A Password Widget is simply a Text Field
in which the user data is masked so that nobody looking over the
user's shoulder can read what was typed in. Try out the
following example:
Behind the scenes, the above password
field was created with the following HTML code
<FORM>
<INPUT TYPE = "PASSWORD"
NAME = "pass"
>
</FORM>
It is important to
know that this field does not offer any form of real security.
The value typed in to the password widget is still sent over the
internet as unencrypted plain text. The only security this
widget offers is the security of preventing an office worker from
looking over your shoulder.
The Password widget also has several
other attributes which affect how it works. The following table
outlines them:
Attribute
Description
TYPE
Specifies the type of interface widget.
For a password widget, you use "PASSWORD"
NAME
Specifies the variable name
associated with this widget
VALUE
Specifies initial default text which
should appear in the password field
MAXLENGTH
Specifies the maximum number of
characters allowed to be input into the widget
SIZE
Specifies the width of the
field
Let's take a closer look at each of
these attributes.
The VALUE Attribute
The VALUE attribute allows you to
specify default text. Here is an example:
And here is the code which we used
to make that password field.
<FORM>
<INPUT TYPE = "PASSWORD"
NAME = "password"
VALUE = "default text"
>
</FORM>
The MAXLENGTH Attribute
The MAXLENGTH attribute allows you to
specify the maximum number of characters allowed for input. Here
is an example which only allows you to type in 5 characters. Try
it out for yourself:
And here is the code which we used
to make that password field.
<FORM>
<INPUT
TYPE = "PASSWORD"
NAME = "demo"
MAXLENGTH = "5"
>
</FORM>
The SIZE Attribute
The SIZE attribute allows you to specify
the width of the text field itself. Here are two examples which
show the attribute being used:
And here is the code which we used
to make the password fields.
<FORM>
<INPUT TYPE = "PASSWORD"
NAME = "demo"
SIZE = "30"
>
<INPUT TYPE = "PASSWORD"
NAME = "demo"
SIZE = "20"
>
</FORM>
