Language References

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Sets or retrieves how the form data should be sent to the server.

Inline	<FORM METHOD = 'get' | 'post'...>
Script	form.method = sMethod ]

get	Append the arguments to the action URL and open it as if it were an anchor.
post	Send the data through an HTTP post transaction.

The property is read/write with no default value.

The method attribute specifies the HTTP method used to send the form to the processing agent. This attribute may take two values: GET and POST.

With the GET method, the form data set is appended to the URI specified by the action attribute ( with a question-mark ( "?" ) as separator ) and this new URI is sent to the processing agent.

With the POST method, the form data set is included in the body of the form and sent to the processing agent.

GET is typically used when the submitted form data does not matter even if seen, as in search forms, which make ideal applications for the method.

The POST method is generally used when the submitted data will effect changes to the destination, such as if the data set modifies a database.

The GET method has been deprecated due to security considerations, as the form data is visible in the document location. The method is useful, though, for debugging transactions because the submission string is seen as a part of the destination path.

The GET method restricts form data set values to ASCII characters, and limits the amount of data to 256 characters.

POST can be specified with the enctype="multipart/form-data" attribute to cover the entire ISO10646 character set, which is useful when attaching files with the form data set, or in data using extended characters.

POST is not limited in size, and is the preferred method for transmitting data that must be secure.

If the service associated with the processing of a form causes side effects, for example, if the form modifies a database or subscription to a service, the POST method should be used.

FORM

action, Form Content Types