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XForms - The Next Generation of Web Forms

"XForms" is W3C's name for a specification of Web forms that can be used with a wide variety of platforms including desktop computers, hand helds, information appliances, and even paper. XForms started life as a subgroup of the HTML Working Group, but has now been spun off as an independent Activity.

Check out our latest documents:

• XForms 1.0 now a W3C Recommendation. The public may send comments/errata about this document directly to www-forms-editor@w3.org (archives).
• XForms 1.0 Basic Profile is Candidate Recommendation. The public may send comments and implementation experience directly to www-forms-editor@w3.org (archives).

• XForms 1.0 Requirements (04 April 2001).
  

Let us know what you think by joining the XForms public mailing list.

What Are XForms?

The current design of Web forms doesn't separate the purpose from the presentation of a form. XForms, in contrast, are comprised of separate sections that describe what the form does, and how the form looks. This allows for flexible presentation options, including classic XHTML forms, to be attached to an XML form definition.

The following illustrates how a single device-independent XML form definition, called the XForms Model, has the capability to work with a variety of standard or proprietary user interfaces:

The XForms User Interface provides a standard set of visual controls that are targeted toward replacing today's XHTML form controls. These form controls are directly usable inside XHTML and other XML documents, like SVG. Other groups, such as the Voice Browser Working Group, may also independently develop user interface components for XForms.

An important concept in XForms is that forms collect data, which is expressed as XML instance data. Among other duties, the XForms Model describes the structure of the instance data. This is important, since like XML, forms represent a structured interchange of data. Workflow, auto-fill, and pre-fill form applications are supported through the use of instance data.

Finally, there needs to be a channel for instance data to flow to and from the XForms Processor. For this, the XForms Submit Protocol defines how XForms send and receive data, including the ability to suspend and resume the completion of a form.

The following illustration summarizes the main aspects of XForms:

Key Goals of XForms

• Support for handheld, television, and desktop browsers, plus printers and scanners
• Richer user interface to meet the needs of business, consumer and device control applications
• Decoupled data, logic and presentation
• Improved internationalization
• Support for structured form data
• Advanced forms logic
• Multiple forms per page, and pages per form
• Suspend and Resume support
• Seamless integration with other XML tag sets

XForms Implementations

The XForms 1.0 Public Test Suite is available on the W3C site.

X-Smiles

X-Smiles is a Java-based XML browser from Helsinki University of Technology. It provides partial support for XForms Candidate Recommendation version, and uses XForms together with XHTML, SMIL, SVG or XSL-FO on the user interface side. It also supports XSLT, ECMAScript and more.

Mozquito DENG zero-install XForms

Mozquito's latest XForms implementation is fully client-side and written in Actionscript to allow instant deployment for any flash-6-enabled browser on the web. Mozquito deploys XForms on MarkupLanguage.net for personal communication including Email and Blog over the web via XForms.

FormsPlayer

FormsPlayer, an XForms processor plug-in for Internet Explorer 6 SP 1.

Novell's XForms

XForms Technology Preview is a Java Application designed to provide developers with a hands-on introduction to the XForms standard.

LiquidOffice

Cardiff has released support for both XML form definition and XML data interchange within the LiquidOffice eForm Management System, and has implemented XML data interchange for the TELEform Information Capture System.

IBM XML Forms Package

The IBM XML Forms Package is a package consisting of two main components: the data model component and the client component:
The data model component provides a set of Java APIs for creating, accessing, and modifying XForms data models.
The client component includes two technologies, an XForms processor control and a Java XForms compiler. The XForms processor control implements the XForms processing model, as defined by the W3C XForms 1.0 Candidate Recommendation, on Internet Explorer. The Java XForms compiler provides a Java-based interface for compiling XHTML with XForms into HTML.

XFE

"XFE, a forms engine developed by E-XMLMedia, radically simplifies development of forms based data entry systems. [...] XFE manages multiple rounds of interaction with the user through the user's favorite browser. The result of data entry is delivered to the web application as a validated XML document."

Chiba project

SourceForge provides an implementation of the W3C XForms standard, thereby delivering generic, xml-based form-processing for the web.

Mozilla project

Bugzilla Bug 97806 requests the implementation of XForms in the browser and composer; vote for it now!

TIBET

TIBET will be supporting some or all of the XForms standard in a future release. TIBET's support for XForms will extend to 4X browsers, allowing XForms-based applications to be constructed and deployed significantly before native XForms support is shipping in the major browsers.

NMatrix

a project to implement a matrix of standards implementations, ranging from DOM3, XmlEvents, XForms, etc.

XMLForm

XMLForm is an open source server side implementation of a subset of the XForms working draft. It is tightly integrated in Apache Cocoon and seeks to offer an immediate solution for developers interested in using the XForms standard in their applications.

TrustForm System

The TrustForm System Viewer is a client side implementation based on the XForms last working draft.

