PHP Form Handling Guide: Secure & Efficient Data Processing

Form handling in PHP involves processing data submitted through HTML forms. This process typically includes gathering user input, validating and sanitizing the input, and then using the data (e.g., storing it in a database, sending an email, or generating output).

PHP allows you to handle form data submitted through both the GET and POST methods.

1. Simple HTML Form Example

Create a simple HTML form for user input:

Example

<!DOCTYPE html>

<html>

<body>

Name: <input type="text" name="fname">

</form>

<?php

if ($_SERVER["REQUEST_METHOD"] == "POST") {

// collect value of input field

$name = $_POST['fname'];

if (empty($name)) {

echo "Name is empty";

} else {

echo $name;

}

</body>

</html>

Try it yourself

The $_SERVER['PHP_SELF'] variable is a PHP superglobal that contains the current script's file path. It is often used in forms to set the action attribute, allowing the form to submit to the same script for processing. Here's an explanation of its use, particularly in the context of the POST method.

GET Method Form Handling

Example

<!DOCTYPE html>

<html>

<head>

<title>Form Handling</title>

</head>

<body>

<label for="email">Email:</label>

</form>

</body>

</html>

Try it yourself

When action="", the form submits to the same page that displays the form.

GET Vs POST

Feature	GET	POST
Data Location	Appended to URL as query parameters	Sent in the request body
Visibility	Visible in the URL	Hidden from the URL
Security	Less secure (data in URL)	More secure (data hidden)
Data Length	Limited (based on URL length)	Virtually unlimited
Caching	Can be cached by browsers	Cannot be cached
Use Cases	Non-sensitive data, search queries	Sensitive data, large data submissions

When to Use

Use GET:
When the data is not sensitive.
When data should be bookmarkable or shareable.
Use POST:
When sending sensitive or confidential data.
When the data size exceeds the URL length limit.

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