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

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 element 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">

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> 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:
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:

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" 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.

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="Internet Explorer">

    <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"

  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>