title: How do you implement resource "edit" forms in a RESTful way?
body: <p>We are trying to implement a REST API for an application we have now. We want to expose read/write capabilities for various resources using the REST API. How do we implement the "form" part of this? I get how to expose "read" of our data by creating RESTful URLs that essentially function as method calls and return the data:</p>
  
  <pre><code>GET /restapi/myobject?param=object-id-maybe
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>...and an XML document representing some data structure is returned. Fine.</p>
  
  <p>But, normally, in a web application, an "edit" would involve two requests: one to load the current version of the resources and populate the form with that data, and one to post the modified data back. </p>
  
  <p>But I don't get how you would do the same thing with HTTP methods that REST is sort of mapped to. It's a PUT, right? Can someone explain this?</p>
  
  <p>(Additional consideration: The UI would be primarily done with AJAX)</p>
  
  <p>--
  Update: That definitely helps. But, I am still a bit confused about the server side? Obviously, I am not simply dealing with files here. On the server, the code that answers the requests should be filtering the request method to determine what to do with it? Is that the "switch" between reads and writes?</p>