Introduction to XForms

XForms is the next generation of HTML forms.

XForms uses XML to create input forms on the web.

The basic knowledge you should possess

Before you continue learning, you should have a basic understanding of the following knowledge:

  • HTML
  • HTML forms
  • XHTML
  • XML

If you wish to learn these projects first, please Home page Access these tutorials.

What is XForms?

  • XForms is the next generation of HTML forms
  • XForms is more comprehensive and flexible compared to HTML forms
  • XForms will become the form standard in XHTML 2.0
  • XForms is independent of platforms and devices
  • XForms can separate data and logic from presentation
  • XForms uses XML to define form data
  • XForms can store and transmit data in XML documents
  • XForms includes features such as calculations and form validation
  • XForms can reduce or eliminate the need for scripts
  • XForms is a W3C standard

XForms is the successor to HTML forms

Today, forms are an important part of many web applications. HTML forms make it possible for web applications to receive data from users.

Today, ten years after HTML forms became part of the HTML standard, the complex transactions performed by network users are going beyond the limits of standard HTML forms.

XForms provides a more comprehensive, secure, and device-independent method for handling network input. We should expect future network solutions to require browsers that support XForms (all future browsers should support XForms).

XForms can separate data and logic from presentation

XForms uses XML for data definition, while HTML or XHTML is used for data display. XForms can separate the data logic of a form from its presentation. The way XForms defines data is independent of how the final user interacts with the application.

XForms uses XML to define form data

Through XForms, XML can be used to express rules for describing and validating data.

XForms uses XML to store and transmit data

Through XForms, the data displayed in the form can be stored in an XML document, and the data submitted from the form is transmitted over the Internet using XML.

Data is encoded and transmitted in Unicode.

XForms is independent of devices

Separating data from presentation makes XForms independent of devices because the data model can be used on all devices. The presentation can be customized for different user interfaces, such as mobile phones, handheld devices, and braille readers for the blind.

Since XForms is independent of devices and based on XML, it also makes it possible to add XForms elements to other XML applications, such as VoiceXML (spoken web data), WML (Wireless Markup Language), and SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics).

XForms is a W3C standard

XForms became a W3C standard in October 2003.

You can find the official W3C recommended standards through this link:

http://www.w3.org/TR/xforms/