty already found the script that does what was asked for, so there is no reason to chew the topic further. We may agree or disagree with the solution, but Numpty's personal preference will prevail, and this probably for a good reason.

Thread is locked.