HTML Forms

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

The <form> 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.

The <input> 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:

Type
Description

<input type="text">

Displays a single-line text input field

<input type="radio">

Displays a radio button (for selecting one of many choices)

<input type="checkbox">

Displays a checkbox (for selecting zero or more of many choices)

<input type="submit">

Displays a submit button (for submitting the form)

<input type="button">

Displays a clickable button

Text Fields

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

<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>

The <label> 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 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.

Radio Buttons

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

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

<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>

Checkboxes

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

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

<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>

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.

<form action="/action_page">
  <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>

The Name Attribute for <input>

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.

<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>

The Action Attribute

The action attribute defines the action to be performed when the form is submitted.

Usually, the form data is sent to a file on the server when the user clicks on the submit button.

In the example below, the form data is sent to a file called "action_page.php". This file contains a server-side script that handles the form data:

<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>

The Target Attribute

The target attribute specifies where to display the response that is received after submitting the form.

The target attribute can have one of the following values:

Value
Description

_blank

The response is displayed in a new window or tab

_self

The response is displayed in the current window

_parent

The response is displayed in the parent frame

_top

The response is displayed in the full body of the window

framename

The response is displayed in a named iframe

The default value is _self which means that the response will open in the current window.

<form action="/action_page.php" target="_blank">

The Method Attribute

The method attribute specifies the HTTP method to be used when submitting the form data.

The form-data can be sent as URL variables (with method="get") or as HTTP post transaction (with method="post").

The default HTTP method when submitting form data is GET. 

<form action="/action_page.php" method="get">
<form action="/action_page.php" method="post">

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.

<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:

<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:

<option value="fiat" selected>Fiat</option>

Visible Values:

Use the size attribute to specify the number of visible values:

<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:

<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):

<textarea name="message" rows="10" cols="30">
The cat was playing in the garden.
</textarea>
<!-- You can also define the size of the text area by using CSS -->
<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:

<button type="button" onclick="alert('Hello World!')">Click Me!</button>

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.

<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>

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.

<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).

<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>

HTML Input Types

Here are the different input types you can use in HTML:

  • <input type="button">

  • <input type="checkbox">

  • <input type="color">

  • <input type="date">

  • <input type="datetime-local">

  • <input type="email">

  • <input type="file">

  • <input type="hidden">

  • <input type="image">

  • <input type="month">

  • <input type="number">

  • <input type="password">

  • <input type="radio">

  • <input type="range">

  • <input type="reset">

  • <input type="search">

  • <input type="submit">

  • <input type="tel">

  • <input type="text">

  • <input type="time">

  • <input type="url">

  • <input type="week">

Input Type Text

<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>

Input Type Password

<form>
  <label for="username">Username:</label><br>
  <input type="text" id="username" name="username"><br>
  <label for="pwd">Password:</label><br>
  <input type="password" id="pwd" name="pwd">
</form>

Input Type Submit

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:

<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>

<!-- If you omit the submit button's value attribute, the button will get a default text -->

<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">
</form>

Input Type Reset

<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">
  <input type="reset">
</form>

Input Type Radio

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

<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>

Input Type Checkbox

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

<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>

Input Type Button

<input type="button" onclick="alert('Hello World!')" value="Click Me!">

Input Type Color

Depending on browser support, a color picker can show up in the input field.

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

Input Type Date

Depending on browser support, a date picker can show up in the input field.

<form>
  <label for="birthday">Birthday:</label>
  <input type="date" id="birthday" name="birthday">
</form>

You can also use the min and max attributes to add restrictions to dates:

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

Input Type Datetime-local

Depending on browser support, a date picker can show up in the input field.

<form>
  <label for="birthdaytime">Birthday (date and time):</label>
  <input type="datetime-local" id="birthdaytime" name="birthdaytime">
</form>

Input Type Email

Depending on browser support, the e-mail address can be automatically validated when submitted.

Some smartphones recognize the email type, and add ".com" to the keyboard to match email input.

<form>
  <label for="email">Enter your email:</label>
  <input type="email" id="email" name="email">
</form>

Input Type Image

The path to the image is specified in the src attribute.

<form>
<input type="image" src="img_submit.gif" alt="Submit" width="48" height="48">
</form>

Input Type File

<form>
  <label for="myfile">Select a file:</label>
  <input type="file" id="myfile" name="myfile">
</form>

Input Type Hidden

A hidden field lets web developers include data that cannot be seen or modified by users when a form is submitted.

A hidden field often stores what database record that needs to be updated when the form is submitted.

Note: While the value is not displayed to the user in the page's content, it is visible (and can be edited) using any browser's developer tools or "View Source" functionality. Do not use hidden inputs as a form of security!

<form>
  <label for="fname">First name:</label>
  <input type="text" id="fname" name="fname"><br><br>
  <input type="hidden" id="custId" name="custId" value="3487">
  <input type="submit" value="Submit">
</form>

Input Type Month

Depending on browser support, a date picker can show up in the input field.

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

Input Type Number

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:

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

Input Restrictions

Here is a list of some common input restrictions:

Attribute
Description

checked

Specifies that an input field should be pre-selected when the page loads (for type="checkbox" or type="radio")

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

<form>
  <label for="quantity">Quantity:</label>
  <input type="number" id="quantity" name="quantity" 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:

<form>
  <label for="vol">Volume (between 0 and 50):</label>
  <input type="range" id="vol" name="vol" min="0" max="50">
</form>

Input Type Search

<form>
  <label for="gsearch">Search Google:</label>
  <input type="search" id="gsearch" name="gsearch">
</form>

Input Type Tel

<form>
  <label for="phone">Enter your phone number:</label>
  <input type="tel" id="phone" name="phone" pattern="[0-9]{3}-[0-9]{2}-[0-9]{3}">
</form>

Input Type Time

Depending on browser support, a time picker can show up in the input field.

<form>
  <label for="appt">Select a time:</label>
  <input type="time" id="appt" name="appt">
</form>

Input Type Url

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.

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

Input Type Week

Depending on browser support, a date picker can show up in the input field.

<form>
  <label for="week">Select a week:</label>
  <input type="week" id="week" name="week">
</form>
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