AchieveForms

AchieveForms from Business Web Software is a server-based XFORMS designer with a web browser interface that can output forms as XFORMS and can process completed forms from an XFORMS browser to email recipients, databases, and forward XML files of completed form data.

jXForms

jXForms enables working with XForms inside java based applications. It should provide abstraction from spec details to provide easier ways to manipulate XForms content. The lib should also prohibit missuse to provide failsafe usage at higher abstraction layer. The lib is open source (lpgl) and currently under developement. jXForms is able to create nearly all elements specified inside "XForms Working Draft - 18 Jannuary 2002".

Handwise XForms

Handwise XForms User Interface (XFUI) is an embeddable XForms processor for mobile devices running Symbian OS or Microsoft Window CE 3.0 operating systems. It provides an easy-to-use cross platform API for developers who want to integrate W3C's XForms technology to their applications.

XForm designer

Xform Designer allows business users to design graphical user interfaces (GUIs) that meet their requirements for application interfaces and forms.

XServerForms

The goal of this project is to provide an open source framework for building Web applications. The core of XServerForms based on standard technologies: Java 2, Java Servlets, XML, XSL Transformations, XForms.

DocumentZone

Foedero Technologies' DocumentZone V2 is integrated with XForms template management, instance data capturing, routing and processing. DocumentZone facilitates the distribution of XForms templates over the Web, and with the DocumentZone Form Filler, XForms can be filled in online or offline, and submitted automatically to target form reception In-baskets.

Xero

Xero is a Web Form development framework developed by Type.a Corp. It consists of the Xero Engine, a client-side XForms Processor currently working on Internet Explorer 6.0 or later and the Xero Form Editor supporting schema-driven form authoring.

OXF

OXF from Orbeon provides two XForms processors. An XForm Input processor for data extraction from the user request and an XForm Output processor for HTML Form generation and population. OXF 2.0 has XForms Improvements (Custom Attributes, Submit controls, Namespace support, etc).

FormFaces

FormFaces is a Java based interaction management technology from Progeny Systems Corporation. for forms-based data entry. FormFaces enables open-standards based forms management across the entire range of enterprise architectures and browser-device types. It is a server-side translator to HTML+Javascript

nForms

An IE plug-in.

OnForm xPress

OnForm xPressis forms designer that facilitates the creation of "xForms" according to the W3C Candidate Recommendation for XML forms. The designer incorporates a multiple document interface, with dockable tools and property windows. The form architect can simply select an xForm control, and "drag and draw" to place the control at the desired location on the form.

Q-Link Version 5.0

This platform enables developing J2EE applications. The new functionality, based on the new XForm standard from W3C, enables developers to visually assemble robust forms by dragging components from a toolbox onto a form canvas.

The XForms Public Mailing List

www-forms-editor@w3.org

Send review comments about XForms 1.0 specification. Additionally, an archive of the list is available

www-forms@w3.org

Join the public discussion on XForms and let us know what you think. Additionally, an archive of the list is available

Subscribe/Unsubscribe:
Send an email to www-forms-request@w3.org with the word subscribe in the email subject header. (To unsubscribe, send email to the same address with the word unsubscribe in the email subject header.) .

For additional help, consult the W3C's public email list pages.

The XForms Working Group

The XForms Working Group (member only link) is open to W3C members and invited experts. The Working Group meets weekly by phone. Face to face meetings occur roughly every 3 months. We are especially interested in people with a rich experience in developing Web forms and supporting tools.

To join, ask your W3C Advisory Committee Representative to email the Working Group chairs and the W3C staff contact to confirm that your organization is prepared to commit the time and expense involved in participating in the Working Group. You will be expected to attend all Working Group meetings and to respond in a timely fashion to email requests.

Current Working Group Participants

• Steven Pemberton, W3C/CWI (Chair)
• Sebastian Schnitzenbaumer, SAP/Mozquito Technologies
• Thierry Michel, W3C (staff contact)
• Rob McDougall, Adobe
• Gavin McKenzie, Adobe (Alternate)
• Micah Dubinko, Cardiff
• Mikko Honkala, Helsinki University Of Technology
• Roland Merrick, IBM (Alternate)
• T.V. Raman, IBM
• David Landwehr, Novell
• Kenneth Sklander, Novell
• Subramanian Peruvemba, Oracle Corporation
• Mark Seaborne, Origo Services
• John Boyer, PureEdge
• Daniel Vogelheim, Sun
• Mark Birbeck, x-port (Invited expert)

Relationship to other work

This section lists known relationships to other efforts, and which Working Groups we need to liaise with. Please let us know if you think we are missing something.

XHTML Modularization

XForms should fit into the framework for the modularization of XHTML. Liaison is needed with the HTML WG.

Privacy Preferences

XForms should be useable together with P3P, W3C's platform for privacy preferences. Liaison is needed with the 3P Specification WG.

XML Schemas

XForms should complement work on XML Schemas, whilst recognizing that most people wishing to create forms are unlikely to be sophisticated XML experts. Liaison is needed with the XML Schema WG.

Web Accessibility Initiative

XForms should make it easy to develop accessible documents. Liaison is needed with the WAI-PF WG.

