HTML Forms

HTML Form Example

The <form> Element

The HTML <form> element defines a form that is used to collect user input:

<form>
.
form elements
.
</form>

An HTML form contains form elements.
Form elements are different types of input elements, like text fields, checkboxes, radio buttons, submit buttons, and more.

The <input> Element

The <input> element is the most important form element.
The <input> element can be displayed in several ways, depending on the type attribute.
Here are some examples:

Type	Description
<input type="text">	Defines a one-line text input field
<input type="radio">	Defines a radio button (for selecting one of many choices)
<input type="submit">	Defines a submit button (for submitting the form)

You will learn a lot more about input types later in this tutorial.

Text Input

<input type="text"> defines a one-line input field for text input:

Example

<form>
First name:<br>
<input type="text" name="firstname"><br>
Last name:<br>
<input type="text" name="lastname">
</form>

This is how it will look like in a browser:
First name:

Last name:

Note: The form itself is not visible. Also note that the default width of a text field is 20 characters.

Radio Button Input

<input type="radio"> defines a radio button.
Radio buttons let a user select ONE of a limited number of choices:

Example

<form>
<input type="radio" name="gender" value="male" checked> Male<br>
<input type="radio" name="gender" value="female"> Female<br>
<input type="radio" name="gender" value="other"> Other
</form>

This is how the HTML code above will be displayed in a browser:
Male
Female
Other

The Submit Button

<input type="submit"> defines a button for submitting the form data to a form-handler.
The form-handler is typically a server page with a script for processing input data.
The form-handler is specified in the form's action attribute:

Example

<form action="/action_page.php">
First name:<br>
<input type="text" name="firstname" value="Mickey"><br>
Last name:<br>
<input type="text" name="lastname" value="Mouse"><br><br>
<input type="submit" value="Submit">
</form>

This is how the HTML code above will be displayed in a browser:

The Action Attribute

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

If the action attribute is omitted, the action is set to the current page.

The Target Attribute

The target attribute specifies if the submitted result will open in a new browser tab, a frame, or in the current window.
The default value is "_self" which means the form will be submitted in the current window.
To make the form result open in a new browser tab, use the value "_blank":

Example

Other legal values are "_parent", "_top", or a name representing the name of an iframe.

The Method Attribute

The method attribute specifies the HTTP method (GET or POST) to be used when submitting the form data:

Example

or:

Example

When to Use GET?

The default method when submitting form data is GET.
However, when GET is used, the submitted form data will be visible in the page address field:

/action_page.php?firstname=Mickey&lastname=Mouse

Notes on GET:

Appends form-data into the URL in name/value pairs
The length of a URL is limited (about 3000 characters)
Never use GET to send sensitive data! (will be visible in the URL)
Useful for form submissions where a user want to bookmark the result
GET is better for non-secure data, like query strings in Google

When to Use POST?

Always use POST if the form data contains sensitive or personal information. The POST method does not display the submitted form data in the page address field.
Notes on POST:

POST has no size limitations, and can be used to send large amounts of data.
Form submissions with POST cannot be bookmarked

The Name Attribute

Each input field must have a name attribute to be submitted.
If the name attribute is omitted, the data of that input field will not be sent at all.
This example will only submit the "Last name" input field:

Example

<form action="/action_page.php">
First name:<br>
<input type="text" value="Mickey"><br>
Last name:<br>
<input type="text" name="lastname" value="Mouse"><br><br>
<input type="submit" value="Submit">
</form>

Grouping Form Data with <fieldset>

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>Personal information:</legend>
    First name:<br>
    <input type="text" name="firstname" value="Mickey"><br>
    Last name:<br>
    <input type="text" name="lastname" value="Mouse"><br><br>
    <input type="submit" value="Submit">
</fieldset>
</form>

This is how the HTML code above will be displayed in a browser:

Test Yourself with Exercises!

Here is the list of <form> attributes:

Attribute	Description
accept-charset	Specifies the charset used in the submitted form (default: the page charset).
action	Specifies an address (url) where to submit the form (default: the submitting page).
autocomplete	Specifies if the browser should autocomplete the form (default: on).
enctype	Specifies the encoding of the submitted data (default: is url-encoded).
method	Specifies the HTTP method used when submitting the form (default: GET).
name	Specifies a name used to identify the form (for DOM usage: document.forms.name).
novalidate	Specifies that the browser should not validate the form.
target	Specifies the target of the address in the action attribute (default: _self).

HTML Form Elements

This chapter describes all HTML form elements.

The <input> Element

The most important form element is the <input> element.
The <input> element can be displayed in several ways, depending on the type attribute.

Example

If the type attribute is omitted, the input field gets the default type: "text".

All the different input types are covered in the next chapter.

