Search criteria region and search results regions

Question

I have a page where the user can enter some search values into some input boxes. Then once the search button is pressed I want the search results region displayed and not when the page is loaded. Eg I want the search result region to be hidden on page load until the search button is pressed. I though about a hidden item that is initialized to null and set after the search button is pressed.

Answer 1

John - The hidden item's Source Type can be Static Assignment, the Source value should have no value and the Source Used attribute should be "Only...". Now the page will run in one of three ways:
1) when you link to it and you want the search results region to be hidden you pass in the item and a null value (f?p=app:page:session::NO::P1_ITEM: or reset the page in the link: f?p=app:page_session::NO:1 assuming it's page 1)
2) when the page branches back to itself after the search criteria are submitted, the branch passes P1_ITEM:xxxx or something
3) when you branch or link to the page from somewhere else (including for pagination requests) and you want the previous search results to be retained/reused, don't pass anything in the link for P1_ITEM and don't reset the page.
Scott