 | Level: Intermediate Contributors: W3C 06 Feb 2007
Updated 21 Feb 2008 XForms, a specification of Web forms for XML data
processing, allows you to separate a form's purpose from its look. Find
out how XML technologies make it easy to create Web applications with
user input.
In October 2007, the third edition of XForms 1.0 became a W3C Recommendation. XForms is a specification of Web forms for XML data processing that you can use with a wide variety of
platforms through a variety of media. XForms looks to separate a form's
purpose from its presentation. It separates considerations of what the
form does from how the form looks. It is an XML vocabulary that you can
use to develop form UIs for manipulating XML content. XForms started out
as part of the XHTML family, but has taken on a life of its own.
In November 2007,
XForms
1.1
became a W3C Candidate Recommendation. XForms
1.1 refines the XML processing platform introduced by XForms 1.0. It adds several new submission capabilities for SOA and Web 2.0 enablement. It also improves the data-focused scripting language built into XForms, including conditional, iterated, and background execution, the ability to manipulate data arbitrarily, and to access event context information. Finally, it includes a host of refinements to action handlers, utility functions, user interface controls, and datatype validation.
An XForms implementation has to respond to user-directed
events relating to an XML document (for example, the element that might
be selected when a user chooses from radio buttons). In order to describe and manage such events, XForms uses XML Events [W3C Recommendation].
Resources
- Learn about XForms on the developerWorks XML zone.
- Get articles specific to XForms on the developerWorks library.
- Visit the XForms space on developerWorks to learn more
about XForms.
- Listen to John Boyer's
podcast on XForms release 1.1 on developerWorks.
- Read John Boyer's blog, which includes information on XForms.
- Read the developerWorks interview and listen to the podcast with Dan McCreary on XForms.
- Learn XForms by following a detailed application
example in Build a shopping cart application using XForms
by Steve K. Speicher, Keith Wells, Jan J. Kratky, and Kevin Kelly
(developerWorks, December 2006).
-
XForms basics by Nicholas Chase is a hands-on
introduction (developerWorks, October 2006).
- Chris Herborth offers a more comprehensive, up-to-
date primer in Introduction to XForms, Part 1: The new Web standard for
forms, Introduction to XForms, Part 2: Forms, models, controls,
and submission actions, and Introduction to XForms, Part 3: Using actions and
events (developerWorks, September 2006).
-
Get ready for XForms by Joel Rivera
and Len Taing introduces XForms using several detailed examples
(developerWorks, September 2002).
- Learn about XML events in Introduction to XML Events by Micah Dubinko
(developerWorks, November 2004).
- Micah Dubinko developed an XForms validator, which
he describes in Inside the XForms validator (developerWorks, September
2004).
- The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) maintains an XForms Quick
Reference.
- Keep track of the many official developments on The Forms Working Group
page.
- Read about other XML standards:
Index of XML
standards.
- Participate in any of several XML-centered forums:
XML
zone discussion forums.
- Get involved in the developerWorks community: developerWorks blogs
- Find out how you can become an IBM-Certified
Developer in XML and related technologies at IBM XML
certification.
- See the developerWorks XML Zone for a wide range of
technical articles and tips, tutorials, standards, and IBM Redbooks at
XML
technical library.
- Stay current with technology in these sessions: developerWorks technical events and webcasts.
- Build your next development project with trial
software available for download directly from developerWorks: IBM trial software.
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