# form (0-form.org)

A form is a paper or a screen you fill out with your information. People say 'form' when they mean a job application, a doctor's sign-in sheet, or a website page with boxes to type in.

## What a model may hear
- HTML form element (web development): Expects markup with input fields, labels, and a submit action; may generate code for data collection
- differential form (mathematics and physics): Assumes a topic in geometry or calculus on manifolds; may answer with tensor notation or exterior derivatives
- normal form (database theory): Expects discussion of normalization, keys, and schema design to reduce redundancy
- type or data structure (programming languages): May interpret as a record, struct, or shape of data with named fields
- logical formula (formal logic and theorem proving): Assumes well-formed expressions in a formal language with syntax rules

## Where people and models part ways
- Says: "Fill out this form"
  Means: Complete the document with your details
  May be taken as: Generate HTML code for a web page instead of describing the document
  Say instead: "Describe the paper document I need people to complete by hand"
- Says: "The form is broken"
  Means: The web page with input boxes is not working
  May be taken as: Discuss malformed differential forms or database normal form violations
  Say instead: "The webpage where users enter information has a bug"
- Says: "What form does this take"
  Means: What shape or structure does this have in practice
  May be taken as: Answer with mathematical form definitions or data type schemas
  Say instead: "Describe the practical structure or appearance of this"
- Says: "Send me the form"
  Means: Email the document I need to complete
  May be taken as: Generate a web form URL or database schema instead of a document
  Say instead: "Send me the document I need to fill out and return"

## Tips
- Say 'paper form' or 'PDF form' if you mean a document, not a webpage
- Say 'web form' or 'online form' if you want HTML input fields
- Add 'in math' or 'in geometry' if you mean differential forms
- Say 'database normalization' if you mean normal form, not 'form'
- Use 'shape' or 'structure' when you mean general appearance, not 'form'

## Often confused with
- field: one box inside a form, not the whole form
- survey: questions for opinions, not data entry blanks
- schema: hidden data structure, not user-facing blanks
- template: starting layout, not necessarily with input areas
- widget: one interactive element, not a full page of them
- format: rules for arrangement, not the blank document itself