HTML forms and input elements are critical features for getting feedback from your customers and allowing some interaction with the website.
Upon knowing how various form controls could be used–text fields, checkboxes, radio buttons, as well as submitting buttons-you build interactive forms of enhanced user interaction and gather interesting information.
In this post, we will look at how to build forms with various input types, validate form data, and submit it to a server.
What is an HTML Form?
An HTML form gathers input from a user, possibly using text input fields, checkboxes, and buttons. This is usually encased in the <form> tag and sometimes used to pass data to the server for further processing.
Example of a Simple Form Structure
- Action: Identifies the endpoint on the server to which the data will be sent.
- Method: Specifies the HTTP method, GET or POST, to send the data. Always use POST for sensitive data.
HTML Input Types
There are many input types for collecting different types of data
Text Input: For single-line text input, use <input type=”text”>.
Password Input: To create a password field use <input type=”password”>, which blanks out the text as the user types.
Radio Buttons: Radio buttons provide the user to select one from many options, they have to share the same name attribute while having different values.
Checkboxes: Checkboxes support multiple selections,
Form Controls
Select dropdown
Use the <select> element to create dropdown menus.
Textarea
For multi-line input such as comments, <textarea> will be used
Submit Button
Submit the form data using the input type=”submit” or the button tag
Validation of the Forms
HTML5 has provided in-built validation attributes, which make it easier to ensure that the user provides the required data.
Required Field: The required attribute ensures that users cannot leave the field blank.
Pattern Validation: Use the pattern attribute to enforce a specific format, such as phone numbers or email addresses.
Conclusion
Mastering HTML forms and input elements allows you to make powerful and user-friendly forms for gathering data to enhance the interactivity of web pages.
Whether you want a simple contact form or a complex one like a survey, there is a wide variety of input types in HTML that suits your use case.
At Codeneur, you can get the tools and guidance to uplevel your web development skills. More tips and tricks coming up!