XForms 1.0 is an application of XML [XML 1.0] and has been designed for use within other XML vocabularies—in particular within a future version of XHTML [XHTML 1.0]. XForms always requires such a host language. This chapter discusses the structure of XForms that allow XForms to be used with other document types.

Device Independent Authoring in XML

XForms User Interface controls, also called form controls, are declared using markup elements, and their behavior refined via markup attributes. This markup may be further decorated with class attributes that can be set using CSS stylesheets to deliver a customized look and feel.

XForms 1.0 is an application of XML [XML 1.0] and has been designed for use within other XML vocabularies—in particular within a future version of XHTML [XHTML 1.0]. XForms always requires such a host language. This chapter discusses the structure of XForms that allow XForms to be used with other document types.

The XForms Reference Processing Model is a normative explanation of the components, predictive behavior, and mechanisms of XForms Processors. It is not intended to constrain implementations. XForms Processors may be implemented in any manner, so long as the end results are identical to that described in this chapter.

This informative chapter provides an easily approachable description of the design of XForms, describing the major components and how they relate. Not every feature of XForms is covered here. For a complete, normative description of XForms, refer to the remainder of this document.

Because they're the primary means of communication between a web site and its users, HTML forms are an important part of a web site. The next stage of development of HTML forms is a fairly new standard named XForms, "...a new platform-independent markup language for online interaction between an XForms processor and a remote entity.

As an example, portions of a questionnaire pertaining to the user's automobile may become relevant only if the user has answered in the affirmative to the question 'Do you own a car?'.

One possibility is a record set control which allows users to add and delete records, where all of the records satisfy the same XForms Model.

This chapter is currently under development and discussion in the XForms Working Group, and does not yet represent consensus.

To describe the above XHTML form in XForms, we would use something similar to the descriptions given below. (Note: The order of the options has been altered to explain the model and its corresponding tags.)

One possibility is a record set control which allows users to add and delete records, where all of the records satisfy the same XForms Model.

This chapter sets out a core set of datatypes that all XForms Processors are expected to support. The XForms Model chapter describes the different ways that an XForms Model can be specified. For the purposes of this chapter, the most important distinction is "simple syntax" (defined by XForms) versus "Schema Syntax" (defined in [XSchema-1] and [XSchema-2]).

This chapter sets out a core set of datatypes that all XForms Processors support. The XForms Model chapter describes the different ways that an XForms Model can be represented.

The "next big thing" for facilitating interaction between web sites and devices may be XForms, a proposal currently under discussion by W3C. In this article, Jasmit Singh Kochhar discusses what XForms is all about, and shows how the coding would work for creating a standard online form.

The XForms namespace has the URI: http://www.w3.org/2002/01/xforms. Any future Working Drafts are expected to use a different identifier, though a final identifier will be allocated before XForms becomes a W3C Recommendation.

The IBM XML Forms Package is a toolkit consisting of software components designed to showcase the possibilities presented by XForms, an emerging W3C standard (W3C Candidate Recommendation). The package consists of two main components: the data model component and the client component.

This is an optional library that supports a variety of common financial calculations for interest rates, monthly payments etc.

Binding is the glue that connects the separate pieces of XForms--the XForms Model, instance data, and form controls. The binding is independent of the user interface language used.

This example shows an XHTML document with two separate XForms embedded using simple syntax, one with a set of initial instance data.