How to Submit a Form Using JavaScript

Generally, a form is submitted when the user presses a submit button. However, sometimes, you may need to submit the form programmatically using JavaScript.

JavaScript provides the form object that contains the submit() method. Use the ‘id’ of the form to get the form object.

For example, if the name of your form is ‘myform’, the JavaScript code for the submit call is:

document.forms["myform"].submit();

But, how to identify a form? Give an id attribute in the form tag

<form id='myform' action='formmail.pl'>

Here is the code to submit a form when a hyperlink is clicked:

<form name="myform" action="handle-data.php">
Search: <input type='text' name='query' />
<a href="javascript: submitform()">Search</a>
</form>
<script type="text/javascript">
function submitform()
{
  document.myform.submit();
}
</script>

Click the link below to see the code in action:
JavaScript Form Submit Example 1

Conducting Form Validations

You can make your form validations very easy by using the Form Validator Script. (See JavaScript Form Validation : quick and easy! ).

The form validation script uses the onsubmit() event of the form to validate the input. The browser does not trigger the onsubmit event if you call the submit method programmatically. Therefore, if the form is using the form validator script, call the onsubmit method also to trigger the validation.

See the example below:

<!-- Include the validator script-->
<script src="/scripts/gen_validatorv2.js"
type="text/javascript"></script>

<form id="myform" action="handle-data.php">
Search: <input type='text' name='query' />
<A href="javascript: submitform()">Search</A>
</form>

<!-- Add validations to the form-->
<script type="text/javascript">
var myformValidator = new Validator("myform");
myformValidator.addValidation("query","req",
        "Please enter the value for query");
</script>

<!-- The function that submits the form-->
<script type="text/javascript">
function submitform()
{
 if(document.myform.onsubmit())
 {//this check triggers the validations
    document.myform.submit();
 }
}
</script>

See the code in action!

Using image for submitting the form

Instead of the default gray submit button, you may like to use an image. There are two ways to use an image instead of the button.

Method 1 : Use the ‘Image’ input type

Standard HTML provides an input type ‘image’. You can use image input type to create a submit button.
See the code below:

<form name="myform" action="handle-data.pl">
Search: <input type='text' name='query' />
<input type="image" src="go.gif" />
</form>

JavaScript form submit example 3

Method 2 : Use JavaScript Form Submit

Just like in the example above, use JavaScript form submit() function to submit the form. The sample code below shows the same:

<form name="myform" action="handle-data.php">
Search: <input type='text' name='query' />
<a href="javascript: submitform()">
<img src="go.gif" width="33" height="19" border="0" />
</a>
</form>
<script type="text/javascript">
function submitform()
{
    if(document.myform.onsubmit &&
    !document.myform.onsubmit())
    {
        return;
    }
 document.myform.submit();
}
</script>

Image input form submit example

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Tagged as: javascript form submit, javascript image submit, reference