February 17Feb 17 Administrators HTML Form Elements This chapter describes all the different HTML form elements. The HTML <form> Elements The HTML <form> element can contain one or more of the following form elements: <input> <label> <select> <textarea> <button> <fieldset> <legend> <datalist> <output> <option> <optgroup> The <input> Element One of the most used form elements is the <input> element. The <input> element can be displayed in several ways, depending on the type attribute. Example <label for="fname">First name:</label><input type="text" id="fname" name="fname"> All the different values of the type attribute are covered in the next chapter: HTML Input Types. The <label> Element The <label> element defines a label for several form elements. The <label> element is useful for screen-reader users, because the screen-reader will read out loud the label when the user focus on the input element. The <label> element also help users who have difficulty clicking on very small regions (such as radio buttons or checkboxes) - because when the user clicks the text within the <label> element, it toggles the radio button/checkbox. The for attribute of the <label> tag should be equal to the id attribute of the <input> element to bind them together. The <select> Element The <select> element defines a drop-down list: Example <label for="cars">Choose a car:</label><select id="cars" 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> element 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: Example <option value="fiat" selected>Fiat</option> Visible Values: Use the size attribute to specify the number of visible values: Example <label for="cars">Choose a car:</label><select id="cars" 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: Example <label for="cars">Choose a car:</label><select id="cars" 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): Example <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. This is how the HTML code above will be displayed in a browser: The cat was playing in the garden. You can also define the size of the text area by using CSS: Example <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: Example <button type="button">Click Me!</button> This is how the HTML code above will be displayed in a browser: Click Me! Note: Always specify the type attribute for the button element. Different browsers may use different default types for the button element. The <fieldset> and <legend> Elements The <fieldset> element is used to group related data in a form. The <legend> element defines a caption for the <fieldset> element. Example <form action="/action_page.php"> <fieldset> <legend>Personalia:</legend> <label for="fname">First name:</label><br> <input type="text" id="fname" name="fname" value="John"><br> <label for="lname">Last name:</label><br> <input type="text" id="lname" name="lname" value="Doe"><br><br> <input type="submit" value="Submit"> </fieldset></form> This is how the HTML code above will be displayed in a browser: The <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. Example <form action="/action_page.php"> <input list="browsers"> <datalist id="browsers"> <option value="Edge"> <option value="Firefox"> <option value="Chrome"> <option value="Opera"> <option value="Safari"> </datalist> </form> The <output> Element The <output> element represents the result of a calculation (like one performed by a script). Example Perform a calculation and show the result in an <output> element: <form action="/action_page.php" > 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 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.
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