Introduction

Flask allows you to easily handle form data submitted by users in your web applications. In this guide, we'll explore the process of handling form data in Flask. We'll cover creating HTML forms, receiving data in Flask routes, and processing the form data.

Step 1: Creating an HTML Form

Start by creating an HTML form where users can input data. Here's a basic example of an HTML form:

<form method="POST" action="/submit">
    <label for="name">Name:</label>
    <input type="text" id="name" name="name" required>
    <br>
    <label for="email">Email:</label>
    <input type="email" id="email" name="email" required>
    <br>
    <input type="submit" value="Submit">
</form>
        

In this example, we have a simple form with fields for name and email. The method="POST" attribute specifies that the form data will be sent to the server for processing when the user submits the form.

Step 2: Handling Form Data in Flask

In your Flask application, create a route to handle the form submission. Here's a Flask route that processes the submitted data:

from flask import Flask, request
app = Flask(__name)
@app.route('/submit', methods=['POST'])
def submit():
    name = request.form['name']
    email = request.form['email']
    return f"Name: {name}, Email: {email}"
        

In this route, we use request.form to access the form data. We retrieve the values of the 'name' and 'email' fields submitted in the form and return a response with the received data.

Step 3: Running Your Application

As usual, run your Flask application with the following code at the end of your script:

if __name__ == '__main__':
    app.run()
        

Now, you can run your application with the command python your_app.py and access the form to submit data. The data will be processed by the 'submit' route.

Conclusion

Handling form data in Flask is an essential part of building interactive web applications. By creating HTML forms, defining routes to receive the data, and processing the form data in your Flask application, you can create dynamic web experiences for your users.