| Google Toolbar AutoFill (5) | Wednesday, Jan 31, 2007 11:34 am |
The Google Toolbar has an AutoFill feature that automatically highlights form fields like name, email address, and phone number, and fills them in with the click of a button. It's an extremely useful feature, and it's one of the major reasons why I use the toolbar. However, it occasionally causes some problems. One problem I was having on my site was that the search box was being highlighted yellow because the toolbar thought it was a fillable form. I found a few attempts at a workaround but didn't find any I liked. But this one gave me an idea: Add an onload event to the body tag that changes the background color of the input field to nothing. For me, it looks like this:
<body onload="document.searchform.searchinput.style.backgroundColor = '';">
And it works perfectly. Ahh, a solution to a problem. [Edit: Maybe not; see below]
Another problem happens with a bunch of WordPress themes. For whatever reason, theme designers sometimes put labels after their corresponding inputs, so Google Toolbar sees "Name" and then fills in the following input, which is for email.
A workaround to this is to put labels chronologically before their corresponding input fields, and also to use proper labels. For example, don't use "Mail" when you mean "Email". Also, use label text sparingly. Put warnings and restrictions after the input field. For example, use "Mail" instead of "Mail (will not be published)". Put the "(will not be published)" part after the text box.
Update (2007-01-31 3:43pm): This seems to work some of the time, but not all the time. I noticed that when I navigated to a different tab in Firefox and then back to the tab with my site, the search input box was highlighted again. I give up.
Dear Sirs
On my old computer, I have a Google Toolbar with the "AutoFill"-service
installed, working to my satisfaction. On my new computer, I try to obtain the same service, but I have only come to the point where the Autofill-button appears on the toolbar - and on the "option"- list when I click the checkbox on the" Internet Explorer Google Toolbar search-enter-subject-window", or whatever the correct name for it is. But : I cannot find out how to bring the list where the personal data must be filled in to the screen, in order to give the AutoFill function a chance to do its thing. I cannot remember that it was a problem when I configured my old computer...??!! Can I ask You for a little guidance here ? My Google username is "tysing16" , if that helps. If I am asking the wrong Google- department, maybe You can relay this mess(age) to the correct one ? Have a nice day . Regards, Axel
Thanks for your "mess(age)" Axel. This is the right Google department to ask your question. In fact, you're not the only person having this problem. Several people have emailed Google headquarters and we're currently working on finding a solution. I'll contact you at your Google username as soon as we figure everything out.
Note: Just kidding. I don't work for Google, and I can't fix your computer problems.
I am also having a problem.. I tried for an hour with one of your reps. to find how to install the autofill on google. I do not want the google 5 program, I have the old one.. If you can tell me how to get on a site where I can find the google autofill please let me know..
I'm surprised my reps weren't able to help you, seeing that I have so many of them and I pay them so much money.
Listen. I don't know who you people think I am, but I definitely don't work for Google. I don't work for a Google department, nor do I have reps. A good rule of thumb is that if my domain name (ddhr.org) doesn't contain the word "Google", I don't work for Google.
But just a shot in the dark: Click on the arrow next to the "G" icon on the toolbar. Click Manage -> Features -> AutoFill Settings. That should do it.
Well, I did the "AoutoFill" just you said, and now I just have to find out, if it work,s or not. I'm still learnig about computer,s too. I learn by making mistakes and, Reading what other people out there know.