For a search, sort, or filter form, use method="get" and give each control its own name. The browser then puts the submitted values in the URL query string. For a form that changes data, use POST and redirect to a result URL; for a JavaScript app that stays on the same page, update the URL with URLSearchParams and the History API.
Use a GET form for searches, sorting, and filters
GET is the simplest way to reflect submitted values in the URL when the form requests or filters a representation rather than changing server data. Each field needs a name; that name becomes the query parameter. See MDN’s HTML form documentation and its GET method reference.
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<form action="/finance/markets/" method="get">
<label for="sortname">Sort by</label>
<select id="sortname" name="sortname">
<option value="date">Date</option>
<option value="title">Title</option>
</select>
<label for="sortdir">Direction</label>
<select id="sortdir" name="sortdir">
<option value="asc">Ascending</option>
<option value="desc">Descending</option>
</select>
<button type="submit">Apply</button>
</form>If the user selects Title and Descending, submitting navigates to a URL shaped like /finance/markets/?sortname=title&sortdir=desc. The exact path comes from action, and the query values come from the selected options.
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A free scan shows the junk files, broken settings and background clutter dragging Windows down - then fixes them in one click.Free scan · Windows 10 & 11Keep separate values in separate named controls. Putting sortdir=desc inside the sortname option’s value does not create a second parameter; it remains part of one value and is encoded accordingly. HTML forms default to GET when no method is specified, but writing method="get" makes the intended behavior explicit.
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Use POST and redirect when the form changes data
For actions such as creating an account or saving a record, submit with POST and process the request on the server. If the user should finish on a clean result page, respond with a redirect to a URL such as /results?sortname=title&sortdir=desc. Build the query using the server language’s URL-encoding tools and include only values the server has accepted and validated.
A 303 See Other is useful for this POST-then-redirect pattern: the browser follows the redirect with a GET request to the destination. Consult MDN’s 303 status documentation. Do not put passwords or similarly sensitive values in query parameters; URLs can be visible in the address bar and exposed through systems that handle URLs. POST keeps submitted form data in the request body, though it does not by itself make a submission secure.
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Update the URL in a JavaScript app
If JavaScript handles the form and displays results without a full-page navigation, construct the query with URLSearchParams rather than concatenating raw strings. Then use the History API to add or replace the current history entry.
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const url = new URL(window.location.href);
for (const [key, value] of params) {
url.searchParams.set(key, value);
}
// Update or fetch the app's results separately.
history.pushState(
{ sort: url.searchParams.get("sortname") },
"",
url
);Use pushState() when the change should create a Back-button step. Use replaceState() when it should update the current entry instead. Both require a same-origin URL. These calls change the address bar and browser history; they do not fetch the URL or render the corresponding results. Your app must update its UI separately and restore the right state when the user navigates Back or Forward. See MDN’s pushState reference and URLSearchParams documentation.
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Choose the right approach
| Form purpose | Approach | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Search, sort, or filter results that should be shareable or bookmarkable | GET form with named fields | The browser submits the field values as query parameters. |
| Save data or perform another state-changing action | POST, then redirect to a result URL | The server processes the submission, then the browser visits a clean destination with GET. |
| JavaScript app updates results without navigating | URLSearchParams with pushState() or replaceState() |
The app can synchronize its URL, history, and interface state. |
| Submission contains a password or another sensitive value | POST; keep the value out of the URL | The value is submitted in the request body rather than a query string. |
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