HTML 5 <input> Tag

The HTML <input> tag is used within a form to declare an input element - a control that allows the user to input data.

Demo

Attributes

HTML tags can contain one or more attributes. Attributes are added to a tag to provide the browser with more information about how the tag should appear or behave. Attributes consist of a name and a value separated by an equals (=) sign, with the value surrounded by double quotes. Here's an example, style="color:black;".

There are 3 kinds of attributes that you can add to your HTML tags: Element-specific, global, and event handler content attributes.

The attributes that you can add to this tag are listed below.

Element-Specific Attributes

The following table shows the attributes that are specific to this tag/element.

Attribute Description

Specifies a comma-separated list of content types that the server accepts.

Possible values:

audio/*
video/*
image/*
[A valid MIME type, with no parameters]
[A string whose first character is a "." (U+002E) character] (for specifying a file extension)

You can specify both any MIME types and any corresponding extensions. For example, <input type="file" accept=".doc,.docx,.xml,application/msword,application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document">

alt Alternate text. This specifies text to be used in case the browser/user agent can't render the input control.

autocomplete

Prevents the browser from using "autocomplete" with this control. Can be useful for sensitive data, such as banking details etc.

Possible values:

on (default value)
off

autofocus

Automatically gives focus to this control when the page loads. This allows the user to start using the control without having to select it first. There must not be more than one element in the document with the autofocus attribute specified.

This is a boolean attribute. If the attribute is present, its value must either be the empty string or a value that is an ASCII case-insensitive match for the attribute's canonical name, with no leading or trailing whitespace (i.e. either autofocus or autofocus="autofocus").

Possible values:

[Empty string]
autofocus

checked The input control will already be selected when the page loads. Used with type="radio" or type="checkbox".

disabled

Disables the input control. The control won't accept changes from the user. It also cannot receive focus and will be skipped when tabbing.

Possible values:

[Empty string]
disabled

dirname

Determines the direction of the text as submitted in the input field. The value of this attribute can be a string of text such as a name for the field. For example, if you specify the attribute as dirname="text_dir", once the form has been submitted, the data might look like this: text_dir=ltr.

form

Specifies the ID of a form to which this control belongs.

Possible values:

[The ID of a form element in the element's owner Document]

formaction Specifies the URL of the file that will process the control when submitted.

formenctype

Specifies the content type used to encode the form data set when it's submitted to the server.

Possible values:

application/x-www-form-urlencoded (default)
multipart/form-data (use this when uploading files)
text/plain (use this when uploading files)

formmethod

Specifies the HTTP method to use when the control is submitted.

Possible values:

get (the form data is appended to the URL when submitted)
post (the form data is not appended to the URL)
dialog (Closes the dialog box in which the form finds itself, if any, and otherwise does not submit.)

formnovalidate

Specifies that the form is not to be validated during submission.

Possible values:

[Empty string]
novalidate

formtarget

Specifies the browsing context to load the destination indicated in the action attribute.

Possible values:

_blank
_self
_top
_parent

height Specifies the height of the control.

inputmode

Specifies what kind of input mechanism would be most helpful for users entering content into the form control.

Possible values:

Value	Description
`verbatim`	Default. Alphanumeric Latin-script input of non-prose content, e.g. usernames, passwords, product codes.
`latin`	Latin-script input in the user's preferred language(s), with some typing aids enabled (e.g. text prediction). Intended for human-to-computer communications, e.g. free-form text search fields.
`latin-name`	Latin-script input in the user's preferred language(s), with typing aids intended for entering human names enabled (e.g. text prediction from the user's contact list and automatic capitalisation at every word). Intended for situations such as customer name fields.
`latin-prose`	Latin-script input in the user's preferred language(s), with aggressive typing aids intended for human-to-human communications enabled (e.g. text prediction and automatic capitalisation at the start of sentences). Intended for situations such as e-mails and instant messaging.
`full-width-latin`	Latin-script input in the user's secondary language(s), using full-width characters, with aggressive typing aids intended for human-to-human communications enabled (e.g. text prediction and automatic capitalisation at the start of sentences). Intended for latin text embedded inside CJK text.
`kana`	Kana or romaji input, typically hiragana input, using full-width characters, with support for converting to kanji. Intended for Japanese text input.
`kana-name`	Kana or romaji input, typically hiragana input, using full-width characters, with support for converting to kanji, and with typing aids intended for entering human names enabled (e.g. text prediction from the user's contact list). Intended for situations such as customer name fields.
`katakana`	Katakana input, using full-width characters, with support for converting to kanji. Intended for Japanese text input.
`numeric`	Numeric input, including keys for the digits 0 to 9, the user's preferred thousands separator character, and the character for indicating negative numbers. Intended for numeric codes, e.g. credit card numbers. (For numbers, prefer `<input type="number">`.)
`tel`	Telephone number input, including keys for the digits 0 to 9, the "##" character, and the "*" character. In some locales, this can also include alphabetic mnemonic labels (e.g. in the US, the key labeled "2" is historically also labeled with the letters A, B, and C). Rarely necessary; use `<input type="tel">` instead.
`email`	Text input in the user's locale, with keys for aiding in the input of e-mail addresses, such as that for the "@" character and the "." character. Rarely necessary; use `<input type="email">` instead.
`url`	Text input in the user's locale, with keys for aiding in the input of Web addresses, such as that for the "/" and "." characters and for quick input of strings commonly found in domain names such as "www." or ".co.uk". Rarely necessary; use `<input type="url">` instead.

