Hello, aspiring PHP developers!
In the digital age, web forms play a vital role in interacting with users. Whether it’s a simple contact form, a login page, or an advanced survey, being able to gather and process user input is foundational for web development.
In this module, we’re delving deep into form handling in PHP, focusing on the GET & POST methods.
GET & POST Methods
The GET Method
The GET method sends the form data appended to the URL. It’s suitable for non-sensitive data and has a length limitation. You’ve likely seen the GET method in action when data appears in the URL after a search on some websites.
Example using GET:
Name:
Email:
To retrieve the values in “welcome.php”:
$JDoodle_name = $_GET['name'];
$JDoodle_email = $_GET['email'];
echo "Name: $JDoodle_name";
echo "Email: $JDoodle_email";
The POST Method
The POST method sends the form data as part of the HTTP request body. It doesn’t display the data in the URL and doesn’t have a size limitation. It’s suitable for sending sensitive data like passwords.
Example using POST:
Name:
Password:
To retrieve the values in “welcome.php”:
$JDoodle_name = $_POST['name'];
$JDoodle_password = $_POST['password'];
echo "Name: $JDoodle_name";
// For security reasons, don't echo out passwords!
Exercise
Aspiring developers, here’s a hands-on exercise to solidify your understanding:
- Create a basic contact form with fields for Name, Email, and Message.
- Use the POST method to handle form data.
- On the server side, retrieve the values and display them on a new page.
- For an added challenge, try adding basic validation to check if fields are empty or if the email format is correct.
- And don’t forget to JDoodle it!
Conclusion
Form handling is a core aspect of interactive web applications. As you’ve seen, PHP makes it relatively straightforward to manage form data using GET and POST methods.
The power to create dynamic and interactive websites is now in your hands. Keep exploring and happy coding!