another html page as reply along the waydata typically passes through three programsfrom the client browserto the web serverto the cgi scriptand back again to the browser this is natural model for the database access interaction we're after-users can submit database key to the server and receive the corresponding record as reply page we'll go into cgi basics in depth later in this bookbut as first examplelet' start out with simple interactive example that requests and then echoes back user' name in web browser the first page in this interaction is just an input form produced by the html file shown in example - this html file is stored on the web server machineand it is transferred to the web browser running on the client machine upon request example - pp \preview\cgi html interactive page enter your namenotice how this html form names the script that will process its input on the server in its action attribute this page is requested by submitting its url (web addresswhen received by the web browser on the clientthe input form that this code produces is shown in figure - (in internet explorer herefigure - cgi html input form page when this input form is submitteda web server intercepts the request (more on the web server in momentand runs the python cgi script in example - like the step adding web interface