HTML Form Attributes | HTML for Junior Classes - Class 3 PDF Download

This chapter describes the different attributes for the HTML <form> element.

The Action Attribute

The action attribute defines the action to be performed when the form is submitted.
Usually, the form data is sent to a file on the server when the user clicks on the submit button.
In the example below, the form data is sent to a file called "action_page.php". This file contains a server-side script that handles the form data:

Example

On submit, send form data to "action_page.php":

<form action="/action_page.php">

  <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">

</form>

The Target Attribute

The target attribute specifies where to display the response that is received after submitting the form.
The target attribute can have one of the following values:

The default value is _self which means that the response will open in the current window.
Example

Here, the submitted result will open in a new browser tab:

<form action="/action_page.php" target="_blank">

The Method Attribute

The method attribute specifies the HTTP method to be used when submitting the form data.
The form-data can be sent as URL variables (with method="get") or as HTTP post transaction (with method="post").
The default HTTP method when submitting form data is GET.
Example
This example uses the GET method when submitting the form data:

<form action="/action_page.php" method="get">

Example
This example uses the POST method when submitting the form data:

<form action="/action_page.php" method="post">

Notes on GET

• Appends the form data to the URL, in name/value pairs
• NEVER use GET to send sensitive data! (the submitted form data is visible in the URL!)
• The length of a URL is limited (2048 characters)
• Useful for form submissions where a user wants to bookmark the result
• GET is good for non-secure data, like query strings in Google

Notes on POST

• Appends the form data inside the body of the HTTP request (the submitted form data is not shown in the URL)
• POST has no size limitations, and can be used to send large amounts of data.
• Form submissions with POST cannot be bookmarked

Note: Always use POST if the form data contains sensitive or personal information!

The Autocomplete Attribute

The autocomplete attribute specifies whether a form should have autocomplete on or off.
When autocomplete is on, the browser automatically complete values based on values that the user has entered before.
Example
A form with autocomplete on:

<form action="/action_page.php" autocomplete="on">

The Novalidate Attribute

The novalidate attribute is a boolean attribute.
When present, it specifies that the form-data (input) should not be validated when submitted.
Example
A form with a novalidate attribute:

<form action="/action_page.php" novalidate>