Java Forms: Better than HTML

Dave Andrews

Now that forms vendors have tackled the Common Gateway Interface (CGI) problem, they are addressing the next step in Internet forms software, the incorporation of Java. Vendors such as JetForm ( http://www.jetform.com ) and Caere ( http://www.caere.com ) have introduced products that let developers create -- without having to learn CGI programming -- forms solutions that can integrate with databases for e lectronic-commerce and work-flow applications.

However, the current solutions have trade-offs. You can let an end user fill out a Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) form using any Web browser, but HTML doesn't let you preserve the exact look of a paper-based form. Or, users can fill in a non-HTML form that has added intelligence (e.g., field validation and error checking at the cl ient) and a more robust look, but that requires them to download a proprietary filler product such as JetForm Filler for the Web. This is where Java can save the day.

JetForm, which acquired Delrina's forms and work-flow technology from Symantec, is about to enter beta testing on an upgrade to its forms designer, which will soon emit a Java applet. According to Michael Cohen of Paperless Performance ( h ttp://www.paperless.com ), a developer of electronic-forms solutions, Java support lets you have the best of both worlds. You can view forms in any Java-compliant Web browser, and, unlike HTML forms, the Java applet can have field-level intelligence and help, and also be an exact replica of a paper-based form. Field-level intelligence lets a form catch user-input errors before erroneous data is sent to a server. "And providing an exact replication of the paper form that may be used today makes people, especially computer novices, more comfortable when filling in the electronic form," says Cohen.

JetForm admits that the initial version of its Java solution will not have the full functionality of its JetForm Filler. For example, the initial Java implementation probably will not support database lookups. But JetForm officials say they will continue to improve their Java story.