Now it is time to add in some form elements - there are quite a few to choose from. Here are a list of the most important ones for PHP usage:
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Element
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Description
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INPUT TYPE="CHECKBOX"
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A check box that lets users select multiple options
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INPUT TYPE="FILE"
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A text box plus a button that opens a file selection dialog
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INPUT TYPE="HIDDEN"
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A hidden form element where you set the value
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INPUT TYPE="PASSWORD"
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A text box where the text is replaced by a password character (usually asterisk *)
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INPUT TYPE= "RADIO"
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A radio button. Radio buttons are liked grouped check boxes - you can only select one at a time
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INPUT TYPE="RESET"
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A button to clear the form. It's one of the weird oddities of the web that this still exists - do you know anyone who uses it?
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INPUT TYPE="SUBMIT"
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A button to submit the form
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INPUT TYPE="TEXT"
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A text box
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OPTION
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An option in a SELECT element
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SELECT
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A list box; can also be a drop down list box
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TEXTAREA
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multi-line text box
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There are four special elements in there that are of particular note: FILE elements actually upload files to the server, and can take quite a time to transfer if the connection speed is slow - handling file uploads is covered later. Hidden elements don't appear on your users screen - they are useful when keeping information across forms and pages, or simply just to force input for certain fields.
Password elements hide the password on the client side by using *s or something similar, but it is important to note that the password is still sent in plain text - no encryption is done. Finally, text area elements need a closing tag, with the text in between forming their content, i.e.: <TEXTAREA>Some text</TEXTAREA>.
