Annotation of html5/spec/the-form-element.html, revision 1.113

1.88      mike        1: <!DOCTYPE html>
1.96      mike        2: <html lang="en-US-x-Hixie"><head><title>4.10.3 The form element &#8212; HTML5</title><link rel="stylesheet" href="alert.css"><style type="text/css">
1.1       mike        3:    pre { margin-left: 2em; white-space: pre-wrap; }
                      4:    h2 { margin: 3em 0 1em 0; }
                      5:    h3 { margin: 2.5em 0 1em 0; }
                      6:    h4 { margin: 2.5em 0 0.75em 0; }
                      7:    h5, h6 { margin: 2.5em 0 1em; }
                      8:    h1 + h2, h1 + h2 + h2 { margin: 0.75em 0 0.75em; }
                      9:    h2 + h3, h3 + h4, h4 + h5, h5 + h6 { margin-top: 0.5em; }
                     10:    p { margin: 1em 0; }
                     11:    hr:not(.top) { display: block; background: none; border: none; padding: 0; margin: 2em 0; height: auto; }
                     12:    dl, dd { margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 0; }
                     13:    dt { margin-top: 0.75em; margin-bottom: 0.25em; clear: left; }
                     14:    dt + dt { margin-top: 0; }
                     15:    dd dt { margin-top: 0.25em; margin-bottom: 0; }
                     16:    dd p { margin-top: 0; }
                     17:    dd dl + p { margin-top: 1em; }
                     18:    dd table + p { margin-top: 1em; }
                     19:    p + * > li, dd li { margin: 1em 0; }
                     20:    dt, dfn { font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; }
                     21:    i, em { font-style: italic; }
                     22:    dt dfn { font-style: italic; }
                     23:    pre, code { font-size: inherit; font-family: monospace; font-variant: normal; }
                     24:    pre strong { color: black; font: inherit; font-weight: bold; background: yellow; }
                     25:    pre em { font-weight: bolder; font-style: normal; }
                     26:    @media screen { code { color: orangered; } code :link, code :visited { color: inherit; } }
                     27:    var sub { vertical-align: bottom; font-size: smaller; position: relative; top: 0.1em; }
                     28:    table { border-collapse: collapse; border-style: hidden hidden none hidden; }
                     29:    table thead, table tbody { border-bottom: solid; }
                     30:    table tbody th:first-child { border-left: solid; }
                     31:    table tbody th { text-align: left; }
                     32:    table td, table th { border-left: solid; border-right: solid; border-bottom: solid thin; vertical-align: top; padding: 0.2em; }
                     33:    blockquote { margin: 0 0 0 2em; border: 0; padding: 0; font-style: italic; }
                     34: 
                     35:    .bad, .bad *:not(.XXX) { color: gray; border-color: gray; background: transparent; }
                     36:    .matrix, .matrix td { border: none; text-align: right; }
                     37:    .matrix { margin-left: 2em; }
                     38:    .dice-example { border-collapse: collapse; border-style: hidden solid solid hidden; border-width: thin; margin-left: 3em; }
                     39:    .dice-example caption { width: 30em; font-size: smaller; font-style: italic; padding: 0.75em 0; text-align: left; }
                     40:    .dice-example td, .dice-example th { border: solid thin; width: 1.35em; height: 1.05em; text-align: center; padding: 0; }
                     41: 
                     42:    .toc dfn, h1 dfn, h2 dfn, h3 dfn, h4 dfn, h5 dfn, h6 dfn { font: inherit; }
                     43:    img.extra, p.overview { float: right; }
                     44:    pre.idl { border: solid thin; background: #EEEEEE; color: black; padding: 0.5em 1em; position: relative; }
                     45:    pre.idl :link, pre.idl :visited { color: inherit; background: transparent; }
                     46:    pre.idl::before { content: "IDL"; font: bold small sans-serif; padding: 0.5em; background: white; position: absolute; top: 0; margin: -1px 0 0 -4em; width: 1.5em; border: thin solid; border-radius: 0 0 0 0.5em }
                     47:    pre.css { border: solid thin; background: #FFFFEE; color: black; padding: 0.5em 1em; }
