HTML5 - Web Forms 2.0

Web Forms 2.0 is an extension to the forms features found in HTML4. Form elements and attributes in HTML5 provide a greater degree of semantic mark-up than HTML4 and remove a great deal of the need for tedious scripting and styling that was required in HTML4.

The <input> element in HTML4

HTML4 input elements use the type attribute to specify the data type.HTML4 provides following types:

Type	Description
text	A free-form text field, nominally free of line breaks.
password	A free-form text field for sensitive information, nominally free of line breaks.
checkbox	A set of zero or more values from a predefined list.
radio	An enumerated value.
submit	A free form of button initiates form submission.
file	An arbitrary file with a MIME type and optionally a file name.
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.
hidden	An arbitrary string that is not normally displayed to the user.
select	An enumerated value, much like the radio type.
textarea	A free-form text field, nominally with no line break restrictions.
button	A free form of button which can initiates any event related to button.

Following is the simple example of using labels, radio buttons, and submit buttons:


The <input> element in HTML5

Apart from the above mentioned attributes, HTML5 input elements introduced sevral new values for the type attribute. These are listed below.

NOTE: Try all the following example using latest version of Opera browser.

Type	Description
datetime	A date and time (year, month, day, hour, minute, second, fractions of a second) encoded according to ISO 8601 with the time zone set to UTC.
datetime-local	A date and time (year, month, day, hour, minute, second, fractions of a second) encoded according to ISO 8601, with no time zone information.
date	A date (year, month, day) encoded according to ISO 8601.
month	A date consisting of a year and a month encoded according to ISO 8601.
week	A date consisting of a year and a week number encoded according to ISO 8601.
time	A time (hour, minute, seconds, fractional seconds) encoded according to ISO 8601.
number	This accepts only numerical value. The step attribute specifies the precision, defaulting to 1.
range	The range type is used for input fields that should contain a value from a range of numbers.
email	This accepts only email value. This type is used for input fields that should contain an e-mail address. If you try to submit a simple text, it forces to enter only email address in email@example.com format.
url	This accepts only URL value. This type is used for input fields that should contain a URL address. If you try to submit a simple text, it forces to enter only URL address either in http://www.example.com format or in http://example.com format.

The <output> element

HTML5 introduced a new element <output> which is used to represent the result of different types of output, such as output written by a script.

You can use the for attribute to specify a relationship between the output element and other elements in the document that affected the calculation (for example, as inputs or parameters). The value of the for attribute is a space-separated list of IDs of other elements.

The placeholder attribute

HTML5 introduced a new attribute called placeholder. This attribute on <input> and <textarea> elements provides a hint to the user of what can be entered in the field. The placeholder text must not contain carriage returns or line-feeds.

Here is the simple syntax for placeholder attribute:


This attribute is supported by latest versions of Mozilla, Safari and Crome browsers only.

The autofocus attribute

This is a simple one-step pattern, easily programmed in JavaScript at the time of document load, automatically focus one particular form field.

HTML5 introduced a new attribute called autofocus which would be used as follows:


This attribute is supported by latest versions of Mozilla, Safari and Crome browsers only.

The required attribute

Now you do not need to have javascript for client side validations like empty text box would never be submitted because HTML5 introduced a new attribute called required which would be used as follows and would insist to have a value:


This attribute is supported by latest versions of Mozilla, Safari and Crome browsers only.

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