Form input in Laravel - Mini Project: Build & Apply

Building a Simple Laravel Form Input

📖 Scenario: You are creating a simple web page where users can submit their name using a form. This form will collect the input and prepare it for processing.

🎯 Goal: Build a Laravel form that accepts a user's name and prepares it for submission.

📋 What You'll Learn

Create a route for the form display

Create a Blade view with a form containing a text input named username

Add a CSRF token field inside the form

Add a submit button labeled Submit

💡 Why This Matters

🌍 Real World

Forms are everywhere on websites for collecting user data like names, emails, and messages. This project shows how to build a simple form in Laravel.

💼 Career

Understanding form input handling is essential for backend and full-stack developers working with Laravel to create interactive web applications.

1

Create a route for the form

In the routes/web.php file, create a GET route with the URL /userform that returns the view named userform.

Laravel

// Your code here

Hint

Use Route::get with the URL '/userform' and return view('userform').

2

Create the Blade view with a form

Create a Blade file named userform.blade.php in the resources/views folder. Inside it, add a form with method POST and action /submitname. Add a text input with the name username.

Laravel

use Illuminate\Support\Facades\Route;

Route::get('/userform', function () {
    return view('userform');
});

Hint

Use a <form> tag with method="POST" and action="/submitname". Inside, add <input type="text" name="username">.

3

Add CSRF token and submit button

Inside the form in userform.blade.php, add the Blade directive @csrf for security. Then add a submit button with the text Submit.

Laravel

use Illuminate\Support\Facades\Route;

Route::get('/userform', function () {
    return view('userform');
});

// resources/views/userform.blade.php


    
    

Hint

Use @csrf inside the form and add <button type="submit">Submit</button>.

4

Create POST route to handle form submission

In routes/web.php, add a POST route for /submitname that accepts the request and returns a simple string with the submitted username using request('username').

Laravel

use Illuminate\Support\Facades\Route;

Route::get('/userform', function () {
    return view('userform');
});

// Add POST route for /submitname below

// resources/views/userform.blade.php


    @csrf
    
    Submit

Hint

Use Route::post('/submitname', function () { return 'Hello, ' . request('username'); });.

Practice

1. What is the main purpose of adding a name attribute to an input field in a Laravel form?

easy

A. It identifies the input data when the form is submitted

B. It styles the input field with CSS

C. It disables the input field

D. It adds a placeholder text inside the input

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand the role of the name attribute

   The name attribute is used to label the input data so the server can identify it when the form is submitted.

2. Step 2: Recognize other options are unrelated to data submission

   Styling, disabling, or placeholder text do not affect how data is sent to the server.

3. Final Answer:

   It identifies the input data when the form is submitted -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Input name = data key [OK]

Hint: Name attribute links input to server data key [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing name with styling or placeholder
• Thinking name disables input
• Ignoring name causes missing data on submit

2. Which of the following is the correct way to include CSRF protection in a Laravel Blade form?

easy

A. <form> @csrf </form>

B. <form> <csrf> </form>

C. <form> <input type='csrf'> </form>

D. <form> <token> @csrf </form>

Solution

1. Step 1: Recall Laravel's CSRF directive

   Laravel uses the Blade directive @csrf inside forms to add a hidden CSRF token input automatically.

2. Step 2: Check syntax correctness

   Only @csrf is valid; other tags like <csrf> or <token> are invalid HTML or Blade syntax.

3. Final Answer:

   <form> @csrf </form> -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Use @csrf in Blade forms [OK]

Hint: Use @csrf inside Blade forms for security [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Writing invalid HTML tags like <csrf>
• Forgetting to add CSRF token causes errors
• Using input type='csrf' which is not valid

3. Given this Blade form snippet:

<form method="POST" action="/submit">
  @csrf
  <input type="text" name="username" value="John">
  <button type="submit">Send</button>
</form>

What will request('username') return in the controller after submission?

medium

A. null

B. An error because value attribute is ignored

C. "John"

D. "username"

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand form input and value attribute

   The input has name="username" and value="John", so the form sends "John" as the username.

2. Step 2: Recall how Laravel's request() works

   Calling request('username') retrieves the submitted value for the input named "username".

3. Final Answer:

   "John" -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   Input value sent = request('name') [OK]

Hint: Input value attribute sets default sent data [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Thinking value attribute is ignored on submit
• Expecting request('username') to return the name string
• Confusing request() with old() helper

4. Identify the error in this Laravel Blade form snippet:

<form method="POST" action="/save">
  <input type="text" name="email">
</form>

medium

A. Input name attribute is not allowed

B. Input type should be 'email' not 'text'

C. Form action URL is invalid

D. Missing @csrf directive for security

Solution

1. Step 1: Check for CSRF protection in POST forms

   Laravel requires a CSRF token in POST forms to prevent attacks. This form lacks @csrf.

2. Step 2: Validate other parts

   Input type 'text' is allowed for emails (though 'email' is better), action URL is valid, and name attribute is required.

3. Final Answer:

   Missing @csrf directive for security -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   POST forms need @csrf [OK]

Hint: Always add @csrf in POST forms [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Forgetting @csrf causes 419 error
• Thinking input type must be 'email' for emails
• Assuming action URL must be absolute

5. You want to create a form that submits a user's age but only accepts numbers between 18 and 99. Which is the best way to enforce this in a Laravel Blade form input?

hard

A. <input type="text" name="age" pattern="[18-99]">

B. <input type="number" name="age" min="18" max="99" required>

C. <input type="number" name="age" min="18" max="99">

D. <input type="text" name="age" required>

Solution

1. Step 1: Use input type number with min and max attributes

   Setting type="number" with min="18" and max="99" restricts input to numbers in that range.

2. Step 2: Add required to ensure user cannot submit empty

   This makes the field mandatory, improving validation before submission.

3. Final Answer:

   <input type="number" name="age" min="18" max="99" required> -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   Number input with min/max and required [OK]

Hint: Use number input with min, max, and required [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using text input with incorrect pattern syntax
• Omitting required allows empty submission
• Using min/max without input type number