--- layout: ikrpg time: June 2, 2013 title: Markup tags: [Sache, Raum, Zeit] editors: [Richard Shepherd] ---
NPC Type
NPC XP Level Comprehensive Antagonist
Starting 14 See profile.
Hero 18 See profile.
Veteran 23 See profile.
Epic 28 See profile.

Do you remember your first form? The first time you realised you could send emails through your site, thanks to a hosted service like Bravenet (remember them?!).

Or perhaps you hacked together a cgi script or even some PHP. But when that first email arrived with the subject line ‘test’ you realised that your website had now become interactive. You could now not only interact with your users, but also tailor your site based on their input. You could send emails through your site, thanks to a hosted service. We now have feature-rich forms, but all at the expense of programming complexity.

Long Live Forms

XP Total Character Advancement
2 +2 occupational skills
4 +1 spell, ability, connection, or military skill

Years later forms are still the primary way our users can interact with us, more than just clicking on links or triggering JavaScript events. Indeed, it’s likely the first thing you do when you start up your favourite browser is type a search query into a form.

XP Total Character Advancement
50 +1 archetype benefit
55 +2 occupational skills
XP Total Character Advancement
100 +1 stat
105 +2 occupational skills

Forms and form elements, as they appeared in the HTML4 spec, were utilitarian but hardly elegant. So we got smart. We enlisted our ever loyal friend JavaScript to lift forms to new heights, create new types of interaction, and give the user instant feedback and support.

Feature Rich Forms

Human
  Starting Value   Hero Limit Vet Limit Epic Limit   Current Value
PHY 5   7 8 8   5
SPD 6   7 7 7   6
STR 4   6 7 8   4
AGL 3   5 6 7   3
PRW 4   5 6 7   4
POI 4   5 6 7   4
INT 3   5 6 7   3
ARC *   4 6 8   *
PER 3   5 6 7   3

With a combination of server-side scripting and AJAX we now have feature-rich forms, but all at the expense of programming complexity. Funny thing is, we’re now so used to this sort of code that what is about to happen almost seems too simple.

Inevitably, as is the case with much of the HTML5 spec, HTML has now caught up with the needs of web designers and developers by providing a remarkably simple way of creating usable and even extensible forms.

Email Sign-up Form Demo

Each form field uses something from the HTML5 spec and we’ll run through it one step at a time. When I refer to a browser supporting a particular feature, I mean the very latest stable release of that browser which you can download from the relevant vendor website.

Of course, when dealing with anything HTML5 related there is a huge browser caveat – some browsers support all some or none of what we’re about to discuss. And it’s changing really fast.

Your best bet at the moment is to use Opera, Chrome or mobile Safari, although we’ll look at browser support a little later on (together with a piece of JavaScript which helps test for certain features).

Starting Abilities, Connections, and Skills Abilities: Medical Knowledge and Medical Training
Connections: Connections (any)
Military Skills: Hand Weapon 1 and Pistol 1
Occupational Skills: Medicine 1, Lore (Medicine) 1, and Research 1
Starting Assets 75gc, surgical kit
 
Physician Abilities Anatomical Precision, Apothecary, Field Medic, Medical Knowledge, Medical Training, Precision Strike, Trauma Surgeon, University Education
Physician Connections Connections (any)
Physician Military Skills Hand Weapon 2, Pistol 2
Physician Occupational Skills Etiquette 4, Forensic Science 2, General Skills 4, Lore (Alchemy) 2, Lore (Medicine) 4, Medicine 4, Negotiation 2, Research 2
 
Current Abilities Medical Knowledge, Medical Training
Current Connections Connections (any)
Current Military Skills Hand Weapon 1, Pistol 1
Current Occupational Skills Medicine 1, Lore (Medicine) 1, Research 1