HTML Forms

An HTML form is used to collect user input. The user input is most often sent to a server for processing.

Example

The

Element

The HTML <form> element is used to create an HTML form for user input:

 <form>

 .

form elements

 .

 </form>

The <form> element is a container for different types of input elements, such as: text fields, checkboxes, radio buttons, submit buttons, etc.

All the different form elements are covered in this chapter: HTML Form Elements.

The Element

The HTML <input> element is the most used form element.

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

Here are some examples:

All the different input types are covered in this chapter: HTML Input Types.

Text Fields

The <input type="text"> defines a single-line input field for text input.

Example

 <form>

    <label for="fname">First name:</label><br>
  <input
  type="text" id="fname" name="fname"><br>
  <label for="lname">Last
  name:</label><br>
  <input type="text" id="lname" name="lname">
</form>

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

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

The Element

Notice the use of the <label> element in the example above.

The <label> tag defines a label for many form elements.

The <label> element is useful for screen-reader users, because the screen-reader will read out loud the label when the user focuses on the input element.

The <label> element also helps 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.

Radio Buttons

The <input type="radio"> defines a radio button.

Radio buttons let a user select ONE of a limited number of choices.

Example

<p>Choose your favorite Web language:</p>

<form>
  <input type="radio" id="html" name="fav_language"
  value="HTML">
  <label for="html">HTML</label><br>
  <input
  type="radio" id="css" name="fav_language" value="CSS">
  <label
  for="css">CSS</label><br>
  <input type="radio" id="javascript"
  name="fav_language" value="JavaScript">
  <label for="javascript">JavaScript</label>
</form>

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

Choose your favorite Web language:

Checkboxes

The <input type="checkbox"> defines a checkbox.

Checkboxes let a user select ZERO or MORE options of a limited number of choices.

Example

<form>
 <input type="checkbox" id="vehicle1" name="vehicle1" value="Bike">

 <label for="vehicle1"> I have a bike</label><br>
 <input
 type="checkbox" id="vehicle2" name="vehicle2" value="Car">
 <label for="vehicle2">
 I have a car</label><br>
 <input type="checkbox"
 id="vehicle3" name="vehicle3"
 value="Boat">
 <label for="vehicle3"> I have a boat</label>

</form>

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

The Submit Button

The <input type="submit"> defines a button for submitting the form data to a form-handler.

The form-handler is typically a file on the server with a script for processing input data.

The form-handler is specified in the form's action attribute.

Example

 <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>

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

The Name Attribute for

Notice that each input field must have a name attribute to be submitted.

If the name attribute is omitted, the value of the input field will not be sent at all.

Example

 <form action="/action_page.php">
  <label for="fname">First
  name:</label><br>
  <input type="text" id="fname" value="John"><br><br>

  <input type="submit" value="Submit">
</form>