Since forms are used for gathering data form the user it is crucial for there to be a processing script that can do something useful with the data. Deploying a functional form online involves two stages:
- The form shell is the HTML code that creates the form and form inputs (also called 'fields', 'form controls', 'widgets'...) used to gather data from the user.
- The processing script is a server-side script that does something with the data (validates a user login, searches a database for relevant results, etc)
IMPORTANT: Server side processing scripts will only function when they are running on an HTTP server that supports the scripting language used. You cannot test a form processing script directly in your client browser, it must be over HTTP or HTTPS
Form Methods
All form elements must apply a method to determine how the form data will be sent from the client to the server.
There are two methods to choose from:
- GET - Use this for forms that do NOT include private or personal user information. Form data wil lbe appended to the request URL as a query string. Useful for allowing user to bookmark the results of a form submission.
- POST - Use this for forms that involve private or personal user data (eg: login with passwords, making purchase with credit card number). Form data will be inserted into the HTTP header.
IMPORTANT: Neither method GET or POST are secure or encrypted. All web transactions should be over HTTPS to ensure encryption and security.
See code and comments on this page for details...