The <select> Element

The <select> element defines a drop-down list:

Example

<select 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

<select 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

<select 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>

This is how the HTML code above will be displayed in a browser:

HTML5 Form Elements

HTML5 added the following form elements:

<datalist>
<output>

Note: Browsers do not display unknown elements. New elements that are not supported in older browsers will not "destroy" your web page.

HTML5 <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

HTML5 <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 Form Elements

= new in HTML5.

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

HTML Input Types

This chapter describes the different input types for the <input> element.

Input Type Text

<input type="text"> defines a one-line text input field:

Example

<form>
First name:<br>
<input type="text" name="firstname"><br>
Last name:<br>
<input type="text" name="lastname">
</form>

This is how the HTML code above will be displayed in a browser:
First name:

Last name:

Input Type Password

<input type="password"> defines a password field:

Example

<form>
User name:<br>
<input type="text" name="username"><br>
User password:<br>
<input type="password" name="psw">
</form>

This is how the HTML code above will be displayed in a browser:
User name:

User password:

The characters in a password field are masked (shown as asterisks or circles).

Input Type Submit

<input type="submit"> defines a button for submitting form data to a form-handler.
The form-handler is typically a server page with a script for processing input data.
The form-handler is specified in the form's action attribute:

Example

This is how the HTML code above will be displayed in a browser:
If you omit the submit button's value attribute, the button will get a default text:

Example

Input Type Reset

<input type="reset"> defines a reset button that will reset all form values to their default values:

Example

This is how the HTML code above will be displayed in a browser:
If you change the input values and then click the "Reset" button, the form-data will be reset to the default values.

Input Type Radio

<input type="radio"> defines a radio button.
Radio buttons let a user select ONLY ONE of a limited number of choices:

Example

<form>
<input type="radio" name="gender" value="male" checked> Male<br>
<input type="radio" name="gender" value="female"> Female<br>
<input type="radio" name="gender" value="other"> Other
</form>

This is how the HTML code above will be displayed in a browser:
Male
Female
Other

Input Type Checkbox

<input type="checkbox"> defines a checkbox.
Checkboxes let a user select ZERO or MORE options of a limited number of choices.

Example

This is how the HTML code above will be displayed in a browser:
I have a bike
I have a car

Input Type Button

<input type="button"> defines a button:

Example

This is how the HTML code above will be displayed in a browser:

HTML5 Input Types

HTML5 added several new input types:

color
date
datetime-local
email
month
number
range
search
tel
time
url
week

New input types that are not supported by older web browsers, will behave as <input type="text">.

Input Type Color

The <input type="color"> is used for input fields that should contain a color.
Depending on browser support, a color picker can show up in the input field.

Example

<form>
Select your favorite color:
<input type="color" name="favcolor">
</form>

Input Type Date

The <input type="date"> is used for input fields that should contain a date.
Depending on browser support, a date picker can show up in the input field.

Example

<form>
Birthday:
<input type="date" name="bday">
</form>

You can also add restrictions to dates:

Example

<form>
Enter a date before 1980-01-01:
<input type="date" name="bday" max="1979-12-31"><br>
Enter a date after 2000-01-01:
<input type="date" name="bday" min="2000-01-02"><br>
</form>

Input Type Datetime-local

The <input type="datetime-local"> specifies a date and time input field, with no time zone.
Depending on browser support, a date picker can show up in the input field.

Example

<form>
Birthday (date and time):
<input type="datetime-local" name="bdaytime">
</form>

Input Type Email

The <input type="email"> is used for input fields that should contain an e-mail address.
Depending on browser support, the e-mail address can be automatically validated when submitted.
Some smartphones recognize the email type, and adds ".com" to the keyboard to match email input.

Example

Input Type Month

The <input type="month"> allows the user to select a month and year.
Depending on browser support, a date picker can show up in the input field.

Example

<form>
Birthday (month and year):
<input type="month" name="bdaymonth">
</form>

Input Type Number

The <input type="number"> defines a numeric input field.
You can also set restrictions on what numbers are accepted.
The following example displays a numeric input field, where you can enter a value from 1 to 5:

Example

<form>
Quantity (between 1 and 5):
<input type="number" name="quantity" min="1" max="5">
</form>

Input Restrictions

Here is a list of some common input restrictions (some are new in HTML5):

Attribute	Description
disabled	Specifies that an input field should be disabled
max	Specifies the maximum value for an input field
maxlength	Specifies the maximum number of character for an input field
min	Specifies the minimum value for an input field
pattern	Specifies a regular expression to check the input value against
readonly	Specifies that an input field is read only (cannot be changed)
required	Specifies that an input field is required (must be filled out)
size	Specifies the width (in characters) of an input field
step	Specifies the legal number intervals for an input field
value	Specifies the default value for an input field

You will learn more about input restrictions in the next chapter.
The following example displays a numeric input field, where you can enter a value from 0 to 100, in steps of 10. The default value is 30:

Example

<form>
Quantity:
<input type="number" name="points"min="0" max="100" step="10" value="30">
</form>

Input Type Range

The <input type="range"> defines a control for entering a number whose exact value is not important (like a slider control). Default range is 0 to 100. However, you can set restrictions on what numbers are accepted with the min, max, and step attributes:

Example

Input Type Search

The <input type="search"> is used for search fields (a search field behaves like a regular text field).