Internationalization

XForms should support all of the world's languages. Liaison is needed with the I18N WG.

Style Sheets

XForms should be style-able with CSS and XSL. Liaison is needed with the CSS and XSL WGs (n.b. the CSS-UI proposal)

Voice Browsers

XForms should be usable from voice browsers, where users interact with forms via speech recognition and speech synthesis. Liaison is needed with the Voice Browser WG.

Synchronized multimedia

XForms should be useable in conjunction with W3C's work on synchronized multimedia. Liaison is needed with the SYMM WG.

Scaleable Vector Graphics

XForms should be useable in conjunction with W3C's work on vector graphics. Liaison is needed with the SVG WG.

Document Object Model

XForms should fit in well with W3C's work on DOM. Liaison is needed with the DOM WG.

Decimal Arithmetic

Decimal arithmetic works the way we were taught in schools. It represents integer and floating point numbers using base 10, and is important for financial and commercial applications. Mike Cowlishaw has put together a collection of pages giving the reasons why decimal arithmetic is important to electronic business, the historical background and the relevant standards.

Common scripting languages

XForms should avoid conceptual mismatches with scripting languages commonly used on the Web, for example ECMAScript and Java. Liaison with ECMA TC39?

A note from the editor: XForms is a word with no singular form. Other such words in the English language are:ALMS, CATTLE, CLOTHES, PLIERS, SCISSORS, and SHORTS. It is considered a misspelling to use the term "XForm" in a sentence. -MD

Past News:

• 04th April 2003: Xero is a Web Form development framework developed by Type.a Corp. It consists of a client-side XForms Processor and a Form Editor.
• 01th April 2003: Release of the first version of the Chiba/Cocoon (Chicoon) integration package. By integrating Chiba into Cocoon the power and functionality of Chiba's XForms processing is now available to any Cocoon application.
• 31th Mar 2003: The Apache Cocoon XMLForm module is now available as a standalone servlet toolkit. It will be made for continuous synchronization of both the standalone version and the one integrated with Cocoon.
• 24th Mar 2003: The Chiba project has released a new version of its web-based XForms Processor. As a server-side implementation it delivers most of the functionality of the XForms CR to todays browsers regardless of their brand and capabilities.
• 27/28th Feb 2003: W3C Implementation Workshop Waltham, MA, USA.
  Attendees must be either members of the W3C XForms WG or have an XForms 1.0 Implementation. Attendees will exchange experiences, hints and techniques, compare functionality, and discuss XForms 1.0 Candidate Recommendation issues.
• 20 January 2003: XForms 1.0 Public Test Suite now available on W3C site.
• 20 November 2002: FormsPlayer updated to XForms Candidate Recommendation version.
• 19 November 2002: X-Smiles version 0.7 released, featuring (partial) support for XForms Candidate Recommendation version.
• 12 November 2002: Novell's XForms Technology Preview is designed to provide developers with a hands-on introduction to the XForms standard. Supports XForms Candidate Recommendation version.
• 12 November 2002: XForms 1.0 now a Candidate Recommendation. See the press release and testimonials. Please send review comments to www-forms-editor@w3.org (archives).
• 23 October 2002: FormsPlayer, an XForms processor plug-in for Internet Explorer 6 SP 1.
• 21 August 2002: A new Working Draft of XForms 1.0 has been published. This documents includes all changes made during Last Call. The comment period closes on 4 September 2002.
• 02 july 2002: AchieveForms from Business Web Software is a server-based XFORMS designer with a web browser interface that can output forms as XFORMS and can process completed forms from an XFORMS browser to email recipients, databases, and forward XML files of completed form data.
• 26 june 2002: jXForms, a new implementation to work with XForms inside java based applications.
• 14 june 2002: The TrustForm System Viewer is a client side implementation based on the XForms last working draft.
• 13 june 2002: XMLForm is an open source server side implementation of a subset of the XForms working draft. It is tightly integrated in Apache

  Cocoon and seeks to offer an immediate solution for developers interested in using the XForms standard in their applications. It does not implement any of the client side specific features as events and actions.

• 29 April 2002: X-Smiles 0.6 has been released, a java-based XML browser implementing most of XForms 1.0 Last Call Working Draft.This version brings new features and fixes bugs in the previous version.
• 25 March 2002: XFE, now released: a forms engine developed by E-XMLMedia, for development of forms based data entry systems.
• 21 January 2002: X-Smiles 0.5 has been released, a java-based XML browser implementing about 75% of XForms 1.0 Last Call Working Draft and full implementation of the XML Events Last Call Working Draft.
• 07 December 2001: An updated public Working Draft of XForms 1.0 has been published.
• 26 October 2001: X-Smiles 0.45 has been released, which has an experimental support for XML Events.
• 26 October 2001: The XML Events Working Draft has been published as a Last Call Working Draft. The Last Call review period ends on 30 November 2001. Please send review comments before the review period ends to www-html-editor@w3.org (archive).

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