A web form collects input in an HTML page and sends it to a server route. In a server-rendered Rust application, an Actix Web handler receives the request, processes the fields, and returns a page rendered with Tera. Forms support tasks such as registration, sign-in, and creating or updating records. section 7.4 section 7.0
<!doctype html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset=utf-8>
<title>Forms with Actix & Rust</title>
</head>
<body>
<h3>Enter name of tutor</h3>
<form action=/tutors method=POST>
<label>
Tutor name:
<input name="name">
</label>
<button type=submit>Submit form</button>
</form>
<hr>
</html>
The minimal form has an input named `name`, a submit button, and `action=/tutors method=POST`. The browser sends the entered value to that route. section 7.4
On the server, `web::Form<T>` makes submitted fields available as a Rust value. A handler can put a field into a Tera `Context`, render a response template, and return the result as HTML. For the tutor-name form, the response displays the submitted name. section 7.4
A registration form adds a fuller request-and-feedback cycle:
- Render fields for username, password, password confirmation, tutor name, image URL, and profile. Tera variables can supply current field values and an error message. section 8.0 section 8.2
- Use HTML checks for required fields and field lengths. After a POST to `/register`, check matching passwords in the Actix Web handler; redisplay the form with an error when validation fails. section 8.2
- On success, process the registration data and report the result. User-management data is stored locally; passwords are stored as hashes rather than clear text. section 8.0 section 8.4
Listing 8.4 Registration template
<!doctype html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset=utf-8>
<title>Tutor registration</title>
<link rel="stylesheet" href="/static/tutor-styles.css"> #1
</head>
<body> #2
<div class="header">
<h1>Welcome to EzyTutor</h1>
<p>Start your own online tutor business in a few minutes</p>
</div>
<div class="center">
<h2>
Tutor registration
</h2>
<form action=/register method=POST> #3
<label for="userid">Enter username</label><br>
<input type="text" name="username" value="{{current_username}}"
autocomplete="username" minlength="6"
maxlength="12" required><br> #4
<label for="password">Enter password</label><br>
<input type="password" name="password"
value="{{current_password}}" autocomplete="new-password"
minlength="8" maxlength="12" required><br> #5
<label for="confirm">Confirm password</label><br>
<input type="password" name="confirmation"
value="{{current_confirmation}}" autocomplete="new-password"
minlength="8" maxlength="12" required><br> #6
<label for="userid">Enter tutor name</label><br>
<input type="text" name="name" value="{{current_name}}"
maxlength="12" required><br>
<label for="imageurl">Enter tutor image url</label><br>
<input type="text" name="imageurl" value="{{current_imageurl}}"
maxlength="30"><br>
<label for="profile">Brief tutor profile</label><br>
<input type="text" name="profile" value="{{current_profile}}"
maxlength="40"><br>
<label for="error"> #7
<p style="color:red">{{error}}</p>
</label>
<br>
<button type=submit id="button1">Register</button>
</form>
<form action=/signinhome method=GET>
<button type=submit id="button2">Sign in</button>
</form>
</div>
<p>
<div id="footer">
(c)Photo by Author
</div>
</p>
</html>
The registration template shows how a POST action, named fields, Tera values, and HTML length and required attributes fit in one form. section 8.2
Sign-in failure
A sign-in form posts a username and password to `/signin`. The handler checks credentials against the local database. If authentication fails, it renders the form again with an error; on success, the user proceeds to the application’s home page. section 9.1 section 9.3
