Where is form handler code?

[mwpole]

Hello all,

I'm working on an open source PHP project.

Can anyone give me a pointer what PHP does when there is no 'action='
specified in the form tag?

An example being: <form name='EditEntity' method='POST'>

I've seached all the code for 'EditEntity' and '$_POST' but no sign of
either.

Thanks in advance, mike

[Justin Koivisto]

mw****@yahoo.co.uk wrote:

Hello all,

I'm working on an open source PHP project.

Can anyone give me a pointer what PHP does when there is no 'action='
specified in the form tag?

An example being: <form name='EditEntity' method='POST'>

I've seached all the code for 'EditEntity' and '$_POST' but no sign of
either.

Thanks in advance, mike

I believe it depends on the UA being used, but IME, it posts back to the
same uri (the page that has the form)

--
Justin Koivisto, ZCE - ju****@koivi.com
http://koivi.com

[Erwin Moller]

mw****@yahoo.co.uk wrote:

Hello all,

I'm working on an open source PHP project.

Can anyone give me a pointer what PHP does when there is no 'action='
specified in the form tag?

An example being: <form name='EditEntity' method='POST'>

I've seached all the code for 'EditEntity' and '$_POST' but no sign of
either.

Thanks in advance, mike

Hi Mike,

It will post to the same URL where the form originated from, so in most
circumstances, it will post to itself.

I am unsure if it is correct to leave the action out.
Why not fix it and put the right action-value in?

Good luck,
Erwin Moller

[Sjoerd]

Erwin Moller:

I am unsure if it is correct to leave the action out.
Why not fix it and put the right action-value in?

The action is a required attribute, according to the W3C HTML 4.01
specification. User-agents use the current page as the action, so
setting action to $_SERVER['PHP_SELF'] would make it work and
standards-compliant.

[xclarky]

You could simply leave the action attribute empty, this also posts back
to itself.

[william.clarke]

Yeah, you could but then as Sjoerd said, you wouldn't be W3C standard
compliant.

http://www.w3schools.com/tags/tag_form.asp

[Bent Stigsen]

Sjoerd wrote:

Erwin Moller:

I am unsure if it is correct to leave the action out.
Why not fix it and put the right action-value in?

The action is a required attribute, according to the W3C HTML 4.01
specification. User-agents use the current page as the action, so
setting action to $_SERVER['PHP_SELF'] would make it work and
standards-compliant.

To elaborate a bit (or add to the confusion). Above should, not so
obviously, be read as two separate statements, with a not so
straightforward relation.
PHP_SELF only contains the absolute path, not a full URI as specified
in the mentioned W3C document, which further says "This attribute
specifies a form processing agent. User agent behavior for a value
other than an HTTP URI is undefined.".
But as it is only a specification of a recommendation, the actual
implementation in user-agents is chosen in the finest tradition of
anarchism, leading to more or less convenient/sensible/ingenious
solutions, which in a competing market(governed by greed), tends to,
but certainly not always, conform with any common practice among the
general public (aka end-users), which in turn may or may not be
compliant to any would-like-to-be-normative specifications.

Consequently, ergo and vis-a-vis dubious intentions and demands, much
can be written in the action attribute, with the disappointing result:
"it works".
/Bent

[Erwin Moller]

Bent Stigsen wrote:

Sjoerd wrote:

Erwin Moller:

I am unsure if it is correct to leave the action out.
Why not fix it and put the right action-value in?

The action is a required attribute, according to the W3C HTML 4.01
specification. User-agents use the current page as the action, so
setting action to $_SERVER['PHP_SELF'] would make it work and
standards-compliant.

To elaborate a bit (or add to the confusion). Above should, not so
obviously, be read as two separate statements, with a not so
straightforward relation.
PHP_SELF only contains the absolute path, not a full URI as specified
in the mentioned W3C document, which further says "This attribute
specifies a form processing agent. User agent behavior for a value
other than an HTTP URI is undefined.".
But as it is only a specification of a recommendation, the actual
implementation in user-agents is chosen in the finest tradition of
anarchism, leading to more or less convenient/sensible/ingenious
solutions, which in a competing market(governed by greed), tends to,
but certainly not always, conform with any common practice among the
general public (aka end-users), which in turn may or may not be
compliant to any would-like-to-be-normative specifications.

Consequently, ergo and vis-a-vis dubious intentions and demands, much
can be written in the action attribute, with the disappointing result:
"it works".
/Bent

LMAO!

Bent, I nominate your contribution for 'Weirdest post of the month', a not
so wellknown, but nevertheless considered important by me, trophy.

And since I am the jury too: Here you go! The trophy!

Thanks for good laugh. :P

Regards,
Erwin Moller