Pick-ListA pick-list is a pull-down list of options available when using a form on the WWW. Synonyms of Pick-List include selection list and pull-down list.
For the casual WWW user, knowing that a pick-list describes a pop-up list of options which may appear when filling-out a form on the Web is all the explanation needed for this term. It should also be included that forms with pick-lists are being used more and more by Web writers, especially those working for commercial entities. Forms are commonly used to aid a user in product selection.
However, for those interested in writing forms in HTML for WWW pages, a lot more knowledge is required. FORM is one of the many elements used in writing good HTML. It allows writers to collect data for a questionnaire, gather information for a database search, and to specify e-mail addresses for an interactive staff directory. However, the FORM element alone can not do anything with the data collected. In order to manipulate the received information in any way, the writer must go beyond the confines of HTML by writing a server-side program to process the data.
This is necessary because the interaction between a server and a HTML document viewed on a browser is simple, albeit highly effective. Documents are read on the WWW via HTTP (hypertext transfer protocol). HTTP is a client-server protocol ideal for the WWW in that it serves information at a very fast rate. However, speed does come with a price to those wanting to develop sophisticated functions. In order to obtain such an efficient high rate of transfer, HTTP was designed to be stateless. This means that it performs commands like a person with no long term memory. It simply does what you ask of it, and then forgets. In order to understand why a form designer must invoke another power in designing useful forms, we can imagine a situation in which we're giving information to a person who has no long term memory:
Q: "Name"
A: "Jane Doe"
Q: "Address"
A: "555 Wayside"
Q: "Name"
A: "Jane Doe"
This could go on indefinitely, as the person asking the question would have no recollection of asking the question after having done it. The process of performing the functions involved with forms is similar to this scenario, as it requires the data collector to remember asking for a piece of information before going on to ask more questions.
In order to deal with these complex situations, Web writers employ CGI, which stands for Common Gateway Interface. "CGI is the specified standard for communication between HTTP servers and server-side gateway programs." (Graham, p. 208) HTML documents using the FORM element must also include information which tells the browser to send the collected information to a gateway program. The program then processes the data and sends it back to the server. The prospect of writing in CGI may be a little intimidating to non-programmers, but to borrow from one of our referenced URLs, "This is NOT rocket science".