8.2.2. Query Forms: METHOD=GET

If the processing of a form is idempotent (i.e. it has no lasting observable effect on the state of the world), then the form method should be `GET'. Many database searches have no visible side-effects and make ideal applications of query forms.

To process a form whose action URL is an HTTP URL and whose method is `GET', the user agent starts with the action URI and appends a `?' and the form data set, in `application/x-www-form-urlencoded' format as above. The user agent then traverses the link to this URI just as if it were an anchor (see 7.2, "Activation of Hyperlinks").

NOTE - The URL encoding may result in very long URIs, which cause some historical HTTP server implementations to exhibit defective behavior. As a result, some HTML forms are written using `METHOD=POST' even though the form submission has no side-effects.