Example

<form>
Search Google:
<input type="search" name="googlesearch">
</form>

Input Type Tel

The <input type="tel"> is used for input fields that should contain a telephone number.
The tel type is currently supported only in Safari 8.

Example

<form>
Telephone:
<input type="tel" name="usrtel">
</form>

Input Type Time

The <input type="time"> allows the user to select a time (no time zone).
Depending on browser support, a time picker can show up in the input field.

Example

<form>
Select a time:
<input type="time" name="usr_time">
</form>

Input Type Url

The <input type="url"> is used for input fields that should contain a URL address.
Depending on browser support, the url field can be automatically validated when submitted.
Some smartphones recognize the url type, and adds ".com" to the keyboard to match url input.

Example

<form>
Add your homepage:
<input type="url" name="homepage">
</form>

Input Type Week

The <input type="week"> allows the user to select a week and year.
Depending on browser support, a date picker can show up in the input field.

Example

<form>
Select a week:
<input type="week" name="week_year">
</form>

HTML Input Type Attribute

Tag	Description
<input type="">	Specifies the input type to display

HTML Input Attributes

The value Attribute

The value attribute specifies the initial value for an input field:

Example

<form action="">
First name:<br>
<input type="text" name="firstname" value="John">
</form>

The readonly Attribute

The readonly attribute specifies that the input field is read only (cannot be changed):

Example

<form action="">
First name:<br>
<input type="text" name="firstname" value="John" readonly>
</form>

The disabled Attribute

The disabled attribute specifies that the input field is disabled.
A disabled input field is unusable and un-clickable, and its value will not be sent when submitting the form:

Example

<form action="">
First name:<br>
<input type="text" name="firstname" value="John" disabled>
</form>

The size Attribute

The size attribute specifies the size (in characters) for the input field:

Example

<form action="">
First name:<br>
<input type="text" name="firstname" value="John" size="40">
</form>

The maxlength Attribute

The maxlength attribute specifies the maximum allowed length for the input field:

Example

<form action="">
First name:<br>
<input type="text" name="firstname" maxlength="10">
</form>

With a maxlength attribute, the input field will not accept more than the allowed number of characters.
The maxlength attribute does not provide any feedback. If you want to alert the user, you must write JavaScript code.

Note: Input restrictions are not foolproof, and JavaScript provides many ways to add illegal input. To safely restrict input, it must be checked by the receiver (the server) as well!

HTML5 Attributes

HTML5 added the following attributes for <input>:

autocomplete
autofocus
form
formaction
formenctype
formmethod
formnovalidate
formtarget
height and width
list
min and max
multiple
pattern (regexp)
placeholder
required
step

and the following attributes for <form>:

autocomplete
novalidate

The autocomplete Attribute

The autocomplete attribute specifies whether a form or input field should have autocomplete on or off.
When autocomplete is on, the browser automatically completes the input values based on values that the user has entered before.
Tip: It is possible to have autocomplete "on" for the form, and "off" for specific input fields, or vice versa.
The autocomplete attribute works with <form> and the following <input> types: text, search, url, tel, email, password, datepickers, range, and color.

Example

An HTML form with autocomplete on (and off for one input field):

<form action="/action_page.php" autocomplete="on">
First name:<input type="text" name="fname"><br>
Last name: <input type="text" name="lname"><br>
E-mail: <input type="email" name="email" autocomplete="off"><br>
<input type="submit">
</form>

Tip: In some browsers you may need to activate the autocomplete function for this to work.

The novalidate Attribute

The novalidate attribute is a <form> attribute.
When present, novalidate specifies that the form data should not be validated when submitted.

Example

Indicates that the form is not to be validated on submit:

The autofocus Attribute

The autofocus attribute specifies that the input field should automatically get focus when the page loads.

Example

Let the "First name" input field automatically get focus when the page loads:

First name:<input type="text" name="fname" autofocus>

The form Attribute

The form attribute specifies one or more forms an <input> element belongs to.
Tip: To refer to more than one form, use a space-separated list of form ids.

Example

An input field located outside the HTML form (but still a part of the form):

<form action="/action_page.php" id="form1">
First name: <input type="text" name="fname"><br>
<input type="submit" value="Submit">
</form>

Last name: <input type="text" name="lname" form="form1">

The form action Attribute

The formaction attribute specifies the URL of a file that will process the input control when the form is submitted.
The formaction attribute overrides the action attribute of the <form> element.
The formaction attribute is used with type="submit" and type="image".

