Browsing For Files From A Browser?

I have a tabular html form where users can enter a number of titles and file specifications in columns. Having the users actually ENTER the full filespec (path AND filename) has proven problematic so I'd like to give them a way to browse around the local system on which the browser is running, and select the file. When done, they hit Submit and the filespec get sent to php along with everything else on the form.....

So far I've gotten lots of "you can't do that" (I stupidly thought the input type="file" would actually work), and found a few javascript samples that MIGHT do it if I could get any of them to work. I CAN'T be the first person ever to need a way for users to do this to upload or email files or whatever. I"m sure I'm missing something important, but I'm astonished there isn't a reasonable way to do this in html.

First, CAN THIS be done in javascript - Display the form. Show any previously entered values in the fields. Let the user change existing filespecs, enter new filespecs, or browse the system to select filespecs. Put whatever they select in the field. When they hit submit send the filespec (the WHOLE filespec) along with the other data back to php for storage?

If so, does anyone have a pointer to a good, simple, idiot-proof example? Unfortunately, at this time I know VERY little about javascript, so I need something that can be understood and quickly implemented...