Overview of Forms

A form is a particular type of HTML file that allows a visitor to provide values before submitting them to a server. Although most forms on the web are created in HTML, this language doesn't have an inherent mechanism to treat a form. It relies on other languages, mainly called scripts, to process its values. Nevertheless, most forms are created using HTML objects. Therefore, you use a combination of HTML and a script to effectively use a form.

A form is the central control that manages the other controls. Although the controls can send their data to a script, a form can be used to collect the values typed or selected on the controls, gather them as if they constituted one control and make these values available to a validating file (the file is usually located on a (web) server).

Form Creation

To create a form, you use the <form> tag. Because a form is a collection of controls and their values, the form must have an end tag thatlets the browser know where the form closes. This is done with the 

</form> closing tag:


<FORM>


</FORM>
Everything between the <FORM> and the </FORM>
tags belong to
the form and is called the body of the form. Almost anything can go in the
body of the form. You can design it using any HTML tag and make it as
attractive as you wish.
Although the <form> and the </form> tags are enough to create a
form, such a form can hardly communicate with a script. One of the most
important properties you should set for a form is its name. The name
allows a script to refer to the form and it can be used by files on the
server level. To set the name of a form, assign an appropriate string the
Name attribute of the <form> tag.