php question

hey i have a php/html related question

so i have my php page, in which i have the html code for a form with input of type text, where the user will input something

then below i have the <?php function(parameter) ?> that will fill the page
how do i make the user input be the parameter?

http://html.net/

Pass $_POST['form_field_name'] or $_GET['form_field_name'] (depending on request method) to the function.

what are the best GIF makers/optimizers out there? i can't remember what i used, but whatever it was, i got a 20MB gif... (i even made it 160x120, halved the framerate)