HTML 5 <form> tag
Definition and Usage
The form element creates a form for user input. A form can contain
textfields, checkboxes, radio-buttons and more. Forms are used to pass
user-data to a specified URL.
Differences Between HTML 4.01 and HTML 5
HTML 5 has some new attributes, and some HTML 4.01 attributes are no longer supported.
HTML 5 has a new attribute: replace. Which defines what to do after a for has
been submitted.
Example
Source |
Output |
<form
action="form_action.asp"
method="get">
First name:
<input type="text" name="fname" value="Mickey"
/>
<br />
Last name:
<input type="text" name="lname" value="Mouse"
/>
<br />
<input type="submit" value="Submit" />
</form>
<p>
If you click the "Submit" button, you will send your input to a new page
called form_action.asp.
</p> |
If you click the "Submit" button, you will send your input to a new page called
form_action.asp.
|
Attributes
- 4: indicates if the attribute is defined in HTML 4.01
- 5: indicates if the attribute is defined in HTML 5
Attribute |
Value |
Description |
4 |
5 |
action |
URL |
A URL that defines where to send the data when the submit button
is pushed |
4 |
5 |
data |
URL |
For inserting data automatically |
|
5 |
replace |
value |
Defines what to to when a form has been submitted |
|
5 |
accept |
list of contenttypes |
A comma separated list of content types that the server
that processes this form will handle correctly |
4 |
5 |
accept-charset |
charset_list |
A comma separated list of possible character sets for the
form data. The default value is
"unknown" |
4 |
5 |
enctype |
mimetype |
The mime type used to encode the content of the form |
4 |
5 |
method |
get
post |
The HTTP method for sending data to the action URL. Default
is get. method="get": This method sends the form contents
in the URL: URL?name=value&name=value. Note: If the form values contains non-ASCII characters or
exceeds 100
characters you MUST use method="post".
method="post": This method sends the form contents in the body of the request.
Note: Most browsers are
unable to bookmark post requests.
|
4 |
5 |
name |
form_name |
Defines a unique name for the form. Not supported, use id instead |
4 |
|
target |
_blank
_self
_parent
_top |
Where to open the target URL.
- _blank - the target URL will open in a new window
- _self - the target URL will open in the same frame as it was clicked
- _parent - the target URL will open in the parent frameset
- _top - the target URL will open in the full body of the window
|
4 |
5 |
Standard Attributes
class, contenteditable, contextmenu, dir, draggable, id,
irrelevant, lang, ref, registrationmark, tabindex, template, title |
For a full description, go to Standard
Attributes in HTML 5.
Event Attributes
onabort, onbeforeunload, onblur, onchange, onclick,
oncontextmenu, ondblclick, ondrag, ondragend, ondragenter, ondragleave,
ondragover, ondragstart, ondrop, onerror, onfocus, onkeydown, onkeypress,
onkeyup, onload, onmessage, onmousedown, onmousemove,
onmouseover, onmouseout, onmouseup, onmousewheel, onresize, onscroll, onselect,
onsubmit, onunload |
For a full description, go to Event Attributes
in HTML 5.
Try-It-Yourself Demos
Form with
input fields and a submit button
How to add a form to a page. The form contains two input fields and a submit
button.
Form with
checkboxes
This form contains two checkboxes, and a submit button.
Form with
radiobuttons
This form contains two radio buttons, and a submit button.
Send e-mail
from a form
How to send e-mail from a form.
|