Free HTML Forms Class: Lesson 1 - Basics of HTML Forms

Free HTML Forms Class Lesson 1 - Basics of HTML Forms From Jennifer Kyrnin, your Guide to Web Design / HTML Welcome to the first issue of the HTML Forms Class. In this class you will learn the basics of HTML forms and how to put up a form on a Web page. It is important that you follow all instructions. Every link in this newsletter contains information relevant to the class. Please be sure to click on and read each one before emailing your instructor. This tutorial is available online as well as by email. If you want to get ahead or just need more time with a particular lesson feel free to follow the HTML Forms Tutorial on the website. Building a form page is the first step to putting up an HTML form. In order to build a form, you need to have a Web page to put it in. If you need a refresher in how to build a Web page, check out my HTML tutorial. Form Tags Using the Form Tag The FORM tag is the basis of all HTML forms. If you don't have a <form> tag, then you don't have a form. Don't worry too much about the value in the action attribute just yet. We'll cover that in a later lesson. The Input Tag The INPUT tag is the form tag that lets you collect information. You place the <input /> tags inside your <form> tag and label them to collect the information your form needs. The Textarea Tag Sometimes you want to create larger text boxes than the <input /> tag supports. The TEXTAREA tag creates boxes of whatever size you need to collect longer answers for your forms. The Select and Option Tags The SELECT and OPTION tags work together to help you create drop-down selection lists for your customers to choose options. Web developers use drop-down menus on their forms to help limit the answer choices by their customers. You need both the <select> and <option> tags to create a drop-down menu. Optional Information Other Form Tags If you're looking for more to read about HTML form tags, this is a great place to start. There are many other tags you can use for HTML forms. This page lists many of the more advanced HTML form tags you can use. HOMEWORK: Build Your First Form Build Your First HTML Form Follow the instructions in this article to create your first simple HTML form. Feel free to add more input tags or even a drop-down menu. This article includes information on using mailto to create a mailto form that actually works. We'll discuss this more in a later lesson. This email is written by: Jennifer Kyrnin Web Design / HTML Guide Email Me | My Blog | My Forum   Missing a lesson? Click here. About U. is our collection of free online courses designed to help you learn a new skill, solve a problem, get something done, or just learn more about your world. Sign up now, and we will email you lessons on a daily or weekly basis. About respects your privacy: Our Privacy Policy Contact Information: 249 West 17th Street New York, NY, 10011 © 2010 About.com   Advertisement