The OsidObjectForm is used to create and update OsidObjects. The form is not an OsidObject but merely a container for data to be sent to an update or create method of a session. A provider may or may not combine the OsidObject and OsidObjectForm interfaces into a single object.

Generally, a set method parallels each get method of an OsidObject. Additionally, Metadata may be examined for each data element to assist in understanding particular rules concerning acceptable data.

The form may provide some feedback as to the validity of certain data updates before the update transaction is issued to the correspodning session but a successful modification of the form is not a guarantee of success for the update transaction. A consumer may elect to perform all updates within a single update transaction or break up a large update intio smaller units. The tradeoff is the granularity of error feedback vs. the performance gain of a single transaction.

As with all aspects of the OSIDs, nulls cannot be used. Methods to clear values are also defined in the form.

A new OsidForm should be acquired for each transaction upon an OsidObject. Forms should not be reused from one object to another even if the supplied data is the same as the forms may encapsulate data specific to the object requested. Example of changing a display name and a color defined in a color interface extension:

ObjectForm form = session.getObjectFormForUpdate(objectId);
form.setDisplayName("new name");
ColorForm recordForm = form.getFormRecord(colorRecordType);
recordForm.setColor("green");
session.updateObject(objectId, form);