In the previous article, I showed you how to manage user input in the XForms model. I discussed the process of submitting an XForm and – more importantly - validating user input prior to submission using built-in XML Schema support. In this concluding article, find out how to use the element to perform calculations on form input values, integrate XPath expressions into your XForms model and get a crash course in the XForms event model.

This month Microsoft is releasing Microsoft Office InfoPath 2003, putting an end to speculation about what the software giant's approach to XML data collection would be.

A form -- whether a sheet of paper or a web page -- represents a structured exchange of data. Web services, as typified by emerging standards like SOAP, WSDL, and UDDI, is an excellent approach to exchanging data in a structured way, although usually the exchange is between machines. Since computers are much better at, well, computing, web services is an important and overdue development in the evolution of the Web.

The XForms standard, which became a W3C Recommendation last month, lets us define forms that are much more sophisticated than those of HTML. Perhaps more importantly, it makes it easier for applications that we write to grab and use the data entered into forms, because an XForms client can plug the data directly into any XML structure that you like.

The NXTP gives developers a hands-on introduction to the XForms standard. Novell exteNd (formerly SilverStream Software) is well known for its participation in the development of new standards and has been a leader in the rapid development space with its award-winning Page Designer.

The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C)'s draft XForms standard defines a set of XML elements that expand vastly the power of data-entry devices, such as browsers, to capture and validate forms-based data. The XForms Working Group has focused on device independence, data validation, and improved internationalization support to give you a new, elegant, and powerful way to code data-entry systems. By centralizing form behavior and data validation into a single location, XForms eliminate the hassle of browser scripting, the associated quagmire of multiple browser-language versions, and the mind-numbing coding of data-validation checks.

The key to picking the right form control is to think about what you want to do, not how you want to do it. For example, 'choose one thing from this list' is a good example of what to do, and 'radio buttons' is a good example of how to do it. In short, you need to think about the intent of each form control.

Many forms today consist of multi page forms where the next page of the form depends on the result of the previous page(s). This paper tries to look at some of the problems and solutions while trying to use XForms to build these kinds of forms.

The World Wide Web Consortium has reached a critical stage in a new standard that governs how developers use forms on the Internet.

Server side business logic is often invariant with regard to client devices. An email client supports the same basic operations whether it's used from a cellular phone, PDA, or a PC. To address the needs of web developers who build applications for a variety of devices, the W3C has formed the XForms working group.

Here it is! The first article in our series of UIML comparisons! Please take a minute, read it, and send your comments and questions to this list. Remember that this article is not the "final word" on the UIML and XForms topic and any input you have is valuable!

The World Wide Web Consortium has reached a critical stage in a new standard that governs how developers use forms on the Internet.

In my book XForms Essentials I originally intended to include some information on XForms engines. It turned out that progress on XForms technology was happening so rapidly anything in print would have been quickly outdated. An online approach seemed more sensible.

Think about how many times a day you use forms, electronic or otherwise. On the Web, forms have become commonplace for search engines, polls, surveys, electronic commerce, and even on-line applications. Nearly all user interaction on the Web is through forms of some sort. This ubiquitous technology, however, is showing its age.

Every user of the internet will have filled in a form in some situation or another. Whether on an e-commerce web site, to book a flight or hotel room, buy a book or a CD, or on their company intranet to book holiday time or fill in expenses claims. Varied activities ranging from interaction with government to mortgage applications are all conducted through the use of electronic forms.

As an XML-based standard for electronic forms, XForms is intended to allow developers to create interactive, validating forms in a single, open syntax. XForms can be deployed in various environments, such as Web browsers, wireless devices — even interactive televisions, printers, and scanners. Ambitious? Yes. Impossible? Well, maybe or maybe not.

The first Scalable Vector Graphics specification (SVG 1.0) laid the standard for XML-expressed two-dimensional interactive and animated graphics. Since then, the W3C SVG Working Group has made efforts to take SVG a step further with a strong focus on enhancing features that ease the work of using SVG for Web and desktop application development. One of the most promising features introduced in SVG 1.2 is Rendering Custom Content (RCC) -- it offers a clean XML-centric extension mechanism to mix and match different XML namespaces within an SVG document. This article takes you through the creation of a simple push-button widget while introducing the RCC mechanism.

This paper describes methods for service selection and service access for mobile, sensor-enhanced web clients such as wireless cameras or wireless PDAs with sensor devices attached. The clients announce their data-creating capabilities in "Produce" headers sent to servers; servers respond with forms that match these capabilities. Clients fill in these forms with sensor data as well as text or file data. The resultant system enables clients to access dynamically discovered services spontaneously, as their users engage in everyday nomadic activities.

The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C)'s draft XForms standard defines a set of XML elements that expand vastly the power of data-entry devices, such as browsers, to capture and validate forms-based data. The XForms Working Group has focused on device independence, data validation, and improved internationalization support to give you a new, elegant, and powerful way to code data-entry systems. By centralizing form behavior and data validation into a single location, XForms eliminate the hassle of browser scripting, the associated quagmire of multiple browser-language versions, and the mind-numbing coding of data-validation checks.

In the previous article, I showed you how to manage user input in the XForms model. I discussed the process of submitting an XForm and – more importantly - validating user input prior to submission using built-in XML Schema support. In this concluding article, find out how to use the element to perform calculations on form input values, integrate XPath expressions into your XForms model and get a crash course in the XForms event model.