Html: Is it possible to have a FORM tag in each TABLE ROW in a XHTML valid way?

Practicality with HTML5

HTML5 has introduced us to the form attribute, broadening the horizon of possibilities. This allows multiple forms in the same page, which means your table can contain individual forms for each row. 🙌

<tr><td><form id="form1">...</form></td></tr>
<tr><td><input type="text" form="form1"></td></tr>
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Note: Ensure you confirm the compatibility with older browsers such as IE10 and IE11, which unfortunately don't support the form attribute.

Diving into divs for old-school browsers

Do you have an old-school browser compatibility requirement? Don't despair! Use CSS display properties to mimic table layouts. Deploy div based structures, and embed your beloved <form> tags within these blocks.

<div style="display:table-row">
  <div style="display:table-cell">
    <form>...</form>
  </div>
</div>
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👓 Pro tip: Code like this also promotes XHTML strict compliance.

Nifty JavaScript form handling

Thanks to the magic of JavaScript and jQuery, your forms can be managed smoothly within the table rows without the form attribute. Invoke the $.post and serialize the input for each row.

$('form').each(function () {
  // Serialize like an undercover agent 🕵️‍♂️
  var formData = $(this).serialize();
  $.post('url', formData, function(response) {
    // Revel in your success 🍹
  });
});
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That said, for XHTML validity, it's crucial the form tag is never a direct child of <table>, <tbody>, or <tr>.

Using CSS to create table-like divs

Fan of stylesheets? Cue the CSS classes .table, .table-row, .table-cell to replicate tables, whilst gracefully hosting <form> elements sans validation hiccup.

Clicking away with JQuery

A well-placed click handler can spring a row-specific form submission into action. An additional data-action attribute on anchors can serve dynamic form submission endpoints.

<td><a class="update" data-action="update-row">Update</a></td>
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$('.update').click(function() {
  var action = $(this).data('action');
  // Action time! Lights, camera...submit! 🎬
});
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Dynamically generating layouts

For those complex necessities, dynamically generated tables integrated with forms can be your go-to solution. This method hinges on server-side scripting or front-end frameworks, making sure the output abides by XHTML validity.

# Server-side rendering using Python/Flask
@app.route('/render_table')
def render_table():
  # 50 shades of grey code, minus the mystery 🤓
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Instant feedback with JS

A touch of JavaScript can supply momentary feedback post form submission, saving the day from page refreshes and enhancing your user experience.

$('form').submit(function (e) {
  e.preventDefault();
  // Submit data, then...
  alert('Form submitted! 🎉');
});
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