HTML Form Elements

This chapter describes all the different HTML form elements.

The HTML 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 Element

One of the most used form elements is the <input> element.

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

Example

All the different values of the type attribute are covered in the next chapter: HTML Input Types.

The 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 Element

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

Example

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 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

Allow Multiple Selections:

Use the multiple attribute to allow the user to select more than one value:

Example

The Element

The <textarea> element defines a multi-line input field (a text area):

Example

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

The ** Element

The <button> element defines a clickable button:

Example

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 and Elements

The <fieldset> element is used to group related data in a form.

The <legend> element defines a caption for the <fieldset> element.

Example

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

Personalia: First name:

Last name:

The 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 Element

The <output> element represents the result of a calculation (like one performed by a script).

Example

HTML Form Elements

For a complete list of all available HTML tags, visit our HTML Tag Reference.