The easiest way to make ensure that a user picks a value from a dropdown list is to add a value to the top of the list that isn’t really a valid choice, but a prompt instead. Something like “select one” should do. Make sure to set the value of this dummy item to a known value that won’t conflict with the real choices in your list. Zero (0) and negative 1 (-1) are usually a safe bet. Then before you submit the form, double check and make sure that the selectedIndex property of the select object isn’t set to the dummy value. If it is, prompt the user to make a selection, otherwise use the form’s submit() method to submit the form.
