HTML form Attributes
HTML form Attributes
The <form> element in HTML can include several attributes to control how form data is submitted, processed, and displayed. These attributes define the behavior and functionality of the form.
Common Form Attributes
| Attribute | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
action |
URL of the server-side script to process the form | <form action="submit.php"> |
method |
HTTP method to send data: GET or POST |
<form method="post"> |
enctype |
Encoding type for form data (needed for file uploads) | <form enctype="multipart/form-data"> |
name |
Name of the form (used in scripts) | <form name="contactForm"> |
id |
Unique identifier for the form (CSS/JS) | <form id="regForm"> |
target |
Where to display the response (_self, _blank, _parent, _top) |
<form target="_blank"> |
autocomplete |
Enable or disable autofill for form fields | <form autocomplete="off"> |
novalidate |
Disables HTML5 form validation | <form novalidate> |
accept-charset |
Character encodings the server accepts | <form accept-charset="UTF-8"> |
Example HTML Form Using Form Attributes
Explanation
-
action="submit.php"→ Sends form data tosubmit.php. -
method="post"→ Uses POST method to send data securely. -
enctype="multipart/form-data"→ Required for file uploads. -
id&name→ Unique identifiers for scripting or CSS. -
autocomplete="on"→ Browser can auto-fill previously entered values.
Key Points
-
Always include
actionandmethodfor proper form submission. -
Use
enctype="multipart/form-data"when handling file uploads. -
novalidatedisables browser-side validation if you plan to validate manually. -
accept-charsetensures correct character encoding for multilingual forms.
