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HTML Forms and Input

HTML Forms are used to select different kinds of user input.

Examples

Try it Yourself - Examples

Create text fields
How to create text fields. The user can write text in a text field.

Create password field
How to create a password field.

(You can find more examples at the bottom of this page)

HTML Forms

HTML forms are used to pass data to a server.

A form can contain input elements like text fields, checkboxes, radio-buttons, submit buttons and more. A form can also contain select lists, textarea, fieldset, legend, and label elements.

The <form> tag is used to create an HTML form:

<form>
.
input elements
.
</form>

HTML Forms - The Input Element

The most important form element is the input element.

The input element is used to select user information.

An input element can vary in many ways, depending on the type attribute. An input element can be of type text field, checkbox, password, radio button, submit button, and more.

The most used input types are described below.

Text Fields

<input type="text" /> defines a one-line input field that a user can enter text into:

<form>
First name: <input type="text" name="firstname" /><br />
Last name: <input type="text" name="lastname" />
</form>

How the HTML code above looks in a browser:

First name:
Last name:

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

Password Field

<input type="password" /> defines a password field:

<form>
Password: <input type="password" name="pwd" />
</form>

How the HTML code above looks in a browser:

Password:

Note: The characters in a password field are masked (shown as asterisks or circles). 

Radio Buttons

<input type="radio" /> defines a radio button. Radio buttons let a user select ONLY ONE of a limited number of choices:

<form>
<input type="radio" name="sex" value="male" /> Male<br />
<input type="radio" name="sex" value="female" /> Female
</form>

How the HTML code above looks in a browser:

Male
Female

Checkboxes

<input type="checkbox" /> defines a checkbox. Checkboxes let a user select ONE or MORE options of a limited number of choices.

<form>
<input type="checkbox" name="vehicle" value="Bike" /> I have a bike<br />
<input type="checkbox" name="vehicle" value="Car" /> I have a car
</form>

How the HTML code above looks in a browser:

I have a bike
I have a car

Submit Button

<input type="submit" /> defines a submit button.

A submit button is used to send form data to a server. The data is sent to the page specified in the form's action attribute. The file defined in the action attribute usually does something with the received input:

<form name="input" action="html_form_action.asp" method="get">
Username: <input type="text" name="user" />
<input type="submit" value="Submit" />
</form>

How the HTML code above looks in a browser:

Username:

If you type some characters in the text field above, and click the "Submit" button, the browser will send your input to a page called "html_form_action.asp". The page will show you the received input.

Try it More Input Examples

Radio buttons
How to create radio buttons.

Checkboxes
How to create checkboxes. A user can select or unselect a checkbox.

Simple drop-down list
How to create a simple drop-down list.

Drop-down list with a pre-selected value
How to create a drop-down list with a pre-selected value.

Textarea
How to create a multi-line text input control. In a text-area the user can write an unlimited number of characters.

Create a button
How to create a button.

Try it Form Examples

Fieldset around form-data
How to create a border around elements in a form.

Form with text fields and a submit button
How to create a form with two text fields and a submit button.

Form with checkboxes
How to create a form with two checkboxes and a submit button.

Form with radio buttons
How to create a form with two radio buttons, and a submit button.

Send e-mail from a form
How to send e-mail from a form.

HTML Form Tags

Tag Description
<form> Defines an HTML form for user input
<input /> Defines an input control
<textarea> Defines a multi-line text input control
<label> Defines a label for an input element
<fieldset> Defines a border around elements in a form
<legend> Defines a caption for a fieldset element
<select> Defines a select list (drop-down list)
<optgroup> Defines a group of related options in a select list
<option> Defines an option in a select list
<button> Defines a push button


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