Understanding Input Types and Attributes

Tutorial 2 of 5

1. Introduction

The goal of this tutorial is to help you understand the different input types and attributes in HTML. HTML forms are essential for collecting user data on websites, and they rely heavily on different types of inputs.

By the end of this tutorial, you will learn how to create different types of inputs such as text fields, checkboxes, radio buttons, and more. You will also understand how to use different attributes to control the behavior of these inputs.

Prerequisites for this tutorial include a basic understanding of HTML.

2. Step-by-Step Guide

In HTML, the <input> element is used to create interactive controls for web-based forms to accept data from the user. The behavior of the <input> element depends on the value of the type attribute.

Let's look at some commonly used input types:

Text:

The text input type is used to create a single-line text input field.

<input type="text" name="firstname">

Checkbox:

A checkbox is an input type where the user can select one or more options of a limited number of choices.

<input type="checkbox" name="option1" value="Milk">

Radio:

A radio input type is used when you want the user to select only one of a predefined set of mutually exclusive options.

<input type="radio" id="male" name="gender" value="male">
<input type="radio" id="female" name="gender" value="female">

3. Code Examples

Now let's look at how to use different attributes in our input fields.

Placeholder attribute:

The placeholder attribute provides a hint to the user about what they should enter in the input field.

<input type="text" name="firstname" placeholder="Your name..">

Required attribute:

The required attribute is a boolean attribute. When present, it specifies that an input field must be filled out before submitting the form.

<input type="text" name="email" required>

Disabled attribute:

The disabled attribute is another boolean attribute. When present, it specifies that the input field should be disabled.

<input type="text" name="name" disabled>

4. Summary

In this tutorial, we learned about different input types and their attributes in HTML. We looked at how to create text fields, checkboxes, and radio buttons. We also covered how to use different attributes to control the behavior of these inputs.

To continue learning about HTML forms, you could explore other types of inputs like date, email, and password. You could also learn more about form validation in HTML.

5. Practice Exercises

  1. Create a form with two text input fields for firstname and lastname. Both fields should be required.
  2. Create a form with radio buttons for gender selection. Only one option should be selectable.
  3. Create a form with a checkbox for terms and conditions. The form should not be submittable without the box being checked.

Solutions:

<form>
   <input type="text" name="firstname" required>
   <input type="text" name="lastname" required>
   <input type="submit" value="Submit">
</form>
<form>
   <input type="radio" id="male" name="gender" value="male">
   <input type="radio" id="female" name="gender" value="female">
   <input type="submit" value="Submit">
</form>
<form>
   <input type="checkbox" id="terms" name="terms" required>
   <label for="terms">I agree to the terms and conditions</label>
   <input type="submit" value="Submit">
</form>

Keep practicing and exploring more about HTML forms and their attributes.