Form Elements
This chapter describes all HTML form elements.
The <input> Element
The most important form element is the <input>
element.
The <input>
element can be displayed in several ways, depending on the type
attribute.
<input name="firstname" type="text">
If the
type
attribute is omitted, the input field gets the default type: "text".
All the different input types are covered in the next chapter.
The <select> Element
The <select>
element defines a drop-down list:
<select name="cars">
<option value="volvo">Volvo</option>
<option value="saab">Saab</option>
<option value="fiat">Fiat</option>
<option value="audi">Audi</option>
</select>
The <option>
elements defines an option that can be selected.
By default, the first item in the drop-down list is selected.
To define a pre-selected option, add the selected
attribute to the option:
<option value="fiat" selected>Fiat</option>
Visible Values:
Use the size
attribute to specify the number of visible values:
<select name="cars" size="3">
<option value="volvo">Volvo</option>
<option value="saab">Saab</option>
<option value="fiat">Fiat</option>
<option value="audi">Audi</option>
</select>
Allow Multiple Selections:
Use the multiple
attribute to allow the user to select more than one value:
<select name="cars" size="4" multiple>
<option value="volvo">Volvo</option>
<option value="saab">Saab</option>
<option value="fiat">Fiat</option>
<option value="audi">Audi</option>
</select>
The <textarea> Element
The <textarea>
element defines a multi-line input field (a text area):
<textarea name="message" rows="10" cols="30">
The cat was playing in the garden.
</textarea>
The rows
attribute specifies the visible number of lines in a text area.
The cols
attribute specifies the visible width of a text area.
You can also define the size of the text area by using CSS:
<textarea name="message" style="width:200px; height:600px;">
The cat was playing in the garden.
</textarea>
The <button> Element
The <button>
element defines a clickable button:
<button type="button" onclick="alert('Hello World!')">Click Me!</button>
Note: Always specify the type attribute for the button element. Different browsers may use different default types for the button element.
HTML5 Form Elements
HTML5 added the following form elements:
-
<datalist>
-
<output>
Note: Browsers do not display unknown elements. New elements that are not supported in older browsers will not "destroy" your web page.
HTML5 <datalist> Element
The <datalist>
element specifies a list of pre-defined options for an <input>
element.
Users will see a drop-down list of the pre-defined options as they input data.
The list
attribute of the <input>
element, must refer to the id
attribute of the <datalist>
element.
<form action="/action_page.php">
<input list="browsers">
<datalist id="browsers">
<option value="Internet Explorer">
<option value="Firefox">
<option value="Chrome">
<option value="Opera">
<option value="Safari">
</datalist>
</form>
HTML5 <output> Element
The <output>
element represents the result of a calculation (like one performed by a script).
Perform a calculation and show the result in an <output>
element:
<form action="/action_page.php"
oninput="x.value=parseInt(a.value)+parseInt(b.value)">
0
<input type="range" id="a" name="a" value="50">
100 +
<input type="number" id="b" name="b" value="50">
=
<output name="x" for="a b"></output>
<br><br>
<input type="submit">
</form>
HTML Form Elements
new in HTML5.
Tag | Description |
---|---|
<form> | Defines an HTML form for user input |
<input> | Defines an input control |
<textarea> | Defines a multiline input control (text area) |
<label> | Defines a label for an <input> element |
<fieldset> | Groups related elements in a form |
<legend> | Defines a caption for a <fieldset> element |
<select> | Defines a drop-down list |
<optgroup> | Defines a group of related options in a drop-down list |
<option> | Defines an option in a drop-down list |
<button> | Defines a clickable button |
<datalist> | Specifies a list of pre-defined options for input controls |
<output> | Defines the result of a calculation |
For a complete list of all available HTML tags, visit our HTML Tag Reference.