XHTML by Example

The Components of Every Form

XHTML provides an array of 10 distinct objects that are known as controls used in forms. These are the boxes, buttons, and menus that the user can use to input text, make selections, and click to initiate a programmed action.

Each control has its own unique properties that you'll look at in detail in this section.

The <form> Element

Every form begins with the form element, a block-level element that will contain all form controls, any necessary accompanying data such as labels for the controls, and the location of the script or program that will process the form data. At a minimum, the form element will have two attributes: method and action. A minimal form element might look like this:

 <form method="post" action="http://www.webgeek.com/cgi-bin/script.cgi"> ...