Using pl/sql to access non-apex HTML items on page

Question

how would i use pl/sql to access html items on a page. the items are not apex items.
i want to loop through a set of html items on the page and do a database update on these values. the method i am using to distinguish these items from others on the page is using a custom attribute of type. i am then going to use the id as the primary key for the database.
using javascript i can traverse through all items however i require to do it in pl/sql. i realise that i could use javascript to put all values in one apex hidden field but this would be sloppy and i want to avoid doing this.

Answer 1

Hello,
When a form submits the server never sees any custom attributes one way or the other, (this in any web environment) all anything on the server side will ever see is the value of the form item submitted. The only way to do what you want is to use javascript to collect the extra information and place it in a form item visible to APEX (a regular APEX Item).
The javascript route isn't a work around its the only way this will work the way you want. In the product itself we use custom attributes in an htmldb: namespace so the attribute does looks like htmldb:something="value", (you should make your own namespace don't use htmldb:)
I recommend using the namespace on your attributes instead of just shoving it in there as it will be closer to valid html or xhtml, it will still fail validation but at least you have the argument that "Hey xhtml is xml and xml allows for custom namespaces and custom attributes for that namespace so it's still good xml" not that I've ever used the argument or anything.
Carl
Message was edited by:
Carl Backstrom