                     48:    pre.css:first-line { color: #AAAA50; }
                     49:    dl.domintro { color: green; margin: 2em 0 2em 2em; padding: 0.5em 1em; border: none; background: #DDFFDD; }
                     50:    hr + dl.domintro, div.impl + dl.domintro { margin-top: 2.5em; margin-bottom: 1.5em; }
                     51:    dl.domintro dt, dl.domintro dt * { color: black; text-decoration: none; }
                     52:    dl.domintro dd { margin: 0.5em 0 1em 2em; padding: 0; }
                     53:    dl.domintro dd p { margin: 0.5em 0; }
                     54:    dl.domintro:before { display: table; margin: -1em -0.5em -0.5em auto; width: auto; content: 'This box is non-normative. Implementation requirements are given below this box.'; color: black; font-style: italic; border: solid 2px; background: white; padding: 0 0.25em; }
                     55:    dl.switch { padding-left: 2em; }
                     56:    dl.switch > dt { text-indent: -1.5em; }
                     57:    dl.switch > dt:before { content: '\21AA'; padding: 0 0.5em 0 0; display: inline-block; width: 1em; text-align: right; line-height: 0.5em; }
                     58:    dl.triple { padding: 0 0 0 1em; }
                     59:    dl.triple dt, dl.triple dd { margin: 0; display: inline }
                     60:    dl.triple dt:after { content: ':'; }
                     61:    dl.triple dd:after { content: '\A'; white-space: pre; }
                     62:    .diff-old { text-decoration: line-through; color: silver; background: transparent; }
                     63:    .diff-chg, .diff-new { text-decoration: underline; color: green; background: transparent; }
                     64:    a .diff-new { border-bottom: 1px blue solid; }
                     65: 
                     66:    h2 { page-break-before: always; }
                     67:    h1, h2, h3, h4, h5, h6 { page-break-after: avoid; }
                     68:    h1 + h2, hr + h2.no-toc { page-break-before: auto; }
                     69: 
                     70:    p  > span:not([title=""]):not([class="XXX"]):not([class="impl"]):not([class="note"]),
                     71:    li > span:not([title=""]):not([class="XXX"]):not([class="impl"]):not([class="note"]), { border-bottom: solid #9999CC; }
                     72: 
                     73:    div.head { margin: 0 0 1em; padding: 1em 0 0 0; }
                     74:    div.head p { margin: 0; }
                     75:    div.head h1 { margin: 0; }
                     76:    div.head .logo { float: right; margin: 0 1em; }
                     77:    div.head .logo img { border: none } /* remove border from top image */
                     78:    div.head dl { margin: 1em 0; }
                     79:    div.head p.copyright, div.head p.alt { font-size: x-small; font-style: oblique; margin: 0; }
                     80: 
                     81:    body > .toc > li { margin-top: 1em; margin-bottom: 1em; }
                     82:    body > .toc.brief > li { margin-top: 0.35em; margin-bottom: 0.35em; }
                     83:    body > .toc > li > * { margin-bottom: 0.5em; }
                     84:    body > .toc > li > * > li > * { margin-bottom: 0.25em; }
                     85:    .toc, .toc li { list-style: none; }
                     86: 
                     87:    .brief { margin-top: 1em; margin-bottom: 1em; line-height: 1.1; }
                     88:    .brief li { margin: 0; padding: 0; }
                     89:    .brief li p { margin: 0; padding: 0; }
                     90: 
                     91:    .category-list { margin-top: -0.75em; margin-bottom: 1em; line-height: 1.5; }
                     92:    .category-list::before { content: '\21D2\A0'; font-size: 1.2em; font-weight: 900; }
                     93:    .category-list li { display: inline; }
                     94:    .category-list li:not(:last-child)::after { content: ', '; }
                     95:    .category-list li > span, .category-list li > a { text-transform: lowercase; }
                     96:    .category-list li * { text-transform: none; } /* don't affect <code> nested in <a> */
                     97: 
                     98:    .XXX { color: #E50000; background: white; border: solid red; padding: 0.5em; margin: 1em 0; }
