Html Forms and Inputs

HTML forms are used to collect user input, and input elements within forms allow users to enter various types of data. The <form> element acts as a container for different input fields, and the <input> element is the primary way to create interactive controls for data entry.

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 <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.

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:

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 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

A form with radio buttons:

<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.

Example

A form with checkboxes:

<form>
<input type="checkbox" id="html" name="HTML" value="HTML">
<label for="html"> this is html</label><br>
<input type="checkbox" id="css" name="CSS" value="CSS">
<label for="css"> this is CSS</label><br>
<input type="checkbox" id="javascript" name="JavaScript" value="Boat">
<label for="javascript"> this is JavaScript</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

A form with a submit button:

<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>

Try it Yourself »

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