Dreamweaver CS4 Resources

Create record counters

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Create simple record counters
Build and add the record counter to the page
Create custom record counters

Record counters give users a reference point when they are navigating through a set of records. Typically, record counters display the total number of records returned, and the current records being viewed. For example, if a recordset returns 40 individual records, and 8 records are displayed per page, the record counter on the first page would indicate “Displaying records 1‑8 of 40.”

Before you create a record counter for a page, you must create a recordset for the page, an appropriate page layout to contain the dynamic content, and then a recordset navigation bar.

Create simple record counters

Record counters let users know where they are within a given set of records relative to the total number of records returned. For this reason record counters are a useful behavior that can significantly add to the usability of a web page.

Create a simple record counter by using the Recordset Navigation Status server object. This server object creates a text entry on the page to display the current record status. You can customize the record counter by using Dreamweaver page-design tools.

Place the insertion point where you want to insert the record counter.
Select Insert > Data Objects > Display Record Count > Recordset Navigation Status, select the recordset from the Recordset pop‑up menu, and click OK.
The Recordset Navigation Status server object inserts a text record counter that appears similar to the following example:

When viewed in the Live Data window or a browser, the counter appears similar to the following example:

Build and add the record counter to the page

In the Insert Recordset Navigation Status dialog box, select the recordset to track, and click OK.

Create custom record counters

You use individual record count behaviors to create custom record counters. Creating a custom record counter lets you create a record counter beyond the simple, single row table inserted by the Recordset Navigation Status server object. You can arrange design elements in a number of creative ways, and apply an appropriate server behavior to each element.

The Record Count server behaviors are:

Display Starting Record Number
Display Ending Record Number
Display Total Records

Before you create a custom record counter for a page, you must first create a recordset for the page, an appropriate page layout to contain the dynamic content, and a recordset navigation bar.

This example creates a record counter that appears similar to the example in “Simple record counters.” In this example, the text in sans-serif font represents the record count placeholders that will be inserted in the page. The record counter in this example appears as follows:

Displaying records StartRow through EndRow of RecordSet.RecordCount.

In Design view, enter the counter’s text on the page. The text can be anything you want, for example:
```
Displaying records thru of .
```
Place the insertion point at the end of the text string.
Open the Server Behaviors panel (Window > Server Behaviors).
Click the Plus (+) button in the upper-left corner, and click Display Record Count. Within this submenu, select Display Total Records. The Display Total Records behavior is inserted into the page, and a placeholder is inserted where the insertion point was. The text string now appears as follows:
```
Displaying records thru of {Recordset1.RecordCount}.
```
Place the insertion point after the word records, and select the Display Starting Record Count Number from the Server Behaviors > Plus (+) button > Record Count panel. The text string now appear as follows:
```
Displaying records {StartRow_Recordset1} thru of {Recordset1.RecordCount}.
```
Now place the insertion point between the words thru and of, and select the Display Starting Record Count Number from the Server Behaviors > Plus (+) button > Record Count panel. The text string now appear as follows:
```
Displaying records {StartRow_Recordset1} thru {EndRow_Recordset1} of{Recordset1.RecordCount}.
```
Confirm that the counter functions correctly by viewing the page in the Live Data window (View > Live Data); the counter is similar to the following example:
```
Displaying records 1 thru 8 of 40.
```
If the results page has a navigation link to move to the next set of records, clicking the link updates the record counter to read as follows:
```
Showing records 9 thru 16 of 40.
```
Links don’t work in the Live Data window. To test them, you can use the Preview in Browser feature. Ensure that you’ve selected the Preview Using Live Data Server option in Preferences (Edit > Preferences > Preview In Browser (Windows) or Dreamweaver > Preferences > Preview In Browser (Macintosh)); then select File > Preview In Browser.