- Example of a
POST form:
<html> <head> <title> HTML Form 1</title> </head> <body> <HR> <HR> <B> Form: </B> <HR> <P> <FORM ACTION="http://holland.mathcs.emory.edu/~cs377001/Web/echo-post.php" METHOD="POST"> <p>Enter input: <input type="text" name="inp" size=40></p> <p><input type="submit" value="Press to send"></p> </FORM> </body> </html>
What the Form tag look like in a webpage:
Type some text in the input box
Press on the Press to send button
- Result:
- The browser will
display the following URL:
http://holland.mathcs.emory.edu/~cs377001/Web/echo-post.phpNotice:
- The ?inp=..... part is not present !!!!
- The browser will
display the following URL:
- Observation:
- The POST method
transmits a request:
- Inside the HTTP message (it's not part of the URL !!!)
- The POST method
transmits a request:
-
Advantage of using the
POST method:
-
Better security !!!
- The data transmitted can be
optionally encrypted
(You cannot encrypt the URL part of the HTTP message)
- The data transmitted can be
optionally encrypted
-
Better security !!!
- How a
PHP program
receives input
using the POST method:
- The web server passes
the inputs to the
PHP interpreter using:
- the
associative array
named
$_POST[ ]
- Initialize the element $_POST['input-field-name'] with the value entered corresponding input field in the form tag.
- the
associative array
named
$_POST[ ]
- The web server passes
the inputs to the
PHP interpreter using:
- A concrete example:
- Here again is the web page
with the FORM tag:
<html> <head> <title> HTML Form 1</title> </head> <body> <HR> <HR> <B> Form: </B> <HR> <P> <FORM ACTION="http://holland.mathcs.emory.edu/~cs377001/Web/echo-post.php" METHOD="POST"> <p>Enter input: <input type="text" name="inp"></p> <p><input type="submit" value="Press to send"></p> </FORM> </body> </html>
-
What happens when
you press the
Press to send button:
- Your browser will send the
URL:
http://holland.mathcs.emory.edu/~cs377001/Web/echo-post.phpalong with:
inp = "..... "
in a HTTP message to the webserver
- The web server will run
the PHP program
(on the machine
holland.mathcs.emory.edu):
/home/cs377001/public_html/Web/echo-post.php
with the following initialation:
$_POST["inp"] = "my-text"
Graphically depicted:
- Your browser will send the
URL:
- Here again is the web page
with the FORM tag:
- Example PHP program
to handle the
request:
<html> <head> <title> PHP program using the POST method (name = 'inp')</title> </head> <body> <?php print "This is a PHP prog to run the request: "; print '_$POST[inp] = '; print $_POST["inp"]; ?> </body> </html>Try it: