Web Forms 2021 - Part 1: Why the form element is so important

WELCOME TO THIS SKILLSHARE SERIES ON HOW TO BUILD AND UNDERSTAND WEB FORMS. THIS IS THE VERY FIRST CLASS ON WEB FORMS - AN INTRODUCTION. 

What we cover in this particular Class?

We will cover of ton of information in this entire series, but for Part 1 I'm going to give you an introduction to forms. 

A successful app in most cases requires the use of a form. A form allows a user to enter data that is then sent to a server for processing. So in a way, a web form resembles a paper or database form. In all cases, the user fills out forms using text fields, radio buttons, checkboxes and the like. 

On the face of it, everything seems simple, right? 

Wrong!

Dig deeper, and there's a whole bunch to forms that most developers don't know much about. Things like the encryption type, the differences between a GET or POST request, the TONS of different form widgets and how a server actually grabs the data and does something with it.

But before we get too advanced, in Class 1 I want to introduce you to forms. The most important thing to remember is that to create a web form, all you need to do is wrap your entire form code (which is written in HTML) in the <form> element.

We will look at some attributes on the form element. Often we have attributes attached to the form, and the 2 most common attributes you'll see developers use are (1) the METHOD attribute and (2) the ACTION attribute. I'll discuss in this class the differences between them. But don't worry, we get into a LOT more detail later in this Skillshare Web Forms series. This is only an introduction.

In this first class we also get into things like: 

• how do you create a form?
• why do you need to wrap your form inside <form> elements? 
• what are the two aspects required in order to build a functional and working form? 
• and more!

So what are you waiting for? 

LET'S BEGIN

--- in case you're wondering, this entire series is about web forms. 

THE NITTY GRITTY OF WEB FORMS?

A web form is also known as an HTML form. It’s a place where users can enter data that’s then sent to a server for processing. Web forms allow users to place orders on your site, to provide their name and email address to sign up for a newsletter, or to sign up as a member to your site and so forth.

What’s really great about web forms is that there is no “one size fits all”. You can use your artistic flare, and personal business acumen to create web forms with a particular length, format, content type and appearance.

By doing this course, you’ll be able to improve your web form usability, which will ultimately enhance user experience and get website visitors excited about completing your form and converting.

Why is this course so important?

• Forms which are on point present an opportunity for a company to grow and capture loyalty.

• A form can often be both a marketing tool and a necessity. A form that puts the user at ease, that evokes feelings of trust, will get filled out far more often than a form which looks (or is) complicated and confusing.

• After completing this entire Skillshare series, you will be knowledgeable, confident and the “go-to” person for forms.

Let me share my form building skills with you

Understanding how forms work will equip you to become an awesome front-end programmer. Learn how to implement your creative, different and dynamic ideas into your website. Master forms and you’re half way to becoming a full stack web developer. Take control through understanding. Delivering a perfect, interactive and functional form is challenging. In this series, I take a deep-dive into explaining web forms and how they work. Why do we need to wrap our form within <form> tags? How can you include a progress bar in a form? How can you customize a toggle or checkbox? Where does the data go once a user clicks on the submit button? How can you perform validation on your form? How can a user upload a file? What happens once the data arrives at the server? What are the different types of events we can listen to on forms? By understanding these questions, and many more in the course, you will be able to build advanced forms and better yet, understand the full stack process! In other words, you will be able to create dynamic forms that improve user engagement and experience.

WHAT THIS SERIES COVERS

This series is huge and comprehensive, from basics to advanced

This entire series (which I've split into multiple classes) will give you solid fundamentals and practicals regarding forms. It can be taken alone (you don’t need to do any other course) to achieve your goals. You will emerge from this course with an advanced understanding and practical experience with building forms. It will take you to the point where you will understand what method (GET or POST) to use when sending form data, how to define where the data goes, how to perform advanced client-side validation (checking errors on the form before it is sent to the server), how to write custom pattern validation rules (using regular expressions), how to run servers and how to view all HTTP request information. This is awesome knowledge. This series will captivate you and catapult you to the next level and set you well on your way to becoming a true Grandmaster in front-end form web development.

By the end of this series, you'll be able to “speak” and “walk” FORMS by gaining an understanding of how you can build it, manipulate it and style it in meaningful and practical ways. 

Why should you learn so much about forms?

A web form is one of the best ways to get input from prospective clients and indirectly establish a relationship with them. The time you spend in bringing the user to your website should be matched with the time spent in perfecting the user experience with your web forms. It is surprising to see so many sites these days contain complex and frustrating web forms that cause a negative experience.

Ultimately, a web form allows your visitors to get in contact with you and to send information, such as an order, a catalogue request, or even a query, which is passed on to your database.

Can you begin to see how important forms are and how their use can be escalated?

*** The most important course on FORMS on Skillshare***

Successful programmers know more than rote learning a few lines of code. They also know the fundamentals of how HTML code works behind the scenes. This is particularly true when it comes to building forms. If you’re wanting to become a full stack developer, you need to know, really know, how forms work. You need to understand how the browser URL encodes form data, how the browser sends data to a URL that you specify, and how to perform validation to ensure the user does not submit invalid data.

A unique approach

You will learn "why" things work and not just "how". Understanding advanced topics about forms (URL encoding, accept-charset, multipart/form-data, regex, etc) is important as it will give you infinite possibilities and upskill you. Armed with this knowledge, you’ll be able to create forms that are tailored to your needs, and allow the form data to get submitted to a server via AJAX. You will be able to create forms that are customizable by the user (for example, if the user wants to change the color of the form theme). You can create a control on a form that displays the progress completion of the form and displays messages to the user along the way.

Can you begin to see how pivotal forms are and how important having knowledge about forms is?

How is this Skillshare course different?

There are lots of courses on Skillshare that focus on web development. Many never get into the detail about how HTML forms work behind the scenes – a skill that every full-stack developer needs to master in order to utilize potential.

In this series, I focus on the more advanced topics of true web development when it comes to forms. This includes understanding what all of the attributes on the <form> element mean, understanding the different <input> types in detail, what URL encoding is, and how data is sent over the wire to a server.

Practice makes perfect

Theory is theory … but there’s nothing like getting behind your computer and typing in code. That’s why we will be coding, laughing and pulling out our hair together as we code real life websites and exercises during this entire series.

Is this course for you?

Absolutely. If you fit in any of these categories then this course is perfect for you:

Student #1: You want to advance in the world of programming.

Student #2: You want to know how successful developers build dynamic forms that engage with the user, have high conversions that put them ahead of the competition.

Student #3: You want to gain a solid understanding of how forms really work

Student #4: You want to start using backend technologies like Node or PHP with forms

WHY START NOW?

Right this second, your competitors are learning how to become better web developers.

Web development is a blazing hot topic at the moment, and in the foreseeable future. But you have a distinct advantage. This course offers memorable learning topics, actionable tactics and real-world examples.

Lets get started.

See you in the lectures.