Web Design in a Nutshell, 3rd Edition

Chapter 15. Forms

Forms provide an interface allowing users to interact in some way with your site. In most cases, they are used to gather data, either for later use or to provide a customized response on the fly. Forms have a wide range of uses, from functions as simple as search boxes, mailing list signups, guestbooks, and surveys to as complex as online commerce systems.

Forms collect input via controls, such as buttons, text fields, or scrolling menus. Controls are placed on the page using special elements in the markup. These elements are merely an interface for collecting user information and do not actually process the data. The real work is done by forms-processing applications on the server, such as CGI scripts, ASP, ASP.NET, ColdFusion, PHP, or Java servlets.

The programming necessary for form processing is beyond the scope of this book. This chapter focuses on the frontend aspects of forms: the elements and attributes for building the form interface as well as the elements used to improve accessibility.

form	Establishes the form
input	Creates a variety of controls
button	Generic input button
textarea	Multiline text entry control
select	Multiple-choice menu or scrolling list
option	An option within a select control
optgroup	Defines a group of options
label	Attaches information to controls
fieldset	Groups related controls and labels
legend	Assigns a caption to a fieldset