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Forms Attribute HTML

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13 views

Forms Attribute HTML

Uploaded by

captainricardus
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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HTML Form Attributes

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This chapter describes the different attributes for the HTML <form> element.

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:

Example
On submit, send form data to "action_page.php":

<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 »

Tip: If the action attribute is omitted, the action is set to the current page.

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.

Example
Here, the submitted result will open in a new browser tab:

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


Try it Yourself »

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.

Example
This example uses the GET method when submitting the form data:

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


Try it Yourself »

Example
This example uses the POST method when submitting the form data:

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


Try it Yourself »

Notes on GET:

 Appends the form data to the URL, in name/value pairs


 NEVER use GET to send sensitive data! (the submitted form data is visible
in the URL!)
 The length of a URL is limited (2048 characters)
 Useful for form submissions where a user wants to bookmark the result
 GET is good for non-secure data, like query strings in Google

Notes on POST:

 Appends the form data inside the body of the HTTP request (the
submitted form data is not shown in the URL)
 POST has no size limitations, and can be used to send large amounts of
data.
 Form submissions with POST cannot be bookmarked

Tip: Always use POST if the form data contains sensitive or personal
information!
The Autocomplete Attribute
The autocomplete attribute specifies whether a form should have
autocomplete on or off.

When autocomplete is on, the browser automatically complete values based on


values that the user has entered before.

Example
A form with autocomplete on:

<form action="/action_page.php" autocomplete="on">


Try it Yourself »

The Novalidate Attribute


The novalidate attribute is a boolean attribute.

When present, it specifies that the form-data (input) should not be validated
when submitted.

Example
A form with a novalidate attribute:

<form action="/action_page.php" novalidate>


Try it Yourself »

List of All <form> Attributes


Attribute Description
accept-charset Specifies the character encodings used for form submission

action Specifies where to send the form-data when a form is submitted

autocomplete Specifies whether a form should have autocomplete on or off

enctype Specifies how the form-data should be encoded when submitting it to the server (only for
method="post")

method Specifies the HTTP method to use when sending form-data

name Specifies the name of the form

novalidate Specifies that the form should not be validated when submitted

rel Specifies the relationship between a linked resource and the current document

target Specifies where to display the response that is received after submitting the form

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