list Specifies a datalist element to use for a list of predefined options for the user. The value must be the ID of a datalist element in the same document.

max Specifies the maximum value for the control.

maxlength Specifies the maximum number of characters that the user is allowed to enter into the text field.

min Specifies the minimum value for the control.

minlength Specifies a lower bound on the number of characters a user can input.

multiple

Specifies whether the user is allowed to enter more than one value.

Possible values:

[Empty string]
multiple

name Assigns a name to the input control.

pattern Specifies a regular expression against which the control's value is to be checked. Value must match the Pattern production of ECMA 262's grammar.

placeholder

Specifies a short hint (a word or short phrase) intended to aid the user with data entry. A hint could be a sample value or a brief description of the expected format.

Note: For a longer hint or other advisory text, the title global attribute is more appropriate.

Also note that the placeholder attribute should not be used as an alternative to the <label> element.

readonly

Sets the input control to read-only - it won't allow the user to change the value. The control however, can receive focus and are included when tabbing through the form controls.

Possible values:

[Empty string]
readonly

required

Specifies that the input field is a required field (the user must complete this field).

Possible values:

[Empty string]
required

size Specifies the width of the control, in characters. Value that is a valid non-negative integer greater than zero.

src If type="image", this attribute specifies the location of the image.

step Specifies the granularity that is expected (and required) of the value, by limiting the allowed values.

type

Specifies the type of control.

Possible values:

Value	Data Type	Control Type
hidden	An arbitrary string	N/A
text	Text with no line breaks	Text field
search	Text with no line breaks	Text field
tel	Text with no line breaks	Text field
url	An absolute URL	Text field
email	An email address or list of email addresses	Text field
password	Text with no line breaks (sensitive information)	Text field that obscures data entry (eg, hides the password by using asterisks (******) or similar)
datetime	A date and time (year, month, day, hour, minute, second, fraction of a second) with the time zone set to UTC	Date and time control
date	A date (year, month, day) with no time zone	Date control
month	A date consisting of a year and a month with no time zone	A month control
week	A date consisting of a week-year number and a week number with no time zone	A week control
time	A time (hour, minute, seconds, fractional seconds) with no time zone	A time control
datetime-local	A date and time (year, month, day, hour, minute, second, fraction of a second) with no time zone	Date and time control
number	A numerical value	Text field or spinner control
range	A numerical value, with the extra semantic that the exact value is not important	Slider control or similar
color	An sRGB color with 8-bit red, green, and blue components	A color well. Enables the user to select a color.
checkbox	A set of zero or more values from a predefined list	Checkbox
radio	An enumerated value	Radio button
file	Zero or more files each with a MIME type and optionally a file name	A label and a button
submit	An enumerated value, with the extra semantic that it must be the last value selected and initiates form submission	Button
image	A coordinate, relative to a particular image's size, with the extra semantic that it must be the last value selected and initiates form submission	Either a clickable image, or a button
reset	N/A	Button
button	N/A	Button

value Specifies a default value for the control. Note: If type="checkbox" or type="radio" this attribute is required.

width Specifies the width of the control.

Global Attributes

The following attributes are standard across all HTML 5 tags.

accesskey
class
contenteditable
contextmenu
dir
draggable
dropzone
hidden
id
itemid
itemprop
itemref
itemscope
itemtype
lang
spellcheck
style
tabindex
title
translate

For a full explanation of these attributes, see HTML 5 global attributes.

Event Handler Content Attributes

Event handler content attributes enable you to invoke a script from within your HTML. The script is invoked when a certain "event" occurs. Each event handler content attribute deals with a different event.

Here are the standard HTML 5 event handler content attributes.

onabort
oncancel
onblur
oncanplay
oncanplaythrough
onchange
onclick
oncontextmenu
ondblclick
ondrag
ondragend
ondragenter
ondragexit
ondragleave
ondragover
ondragstart
ondrop
ondurationchange
onemptied
onended
onerror
onfocus
onformchange
onforminput
oninput
oninvalid
onkeydown
onkeypress
onkeyup
onload
onloadeddata
onloadedmetadata
onloadstart
onmousedown
onmousemove
onmouseout
onmouseover
onmouseup
onmousewheel
onpause
onplay
onplaying
onprogress
onratechange
onreadystatechange
onscroll
onseeked
onseeking
onselect
onshow
onstalled
onsubmit
onsuspend
ontimeupdate
onvolumechange
onwaiting

For a full explanation of these attributes, see HTML 5 event handler content attributes.

Qhmit.com

HTML 5 <input> Tag

Demo

Attributes

Element-Specific Attributes

Global Attributes

Event Handler Content Attributes

Related