Example

An HTML form with two submit buttons, with different actions:

<form action="/action_page.php">
First name: <input type="text" name="fname"><br>
Last name: <input type="text" name="lname"><br>
<input type="submit" value="Submit"><br>
<input type="submit" formaction="/action_page2.php"
value="Submit as admin">
</form>

The form enctype Attribute

The formenctype attribute specifies how the form data should be encoded when submitted (only for forms with method="post").
The formenctype attribute overrides the enctype attribute of the <form> element.
The formenctype attribute is used with type="submit" and type="image".

Example

Send form-data that is default encoded (the first submit button), and encoded as "multipart/form-data" (the second submit button):

<form action="/action_page_binary.asp" method="post">
First name: <input type="text" name="fname"><br>
<input type="submit" value="Submit">
<input type="submit" formenctype="multipart/form-data"
value="Submit as Multipart/form-data">
</form>

The form method Attribute

The formmethod attribute defines the HTTP method for sending form-data to the action URL.
The formmethod attribute overrides the method attribute of the <form> element.
The formmethod attribute can be used with type="submit" and type="image".

Example

The second submit button overrides the HTTP method of the form:

<form action="/action_page.php" method="get">
First name: <input type="text" name="fname"><br>
Last name: <input type="text" name="lname"><br>
<input type="submit" value="Submit">
<input type="submit" formmethod="post" value="Submit using POST">
</form>

The form novalidate Attribute

The formnovalidate attribute overrides the novalidate attribute of the <form> element.
The formnovalidate attribute can be used with type="submit".

Example

A form with two submit buttons (with and without validation):

The form target Attribute

The formtarget attribute specifies a name or a keyword that indicates where to display the response that is received after submitting the form.
The formtarget attribute overrides the target attribute of the <form> element.
The formtarget attribute can be used with type="submit" and type="image".

Example

A form with two submit buttons, with different target windows:

<form action="/action_page.php">
First name: <input type="text" name="fname"><br>
Last name: <input type="text" name="lname"><br>
<input type="submit" value="Submit as normal">
<input type="submit" formtarget="_blank"
value="Submit to a new window">
</form>

The height and width Attributes

The height and width attributes specify the height and width of an <input type="image"> element.

Always specify the size of images. If the browser does not know the size, the page will flicker while images load.

Example

Define an image as the submit button, with height and width attributes:

The list Attribute

The list attribute refers to a <datalist> element that contains pre-defined options for an <input> element.

Example

An <input> element with pre-defined values in a <datalist>:

The min and max Attributes

The min and max attributes specify the minimum and maximum values for an <input> element.
The min and max attributes work with the following input types: number, range, date, datetime-local, month, time and week.

Example

<input> elements with min and max values:

Enter a date before 1980-01-01:
<input type="date" name="bday" max="1979-12-31">

Enter a date after 2000-01-01:
<input type="date" name="bday" min="2000-01-02">

Quantity (between 1 and 5):
<input type="number" name="quantity" min="1" max="5">

The multiple Attribute

The multiple attribute specifies that the user is allowed to enter more than one value in the <input> element.
The multiple attribute works with the following input types: email, and file.

Example

A file upload field that accepts multiple values:

Select images: <input type="file" name="img" multiple>

The pattern Attribute

The pattern attribute specifies a regular expression that the <input> element's value is checked against.
The pattern attribute works with the following input types: text, search, url, tel, email, and password.
Tip: Use the global title attribute to describe the pattern to help the user.
Tip: Learn more about regular expressions in our JavaScript tutorial.

Example

An input field that can contain only three letters (no numbers or special characters):

Country code: <input type="text" name="country_code" pattern="[A-Za-z]{3}" title="Three letter country code">

The placeholder Attribute

The placeholder attribute specifies a hint that describes the expected value of an input field (a sample value or a short description of the format).
The hint is displayed in the input field before the user enters a value.
The placeholder attribute works with the following input types: text, search, url, tel, email, and password.

Example

An input field with a placeholder text:

The required Attribute

The required attribute specifies that an input field must be filled out before submitting the form.
The required attribute works with the following input types: text, search, url, tel, email, password, date pickers, number, checkbox, radio, and file.

Example

A required input field:

Username: <input type="text" name="usrname" required>

The step Attribute

The step attribute specifies the legal number intervals for an <input> element.
Example: if step="3", legal numbers could be -3, 0, 3, 6, etc.

Tip: The step attribute can be used together with the max and min attributes to create a range of legal values.

The step attribute works with the following input types: number, range, date, datetime-local, month, time and week.

Example

An input field with a specified legal number intervals:

HTML Form and Input Elements

Tag	Description
<form>	Defines an HTML form for user input
<input>	Defines an input control

label name

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HTML Form

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