Web forms: the next generation
| Date | 01 September 2003 |
| Published date | 01 September 2003 |
| Pages | 367-381 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/07378830310494553 |
| Author | Judith Wusteman |
| Subject Matter | Information & knowledge management,Library & information science |
Web forms: the next
generation
Judith Wusteman
What's wrong with Web forms?
XHTML 2.0 introduces major changes to
HTML as we know it[1]. Some changes that
may cause temporary disorientation are the
disappearance of the img and br tags. More
significantly, Web forms are at last to be
updated.
Forms support in HTML has existed in its
current guise for a decade, that is, since the
early days of the Web. It is one of the few Web
technologies not to have changed to any great
extent in that time. The current generation of
Web forms, which I will refer to as
``HTMLforms'', was never a completely
satisfactory solution to user data input. And,
with the huge advances in other Web
technologies, particularly at the server end,
HTML forms are really showing their age.
One of the main problems with HTML forms
is their reliance on scripting, particularly as the
implementation of the latter varies so greatly
between browsers. Because of this and other
inconsistencies between browser
implementations of forms, most forms
processing occurs at the server. This can mean
unnecessary traffic between client and server
and a potentially heavy load on the latter. Even
simple data validations and calculations on
form fields require a round trip to the server.
In addition, the lack of distinction between
the data to be submitted, the logic that controls
that data and the presentation of the form itself
leads to device-dependence. It is difficult to see
how any distinct component of a conventional
form designed for display via a desktop
computer could be used by a voice browser or a
handheld computer, or for paper delivery. This
lack of distinction also complicates the
separation of duties between the Web designer,
responsible for the look and feel of the site, and
the developer responsible for data validation.
HTML Forms are also handicapped by their
limited set of graphical user interface (GUI)
controls; drop-down combo-boxes, slider and
calendar controls, for example, are not
available.
As well as all these limitations, HTML forms
suffer from poor integration with the emerging
XML-based Web; not at all surprising as they
predated XML by five years.
The author
Judith Wusteman is based at the Department of Library
and Information Studies at University College Dublin,
Ireland.
Keywords
Worldwide Web, Library and information networks,
Markup languages, Digital libraries
Abstract
XForms are the future of data entry on the Web. Their
advancement to W3C Candidate Recommendation status in
November 2002 has been followed by a variety of
implementations. Although they are not yet natively
supported by the major browsers, it is becoming increasingly
obvious that they will be a central component of the Web.
This column describes a simple digital library application of
XForms that illustrates their superiority over the current
generation of HTML forms.
Electronic access
The Emerald Research Register for this journal is available at
http://www.emeraldinsight.com/researchregister
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is
available at
http://www.emeraldinsight.com/0737-8831.htm
About XML
367
Library Hi Tech
Volume 21 .Number 3 .2003 .pp. 367-381
#MCB UP Limited .ISSN 0737-8831
DOI 10.1108/07378830310494553
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