Form - Elements and Attributes

Forms -- Elements & Attributes
Element	Attribute	Value
Form	Action	What to do
	Method	Post
		Get
	OnSubmit	Return javascript function
	Name	The name you give the form
Input type	Text
	Radio
	Checkbox
	Name
	Checked	Checked
	Value
	Default
	Size	Length in characters
	Maxlength	Maximum number of characters accepted
TextArea	Rows	Number of rows in height
	Cols	Number of columns wide
	Name	Name for processing
Select	Name	Name for processing
	Multiple	Determines whether multiple answers may be selected
	Size	How many rows may be seen at one time.
Option	Value	What is passed as data
Submit		Submits the form
Reset		Clears the form

These are some of the different types of input devices you will find on forms. They are the basic devices used to retrieve information from users.

When developing forms you need to be sure to be careful what you ask. Certain information needs to be highly protected. Credit Card Numbers and Social Security Numbers should never be transmitted via e-mail. They should never be used in a form with the get method either. As you will see when we complete a get form the data is visible when a get command is processed.

To build a form, begin with an html page.
Then insert the form element.
Add the action
Add the method
Put in the appropriate fields
Put in a submit button
Put in a clear button
Close the form
Close the html page
Test the form
Check you e-mail.

Remember when you create an e-mail form for users to send you data, the machine where the complete the form must have a default e-mail client set up, if not the e-mail will not work.

Input types

Text --

Generally limited to a few words but can hold several sentences. Usually you would use a textarea for longer answers.

Textarea --

Used when you want to allow a visual indicator that a longer perhaps paragraph type answer is expected. Its size is specified in rows and columns.

Radio Buttons --

Used when you want a single answer from a list of several choices.

Checkboxes --

Used when you want to allow several answers from a list of choices.

Select --

Used when you want the user to be able to select from a list of specific words, commonly seen as a dropdown list. This element may also be used as a multiple select.

OnSubmit --

is a JavaScript event handler that allows you to process the form and evaluate the validity of some of the data before sending the data through thee-mail. We will look at form validation in the final example.

Submit and Reset buttons send and clear the form respectively. As you progress in your abilities you will want to learn PERL so that you can avoid the necessity of using e-mail to send data. By using PERL you can send the e-mail directly from the form and not have to rely on the presence of an e-mail application on the local machine. The issue is you have to be able to execute the PERL commands in a directory on the server; a privilege we do not currently have.