Forms are used to get input from the user and submit it to the web server for processing. The diagram below illustrates the form handling process.

A form is an HTML tag that contains graphical user interface items such as input box, check boxes radio buttons etc.

The form is defined using the

…
tags and GUI items are defined using form elements such as input. In this tutorial, you will learn-

When and why we are using forms? Create a form POST method GET method GET vs POST Methods Processing the registration form data More examples

When and why we are using forms?

	Forms come in handy when developing flexible and dynamic applications that accept user input.

	Forms can be used to edit already existing data from the database

Create a form

We will use HTML tags to create a form. Below is the minimal list of things you need to create a form.

	Opening and closing form tags <form>…</form>

	Form submission type POST or GET

	Submission URL that will process the submitted data

	Input fields such as input boxes, text areas, buttons,checkboxes etc.

The code below creates a simple registration form Viewing the above code in a web browser displays the following form.

HERE,




	<form…>…</form> are the opening and closing form tags

	action=”registration_form.php” method=”POST”> specifies the destination URL and the submission type.

	First/Last name: are labels for the input boxes

	<input type=”text”…> are input box tags

	<br> is the new line tag

	<input type=”hidden” name=”form_submitted” value=”1″/> is a hidden value that is used to check whether the form has been submitted or not

	<input type=”submit” value=”Submit”> is the button that when clicked submits the form to the server for processing

Submitting the form data to the server

The action attribute of the form specifies the submission URL that processes the data. The method attribute specifies the submission type.

PHP POST method

	This is the built in PHP super global array variable that is used to get values submitted via HTTP POST method.

	The array variable can be accessed from any script in the program; it has a global scope.

	This method is ideal when you do not want to display the form post values in the URL.

	A good example of using post method is when submitting login details to the server.

It has the following syntax. HERE,

	“$_POST[…]” is the PHP array

	“’variable_name’” is the URL variable name.

PHP GET method

	This is the built in PHP super global array variable that is used to get values submitted via HTTP GET method.

	The array variable can be accessed from any script in the program; it has a global scope.

	This method displays the form values in the URL.

	It’s ideal for search engine forms as it allows the users to book mark the results.

It has the following syntax. HERE,

	“$_GET[…]” is the PHP array

	“’variable_name’” is the URL variable name.

GET vs POST Methods

The below diagram shows the difference between get and post

Processing the registration form data

The registration form submits data to itself as specified in the action attribute of the form. When a form has been submitted, the values are populated in the $_POST super global array. We will use the PHP isset function to check if the form values have been filled in the $_POST array and process the data. We will modify the registration form to include the PHP code that processes the data. Below is the modified code HERE,

  <?php if (isset($_POST[‘form_submitted’])): ?> checks if the form_submitted hidden field has been filled in the $_POST[] array and display a thank you and first name message.

If the form_fobmitted field hasn’t been filled in the $_POST[] array, the form is displayed.

More examples

Simple search engine

We will design a simple search engine that uses the PHP_GET method as the form submission type. For simplicity’s sake, we will use a PHP If statement to determine the output. We will use the same HTML code for the registration form above and make minimal modifications to it. View the above page in a web browser The following form will be shown

Type GET in upper case letter then click on submit button.

The following will be shown

The diagram below shows the URL for the above results

Note the URL has displayed the value of search_term and form_submitted. Try to enter anything different from GET then click on submit button and see what results you will get.

Working with check boxes, radio buttons

If the user does not select a check box or radio button, no value is submitted, if the user selects a check box or radio button, the value one (1) or true is submitted. We will modify the registration form code and include a check button that allows the user to agree to the terms of service. View the above form in a browser

Fill in the first and last names

Note the Agree to Terms of Service checkbox has not been selected. Click on submit button You will get the following results

Click on back to the form link and then select the checkbox

Click on submit button

You will get the following results

Summary

	Forms are used to get data from the users

	Forms are created using HTML tags

	Forms can be submitted to the server for processing using either POST or GET method

	Form values submitted via the POST method are encapsulated in the HTTP body.

	Form values submitted via the GET method are appended and displayed in the URL.