Original Cin

A while ago on Coding Horror, there was a discussion about the HTML reset button (I think…). The short version is that the reset button can only destroy a great deal of work that’s been done to enter information into a form, and that in most cases it should be avoided. I would argue that this is an important exception to this rule – if the form contains a large number number of fields for which the default value is special, including a reset button is vital.

I was reminded of this while using PhDs.org’s ranking program. There’s an option to free-fill in several options with values that fits a pre-made “profile.” And if you don’t like the profile and want to create your own, disregarding some of the options? Rather than clear them out one by one, there’s a convenient “clear all” link at the top of the page. In the same way, FanCruft’s advanced quiz allows you to reset everything back to the default value of 5, so that, if you’ve decided that you’ve messed up, you don’t have to reload the page or manually click 5 for every option.