ExampleAn HTML form with two input fields and one submit button: |
Browser Support
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1. Definition and Usage
The <form> tag is used to create an HTML form for user input.
The <form> element can contain one or more of the following form elements:
An HTML form is used to pass data to a server.
Tip: The <form> element is a block-level element, and browsers create a line break before and after a form.
2. Differences Between HTML and XHTML
In XHTML, the name attribute of the <form> tag is deprecated, and will be removed. Use the id attribute instead.
3. Required Attributes
DTD indicates in which HTML 4.01/XHTML 1.0 DTD the attribute is allowed. S=Strict, T=Transitional, and F=Frameset.
| Attribute | Value | Description | DTD |
|---|---|---|---|
| action | URL | Specifies where to send the form-data when a form is submitted | STF |
4. Optional Attributes
| Attribute | Value | Description | DTD |
|---|---|---|---|
| accept | MIME_type | Specifies the types of files that the server accepts (that can be submitted through a file upload) | STF |
| accept-charset | character_set | Specifies a list of character encodings that the server accepts | STF |
| enctype | application/x-www-form-urlencoded multipart/form-data text/plain |
Specifies how the form-data should be encoded when submitting it to the server (only for method="post") | STF |
| method | get post |
Specifies the HTTP method to use when sending form-data | STF |
| name | name | Specifies the name of a form | TF |
| target | _blank _self _parent _top framename |
Deprecated. Specifies where to display the response that is received after submitting the form | TF |
5. Standard Attributes
The <form> tag supports the following standard attributes:
| Attribute | Value | Description | DTD |
|---|---|---|---|
| class | classname | Specifies a classname for an element | STF |
| dir | rtl ltr |
Specifies the text direction for the content in an element | STF |
| id | id | Specifies a unique id for an element | STF |
| lang | language_code | Specifies a language code for the content in an element | STF |
| style | style_definition | Specifies an inline style for an element | STF |
| title | text | Specifies extra information about an element | STF |
| xml:lang | language_code | Specifies a language code for the content in an element, in XHTML documents | STF |
6. Event Attributes
The <form> tag supports the following event attributes:
| Attribute | Value | Description | DTD |
|---|---|---|---|
| onclick | script | Script to be run on a mouse click | STF |
| ondblclick | script | Script to be run on a mouse double-click | STF |
| onmousedown | script | Script to be run when mouse button is pressed | STF |
| onmousemove | script | Script to be run when mouse pointer moves | STF |
| onmouseout | script | Script to be run when mouse pointer moves out of an element | STF |
| onmouseover | script | Script to be run when mouse pointer moves over an element | STF |
| onmouseup | script | Script to be run when mouse button is released | STF |
| onkeydown | script | Script to be run when a key is pressed | STF |
| onkeypress | script | Script to be run when a key is pressed and released | STF |
| onkeyup | script | Script to be run when a key is released | STF |
| onreset | script | Script to be run when a form is reset | |
| onsubmit | script | Script to be run when a form is submitted |
