Web Design : Forms

A form is used to obtain feedback from the people who use a website. Forms can be used to gather people's opinions about a site or to gather information that a company or organisation might want.

Forms can be built up from several different types of controls. Some of the most important ones are shown in this table.

Short Text Entry	A short text entry box lets the user type in information. The web designer can specify the maximum number of characters that can be typed.	What is your surname ?
Long Text Entry	A long text entry box lets the user type in information. The text input area can be scrolled to allow a lot of text to be entered.	Please enter your comments on this site :
Radio Button	Radio buttons let the user select one or more options from a list. The web designer chooses how many options can be picked at once.	Are you male or female ? Male Female
List Box	A list box lets the user choose one option from a list.	Please select your age group : Select Age Under 16 16-20 21-30 31-60 Over 60
Push Buttons	Buttons are used to start actions such as sending the contents of the form or clearing the form.

When a form has been completed the data that the user has entered must be sent to the person who runs the website. This can be done by transmission by email or by saving the form contents to a file on a web server.

GCSE ICT Companion 04 - (C) P Meakin 2004