Forms are the entry point for user input in web applications.

Laravel makes handling forms easier by providing built-in CSRF protection, validation, old input handling, and request data binding.

Why Use Forms in Laravel?

• Collect user data (login, registration, contact, etc.)
• Secure data with CSRF tokens
• Automatically validate and sanitize inputs
• Bind request data directly to models or controllers

Creating a Form in Laravel

You can create a form using HTML or with Blade components/packages.

Example: Simple HTML Form

Routes

// routes/web.php
use App\Http\Controllers\ContactController;

Route::get('/contact', [ContactController::class, 'index'])->name('contact.form');
Route::post('/contact', [ContactController::class, 'store'])->name('contact.submit');

Controller

// app/Http/Controllers/ContactController.php

namespace App\Http\Controllers;

use Illuminate\Http\Request;

class ContactController extends Controller
{
  public function index()
  {
    return view('contact');
  }

  public function store(Request $request)
  {
    // Validation
    $request->validate([
      'name'  => 'required|string|max:100',
      'email'  => 'required|email',
      'message' => 'required|min:10',
    ]);

    // Store or send email
    // Contact::create($request->all());

    return back()->with('success', 'Message sent successfully!');
  }
}

View

<!-- resources/views/contact.blade.php -->

<form action="{{ route('contact.submit') }}" method="POST">
  @csrf <!-- CSRF protection -->
   
  <label for="name">Name:</label>
  <input type="text" name="name" value="{{ old('name') }}">

  <label for="email">Email:</label>
  <input type="email" name="email" value="{{ old('email') }}" >

  <label for="message">Message:</label>
  <textarea name="message">{{ old('message') }}</textarea>

  <button type="submit">Send</button>
</form>


<!-- Displaying Validation Errors  -->
@if ($errors->any())
    <div class="alert alert-danger">
        <ul>
            @foreach ($errors->all() as $error)
                <li>{{ $error }}</li>
            @endforeach
        </ul>
    </div>
@endif

Old Input Handling

Laravel automatically keeps input values when validation fails:

<input type="text" name="name" value="{{ old('name') }}">

CSRF Protection

Every form must include @csrf:

<form method="POST" action="/submit">
  @csrf
  ...
</form>

Without CSRF token, Laravel will throw 419 Page Expired.

File Uploads in Forms

View

<form action="{{ route('upload.file') }}" method="POST" enctype="multipart/form-data">
    @csrf
    <input type="file" name="profile_picture">
    <button type="submit">Upload</button>
</form>

Controller

public function upload(Request $request)
{
  $request->validate([
    'profile_picture' => 'required|image|mimes:jpg,png,jpeg|max:2048',
  ]);
  $path = $request->file('profile_picture')->store('uploads', 'public');
  return back()->with('success', 'File uploaded at ' . $path);
}