HTML <form> tag
Example
A simple HTML form with two input fields and one submit button:
<form
action="form_action.asp"
method="get">
First name: <input type="text" name="fname"
/><br />
Last name:
<input type="text" name="lname"
/><br />
<input type="submit" value="Submit" />
</form> |
Try it yourself! (more examples at the bottom of this page)
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Definition and Usage
The <form> tag is used to create an HTML form for user input.
A form can contain input elements like text fields, checkboxes, radio-buttons,
submit buttons and more. A forms can also contain select menus, textarea,
fieldset, legend, and label elements.
Forms are used to pass
data to a server.
Browser Support
The <form> tag is supported in all major browsers.
Differences Between HTML and XHTML
NONE
Tips and Notes
Note: Form is a block-level element, and creates a line break before
and after itself.
Required Attributes
DTD indicates in which DTD the attribute is
allowed. S=Strict, T=Transitional, and F=Frameset.
| Attribute |
Value |
Description |
DTD |
| action |
URL |
A URL that defines where to send the data when the submit button
is pushed |
STF |
Optional Attributes
| Attribute |
Value |
Description |
DTD |
| accept |
list of content types |
A comma separated list of content types that the server
that processes this form will handle correctly |
STF |
| accept-charset |
charset_list |
A comma separated list of possible character sets for the
form data. The default value is
"unknown" |
STF |
| enctype |
mimetype |
The mime type used to encode the content of the form |
STF |
| 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.
|
STF |
| name |
form_name |
Defines a unique name for the form |
TF |
| 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
|
TF |
Standard Attributes
| id, class, title, style, dir, lang, xml:lang |
For a full description, go to Standard
Attributes.
Event Attributes
| onsubmit, onreset, onclick, ondblclick, onmousedown, onmouseup, onmouseover, onmousemove, onmouseout, onkeypress, onkeydown, onkeyup |
For a full description, go to Event
Attributes.
Try-It-Yourself Demos
Form with
checkboxes
A form with two checkboxes, and a submit button.
Form with
radiobuttons
A form with two radio buttons, and a submit button.
Send e-mail
from a form
How to send e-mail from a form.
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