HTML Atrributes

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HTML Attributes

The Action Attribute

The action attribute defines the action to be performed when the form is submitted.

Usually, the form data is sent to a file on the server when the user clicks on the submit button.

In the example below, the form data is sent to a file called “action_page.php”. This file contains a server-side script that handles the form data:

On submit, send form data to “action_page.php”:

				
					<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<body>
<h2>HTML Forms</h2>
<form action="/action_page.php">
  <label for="fname">First name:</label><br>
  <input type="text" id="fname" name="fname" value="John"><br>
  <label for="lname">Last name:</label><br>
  <input type="text" id="lname" name="lname" value="Doe"><br><br>
  <input type="submit" value="Submit">
</form> 
<p>If you click the "Submit" button, the form-data will be sent to a page called "/action_page.php".</p>
</body>
</html>


				
			

The Target Attribute

The target attribute specifies where to display the response that is received after submitting the form.

The target attribute can have one of the following value

Example:

				
					<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<body>
<h2>The form target attribute</h2>
<p>When submitting this form, the result will be opened in a new browser tab:</p>
<form action="/action_page.php" target="_blank">
  <label for="fname">First name:</label><br>
  <input type="text" id="fname" name="fname" value="John"><br>
  <label for="lname">Last name:</label><br>
  <input type="text" id="lname" name="lname" value="Doe"><br><br>
  <input type="submit" value="Submit">
</form> 
</body>
</html>

				
			

The Method Attribute

The method attribute specifies the HTTP method to be used when submitting the form data.

The form-data can be sent as URL variables (with method=”get”) or as HTTP post transaction (with method=”post”).

The default HTTP method when submitting form data is GET.

Example:

This example uses the GET method when submitting the form data:

				
					<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<body>
<h2>The method Attribute</h2>
<p>This form will be submitted using the GET method:</p>
<form action="/action_page.php" target="_blank" method="get">
  <label for="fname">First name:</label><br>
  <input type="text" id="fname" name="fname" value="John"><br>
  <label for="lname">Last name:</label><br>
  <input type="text" id="lname" name="lname" value="Doe"><br><br>
  <input type="submit" value="Submit">
</form>
<p>After you submit, notice that the form values is visible in the address bar of the new browser tab.</p>
</body>
</html>

				
			

Example:

This example uses the POST method when submitting the form data:

				
					<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<body>
<h2>The method Attribute</h2>
<p>This form will be submitted using the POST method:</p>
<form action="/action_page.php" target="_blank" method="post">
  <label for="fname">First name:</label><br>
  <input type="text" id="fname" name="fname" value="John"><br>
  <label for="lname">Last name:</label><br>
  <input type="text" id="lname" name="lname" value="Doe"><br><br>
  <input type="submit" value="Submit">
</form>
<p>After you submit, notice that, unlike the GET method, the form values is NOT visible in the address bar of the new browser tab.</p>
</body>
</html>

				
			

Notes on GET:

Appends the form data to the URL, in name/value pairs

NEVER use GET to send sensitive data! (the submitted form data is visible in the URL!)

The length of a URL is limited (2048 characters)

Useful for form submissions where a user wants to bookmark the result

GET is good for non-secure data, like query strings in Google

Notes on POST:

Appends the form data inside the body of the HTTP request (the submitted form data is not shown in the URL)

POST has no size limitations, and can be used to send large amounts of data.

Form submissions with POST cannot be bookmarked