Controlling sizes in Flash forms

Sizing elements in a Flash form is something of an art, rather than a science. As a general rule, if you don't specify the height and width attributes, Flash tends to do a good job of laying out the form. However, keep in mind the following considerations:

• If you do not specify the height and width attributes in the cfform tag, Flash reserves the full dimensions of the visible browser window, if the form is not in a table, or the table cell, if the form is in a table, even if they are not required for the form contents. Any HTML output that precedes or follows the form causes the output page to exceed the size of the browser window.
• If you do not specify the height or width of a control, including a form group, Flash adjusts the dimensions, trying to fit the controls in the available space. For example, Flash often extends input boxes to the width of the containing control, if not otherwise specified.

In general, it is best to use the following process when you design your Flash form.

To determine the sizes of a Flash form and its controls:

1. When you first create the form, don't specify any height and width attributes on the form or its child tags. Run the form and examine the results to determine height and width values to use.
2. Specify height and width attributes in the cfform tag for the desired dimensions of the form. You can specify absolute pixel values, or percentage values relative to the size of the containing window.
3. Specify any height or width attributes on individual tags. These values must be in pixels.
4. Repeat step 3 for various tags, and possibly step 2, until your form has a pleasing appearance.

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