Macromedia Dreamweaver 8 UNLEASHED [Electronic resources] نسخه متنی

An Introduction t225 Forms

As I've just mentioned, forms are everywhere on the web. They allow us as developers to collect and ultimately process data from our end users. Let's take eBay as an example. As a buyer, you visit eBay in an attempt to find a sweet deal on something you probably don't need. When you visit eBay, you don't verbally tell eBay to find an item; instead, you interact with a form containing form objects in the shape of a search text box and a search button (see Figure 9.1).

You enter your search criteria into the text box, click the search button, and magically the results are returned in a clean list format through which you can quickly browse. From a development standpoint, eBay uses forms and form objects to facilitate the interaction between the end user and eBay. From a design standpoint, forms and form objects make it easy for the user to enter the criteria about which he wants more information. As a buyer, you might be familiar with this process. It's straightforward, easy to use, and more importantly, intuitive.

From a seller's perspective, the process is slightly more complex, but again, involves forms and form objects. When you want to sell an item on eBay's website, the first step is to register as a seller (see Figure 9.2).