[LINK] RFI: Inserting Variables in HTML

[Roger Clarke]

I want to add to the APF site a feature that leverages off Google 
News, to enable a search for the latest news in the privacy arena. 
Test-page at:
http://www.privacy.org.au/Resources/News.html

Google's code is buried in all manner of clevernesses that I don't 
want to get involved with.

My requirement is:
__________________________________________________________________________

Use a form to capture $VARIABLE='KEYED-DATA'
Generate and send:
     http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&ned=us&q=$VARIABLE&btnG=Search+News"
                                                ^^^^^^^^
__________________________________________________________________________

I can do a form fine.

But (as a dead-parrot programmer - 1967-82), I have two problems:

(1)  I don't know how to reference in HTML a variable whose value is
      set in Javascript.  In the fragments below, the relevant variables
      are:  $searchterm    (what the requestor types in)
            $searchrequest (the URL that's customised and sent to Google)

(2)  I don't know which sequence to put the Javascript and the form in
      (because their syntax is such that each references the other).
      Maybe I need one form to capture the text, and another, with hidden
      variables only, to send the string to Google?

The two fragments I'm playing with are:

<form action="$searchrequest" method="get">
<table border="0" cellpadding="10" cellspacing="0" width="90%">
     <p></p>
     <tr>
       <input type="text"   maxlength="800" name="searchterm" size="60" />
     </tr>
   </table>
</form>

<script type="text/javascript">
var 
searchrequest="http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&ned=us&q=$searchterm&btnG=Search+News"
</script>

[I know this is a pretty dumb request;  but The Link Institute is 
both frighteningly competent and fairly tolerant of dumb questions. 
Thanks!]

-- 
Roger Clarke                  http://www.anu.edu.au/people/Roger.Clarke/
			            
Xamax Consultancy Pty Ltd      78 Sidaway St, Chapman ACT 2611 AUSTRALIA
                    Tel: +61 2 6288 1472, and 6288 6916
mailto:Roger.Clarke at xamax.com.au                http://www.xamax.com.au/

Visiting Professor in Info Science & Eng  Australian National University
Visiting Professor in the eCommerce Program      University of Hong Kong
Visiting Professor in the Cyberspace Law & Policy Centre      Uni of NSW