Forms

Forms are a means of collecting information, designed to obtain user inputs or dynamically show data to site visitors. Users fill in a form and/or select something, and then they click a button.

For something to be done with the information, it must be sent somewhere. User inputs taken from a form are sent to web server and processed by a Common Gateway Interface (CGI).

What actually processes the data is a server-side program, usually CGI, not the form itself. Forms only obtain or show data. However, form has one required attribute, ACTION, specifying the URL of a CGI script which processes the form and sends back feedback.

Form Elements

Form elements are types of methods used when the site visitors input data to the form. The input data is transmitted to the Web server and processed by a CGI for further actions. Each type of form element provides different functions for others.

Types of form Elements:

1. One-line text box: Used to allow the site visitor to enter a small amount of text in a form.

 

2. Multi-line text box: Used to let the site visitor enter more text than would fit in a one-line text box.

 

3. Check box: Used to let site visitors select or deselect an option in a form.

 

4. Radio button: Used when the site visitor must select only one item among two or more choices.

 

5. Drop-down list: Used in a form to let the site visitor select an item from a list.

6. Push button: Used to let the site visitor submit a form, clear a form, or submit a value to the web server.

7. Image button: Used to get the coordinate information of a clicked position.

8. Hidden form field: Used for sending a value to the Web server while keeping the form invisible to site visitors (The hidden form field is invisible to the site visitors).

Creating a form

To create a form:

• Select the Insert > Form > Form menu command.

• Double click to set the Form properties in the Form tab of the Properties window. Actions determines the path to the URL where the processing script or application that will process the form information. The Method box defines the method in which the form data will be handled: Select Post to hide the script information in the URL. Select Get to display the script information in the URL.

And then specify the Encoding Type how the information is being sent. For example: text/plain

After you've added a Form to your web page you can start adding form elements. The form elements are the areas of the form where your visitors type their response, or select their choices. The form elements are belonged to the form you have added automatically.