If you insist on using Captchas (I guess there are a few good reasons), please consider the form field ID that you use. With today’s modern browsers automated drop down windows with previously used field items are a common occurrence. They are there to make your job easier, less typing, quicker to fill out forms, and great for repeat form filling.

When filling out a form where you need to see the near by content below or above the field, similar to the way many Captcha forms are set up, those instant drop down windows suddenly become a major pain. Who’s fault is that?

It’s Not the Browsers Fault

You could blame your browser for dropping down that list of already used Captchas, but it’s not the browsers fault really. It’s the fault of the developer, and I will go on to accuse Google of making this error as well. I had plenty of experience with their Captcha earlier today, see why. I basically made Google think I was being bad, so I had to keep confirming by means of Captcha that I was good/human. Google, sadly, does not give their Captcha form field a unique ID, and that is their bad move.

The problem with Google’s Captcha form, and many others, is that they use the field identifier “captcha”. That ID in a form is by no means unique, and my drop down window of previously used Captchas automatically blocks the Captcha image right after I type the first letter. The only way for me to fill out the field now is by either memorizing the image, or writing it down. That is very annoying to say the least, and if you know me, I don’t need another reason to hate captchas.

Making a Captcha Unique

The tip here? Just simply stop giving the form field ID for the Captcha “captcha”, and give it something unique like “bwicaptcha” or something like that. The more unique, the less likely someone will curse your name.

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