HTMLForm 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 thetype attribute.
Example
<input type="text" id="fname" name="fname">
All the different values of thetype 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.
Thefor attribute of the<label> tag should be equal to theid attribute of the<input> element to bind them together.
The <select> Element
The<select> element defines a drop-down list:
Example
<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 theselected attribute to the option:
Visible Values:
Use thesize attribute to specify the number of visible values:
Example
<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 themultiple attribute to allow the user to select more than one value:
Example
<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
The cat was playing in the garden.
</textarea>
Therows attribute specifies the visible number of lines in a text area.
Thecols attribute specifies the visible width of a text area.
This is how the HTML code above will be displayed in a browser:
You can also define the size of the text area by using CSS:
Example
The cat was playing in the garden.
</textarea>
The <button> Element
The<button> element defines a clickable button:
This is how the HTML code above will be displayed in a browser:
Note: Always specify thetype 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
<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.
Thelist attribute of the<input> element, must refer to theid attribute of the<datalist> element.
Example
<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:
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
| 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 ourHTML Tag Reference.
