Find out how to make the best use of the technology. Learn how form data is retrieved from the user - Web protocols use the GET and POST methods to send information from the client to the server systems. See how these are represented and interpreted during the communications loop. The draw of the Web is that of anonymity in the sense that you can browse around Web sites visiting sites all around the world without really identifying yourself or your interests in the information presented. This is a benefit to the user but it makes it extremely difficult to create a Web site and then gauge the effectiveness of the site and the people visiting the site.
Forms offer a good way of interacting with users.
Although information about users' computing environment is exchanged with your server when they access your site this does little to identify the users their position at their company or other bits of information that are helpful in understanding your Web-based audience. This is where forms come in on your site. One of the most versatile and exciting capabilities of the World Wide Web is to send information from Web clients back to the Web servers by using fill-in forms. This method is how Web users can enter search words and phrases comments and suggestions and in the growing world of electronic commerce even credit card numbers and addresses for purchases made over the Internet. At the heart of the Web's interactive capability is support for forms and scripts.