Idocs Guide to HTML
Home >> Forms >> <FORM ...> >> METHOD
previous page<FORM METHOD="...">METHOD=POST next page

METHOD = GET

GET sends the data as part of the URL. For example, suppose you enter the value "West Rochester" in this form below:

this code produces this 
<FORM METHOD=GET ACTION="../cgi-bin/mycgi.pl">
town: <INPUT NAME="town"><BR>
<INPUT TYPE=SUBMIT>
</FORM>
town:

The value entered in the "town" field is tacked on to the end of the CGI's URL like this:

../cgi-bin/mycgi.pl?town=West+Rochester

When the form data (or "query data") is added to the end of the URL it is "URL encoded" so that the data can be used in a standard URL. The neat thing about URL encoding is that each different query to the CGI has a different URL. Those unique URLs can be used directly in links without any form being involved. For example, the URL above can be used to create a link to exactly the same CGI results: 

<A HREF="../cgi-bin/mycgi.pl?town=West+Rochester">West Rochester</A>

which creates this link: West Rochester.

The amount of data that can be sent with a URL is limited. GET is good for short forms (ten or fewer fields and no <TEXTAREA ...> or file uploads).

previous page<FORM METHOD="...">METHOD=POST next page
Copyright 1997-2002 Idocs Inc. Content in this guide is offered freely to the public under the terms of the Open Content License and the Open Publication License. Contents may be redistributed or republished freely under these terms so long as credit to the original creator and contributors is maintained.