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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 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">

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> 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

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" onclick="alert('Hello World!')">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">
<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:

Personalia: First name:

Last name:

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

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:

HTML Exercises

Test Yourself With Exercises

Exercise:

In the form below, add an empty drop down list with the name "cars".

Start the Exercise