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HTML Forms

Use HTML forms to add interactivity to your site. Forms can use CGI programs written in C or Perl on the backend or JavaScript and ActiveX on the front end. Learn to use forms to make your HTML pages more interactive.
Mailto Forms
Getting forms to work is difficult, but the easiest way is with a simple mailto form that connects an email address to the form action.
Using the Form Tag
Part one in a tutorial on how to create forms in HTML - using the form tag.
How to Use the Input Tag
The input tag is the primary tag used for forms. Learn how to make the most of it. Part 2 in the HTML forms tutorial
Multiple Page Forms
Forms with multiple pages are hard to write so that the server gets all the form data. Learn how to use hidden tags to save the form data across multiple pages.
The Select and Option Tags
Learn how to use the select tag and option tags for drop-down menus. Part 4 of the HTML forms tutorial.
The Textarea Tag
Learn how to use the textarea tag for large amounts of text and the select and option tags for drop-down menus. Part 3 of the HTML forms tutorial
The Method Attribute of the
Tag
Choosing the correct method attribute can mean the difference between a form that works and one that doesn't.
Web Forms for Contact Mail
Web forms allow you to control more about the contacts that you receive from your site.
HTML Forms FAQ
There are many questions about HTML forms that need answers. This FAQ covers some of the more common questions about HTML forms.
What Makes a Web Form Usable or Unusable
Online forms can be a pain for your readers to fill out, but they don't have to be. With some knowledge of HTML form tags, some CSS and JavaScript, you can create a form that your customers actually want to fill out.
Form Validation
Learn how to do form validation with JavaScript or CGI and the pros and cons of each method. Validating forms is a useful tool in Web development.
Do Mailto Forms Only Work if the Customer Has a POP Mail Client?
Forms that send email with a mailto link are not very reliable.
Your First HTML Form
Building your first HTML form, hints on building and using HTML forms
Making HTML Forms "Work"
HTML will let you build a form to display on a Web page, but you can't use HTML to make the form actually do anything.
Free HTML Forms Class
If you already know HTML, but you still don't understand forms, this class will help. After 5 days you will know how to use form tags, how to write a mailto or CGI form, how to decorate your forms, and even how to validate them with JavaScript. HTML forms are hard but this class will help make them easy.
HTML Forms Tutorial
HTML forms add interactivity to your site. This first tutorial explains how to use the form tag.
Form Tags
Learn how to use the various tags used in HTML forms. From the XHTML tag library.
How to Create User-Friendly Forms
It's fairly easy to learn to write HTML forms, but there are a number of tricks to creating forms that your readers will want to fill out.
The Input Tag
The most widely used form element is the <input> tag. Learn how to use it in all its manifestations.
Textarea and Select
Once you know how to use the textarea and select input methods, you'll know the most complex aspects of forms HTML.
Method, Mailto Forms, and Multiple Pages
Three major parts of forms development. The method tells how to submit the form, multiple pages requires you "save state", and a mailto form is a form without CGI.
The HTML Label Tag - Make Your Forms Accessible
Using the label tag to label HTML forms elements that don't have implicit labels gives you more control over the design and accessibility of your Web forms.
Ways to Submit Forms
There is more than just the basic submit button for submitting forms to the Web server.
Disabled Attributes in Web Forms: Making Forms More Useful with the Disabled Attribute and Readonly Attribute
The disabled attribute is a useful tool for HTML forms developers, as it allows you to make forms that are more dynamic and useful to the user. Use the disabled attribute to set form elements to disabled so that the customer cannot fill them in.
What is the form tag and how can I use it?
Frequently asked questions about forms and how to use them.
How do I get form data emailed to me?
Frequently asked questions about forms and how to use them.
Can I require that some fields be filled in?
Frequently asked questions about forms and how to use them.
How do I make a form so it can be submitted by hitting ENTER?
Frequently asked questions about forms and how to use them.
A Collection of CSS Stylesheets For Web Forms - The Form Assembly
This is a lot like the CSS Zen Garden, only it's specifically for HTML forms. The style sheets are available for downloading and you can submit your own design if you'd like.
Prettier Accessible Forms
If you believe that forms are not really tabular data, then it is important to lay them out using CSS. But it is difficult to create a forms layout that is both reusable and works in most browsers and looks nice. Nick Rigby wrote up a nice article on one way to do this for A List Apart.

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