What is a Form?

Forms are code built into Web pages that enable a viewer to enter information, and then pass that information to a particular process (usually CGI or ASP) that generates a specific response.

The information can modify databases, send e-mail, or even evaluate the contents of a form (for example, you can use forms to make an “online test” of sorts)

Forms have a specific structure that must be followed, and are based on a series of particular tags that enable viewers to input information in several different ways.

A web page form must begin with the <FORM> tag and end with the </FORM> tag.

<FORM> requires two parameters to operate correctly: ACTION and METHOD.

• ACTION = What process the information is sent to when the user is ready to submit the information from the form. This is the URL path to the process.
  
  
• METHOD = How the information is sent. There are two standard methods: GET and POST.

GET: This method requires the process that is called by the ACTION parameter to read the contents of the form. This method does not display the submission in the browser’s Address line.

POST: This method sends all the contents of the form directly to the process. This method displays the submission data in the browser’s Address line.

Both GET and POST are widely used in Web form processing; different processes may require specific methods.

EXAMPLE:
<FORM ACTION=“runme.asp” METHOD=“GET”>

For the most part, you should check with the documentation for a particular CGI or ASP function to determine whether to use GET or POST.