Sams Teach Yourself Internet and Web Basics All in One

Chapter 28. Designing Fill-in-the-Blanks Forms

You know forms. They're those fill-in-the-blanks parts of Web pages you use to enter search terms, register with a Web site, make e-purchases, and much more. In fact, Web forms are really the only way a Web visitor can send information to a Web site through the Web (email doesn't count).

A signature containing your email address (see Chapter 23, "Making Links") is sufficient for providing visitors with a way to send you comments and questions. But if your site is visited hundreds or thousands of times a day or you want to collect orders or mailing list signups online, you need a more efficient method ”a way to collect all the information sent by visitors , store it in a database, and then work with it in a meaningful way. That's what forms make possible.