Help with learning form()

I am currently trying to learn the <form> object.

Now I have done some things within <form> like setting up text fields with submit buttons, etc..

But now on this part of the course it is showing properties I think, within the decleration of the <form> such as shown below

<FORM METHOD="POST" ACTION="/cgi-bin/correct.pl" onSubmit="return false;">


Could someone explain to me what that ACTION="/cgi-bin/corrct.pl" is for along with the onSubmit="return false;" ??

I'd like an explanation of the properties of <form> if you could please.

You ought to Google for this sort of question.

The required action attribute of a form specifies where to send the form-data when a form is submitted. return false suppresses this action. The form will never be submitted. Normally a validation script is used which if the validation fails returns false, to prevent the form from being submitted.

The method attribute specifies how to send form-data (the form-data is sent to the page specified in the action attribute). The form-data can be sent as URL variables (with method="get") or as HTTP post (with method="post").


All advice is supplied packaged by intellectual weight, and not by volume. Contents may settle slightly in transit.

If return false suppreses this, then why do I even need to put the ACTION part?

Why is it even there in this code if it's not actually submiting it?

I suspect your book is just showing you format.

However... If the user has JavaScript disabled, then the return false will have no effect and so the from *will* submit to the server side page specified.

So I'd like to clarify some information with you on my knowledge of this;
ACTION="/cgi-bin/correct.pl" onSubmit="return false;">

action being, where the submitted information is sent?

onSubmit meaning when the information is submitted, what to do?

Yes. Yes.

But, again, onsubmit is ignored if JS is disabled.

(As are all "onxxx" event handlers, of course.)

Of course, a <form> that doesn't submit is essentially useless in a non-JavaScript environment. Since the only action that a <form> in non-JS *can* do is get submitted.