PHP Form Tutorial: Complete Guide to Creating and Processing Forms

M66 2025-10-23

PHP Form Creation Tutorial

In web development, forms are a crucial way for users to interact with the server. With PHP, you can easily collect and process form data. This tutorial will show you how to create a simple PHP form and handle the submitted data.

Create an HTML Form

First, you need to create an HTML form to collect user input. Below is a basic example:

<form action="submit.php" method="post">
  <label for="name">Name:</label>
  <input type="text" name="name" id="name">
  <br>
  <label for="email">Email:</label>
  <input type="email" name="email" id="email">
  <br>
  <input type="submit" value="Submit">
</form>

In this form, the action attribute specifies where the data will be sent after submission, the method attribute defines how the data will be transmitted (POST), and the name and id attributes identify each input field.

Write the PHP Processing Script

Next, create a file named submit.php to receive and process the form submission.

<?php
if (isset($_POST['name']) && isset($_POST['email'])) {
  // Get form inputs
  $name = $_POST['name'];
  $email = $_POST['email'];

  // Save data to a database or file
  // ...

  // Return a success message
  echo "Thank you for your submission!";
} else {
  // Missing input fields
  echo "Please fill in all required fields.";
}
?>

This PHP script checks whether the form inputs exist using isset() and retrieves the submitted values via the $_POST array. You can then store the data in a database, send an email, or perform other actions as needed.

Configure Form Attributes

When building a form, it's important to understand the key HTML attributes:

action: Specifies the target file or URL for form submission.
method: Defines how data is sent—typically POST for secure data transfer.
name: Assigns a name to input elements, allowing PHP to access them via $_POST['name'].
type: Determines the kind of input, such as text, email, or submit button.

Handle Form Submission

Once the user fills out and submits the form, the PHP script receives and processes the input. Common steps include:

Use isset() to check if input fields are filled.
Retrieve submitted values using $_POST['field_name'].
Store or send the data to a database, file, or email system.

By following these steps, you can easily build a fully functional PHP form to securely collect and process user input.

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