                     99:    .XXX > :first-child { margin-top: 0; }
                    100:    p .XXX { line-height: 3em; }
                    101:    .annotation { border: solid thin black; background: #0C479D; color: white; position: relative; margin: 8px 0 20px 0; }
                    102:    .annotation:before { position: absolute; left: 0; top: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; margin: 6px -6px -6px 6px; background: #333333; z-index: -1; content: ''; }
                    103:    .annotation :link, .annotation :visited { color: inherit; }
                    104:    .annotation :link:hover, .annotation :visited:hover { background: transparent; }
                    105:    .annotation span { border: none ! important; }
                    106:    .note { color: green; background: transparent; font-family: sans-serif; }
                    107:    .warning { color: red; background: transparent; }
                    108:    .note, .warning { font-weight: bolder; font-style: italic; }
                    109:    .note em, .warning em, .note i, .warning i { font-style: normal; }
                    110:    p.note, div.note { padding: 0.5em 2em; }
                    111:    span.note { padding: 0 2em; }
                    112:    .note p:first-child, .warning p:first-child { margin-top: 0; }
                    113:    .note p:last-child, .warning p:last-child { margin-bottom: 0; }
                    114:    .warning:before { font-style: normal; }
                    115:    p.note:before { content: 'Note: '; }
                    116:    p.warning:before { content: '\26A0 Warning! '; }
                    117: 
                    118:    .bookkeeping:before { display: block; content: 'Bookkeeping details'; font-weight: bolder; font-style: italic; }
                    119:    .bookkeeping { font-size: 0.8em; margin: 2em 0; }
                    120:    .bookkeeping p { margin: 0.5em 2em; display: list-item; list-style: square; }
                    121:    .bookkeeping dt { margin: 0.5em 2em 0; }
                    122:    .bookkeeping dd { margin: 0 3em 0.5em; }
                    123: 
                    124:    h4 { position: relative; z-index: 3; }
                    125:    h4 + .element, h4 + div + .element { margin-top: -2.5em; padding-top: 2em; }
                    126:    .element {
                    127:      background: #EEEEFF;
                    128:      color: black;
                    129:      margin: 0 0 1em 0.15em;
                    130:      padding: 0 1em 0.25em 0.75em;
                    131:      border-left: solid #9999FF 0.25em;
                    132:      position: relative;
                    133:      z-index: 1;
                    134:    }
                    135:    .element:before {
                    136:      position: absolute;
                    137:      z-index: 2;
                    138:      top: 0;
                    139:      left: -1.15em;
                    140:      height: 2em;
                    141:      width: 0.9em;
                    142:      background: #EEEEFF;
                    143:      content: ' ';
                    144:      border-style: none none solid solid;
                    145:      border-color: #9999FF;
                    146:      border-width: 0.25em;
                    147:    }
                    148: 
                    149:    .example { display: block; color: #222222; background: #FCFCFC; border-left: double; margin-left: 2em; padding-left: 1em; }
                    150:    td > .example:only-child { margin: 0 0 0 0.1em; }
                    151: 
                    152:    ul.domTree, ul.domTree ul { padding: 0 0 0 1em; margin: 0; }
                    153:    ul.domTree li { padding: 0; margin: 0; list-style: none; position: relative; }
                    154:    ul.domTree li li { list-style: none; }
                    155:    ul.domTree li:first-child::before { position: absolute; top: 0; height: 0.6em; left: -0.75em; width: 0.5em; border-style: none none solid solid; content: ''; border-width: 0.1em; }
                    156:    ul.domTree li:not(:last-child)::after { position: absolute; top: 0; bottom: -0.6em; left: -0.75em; width: 0.5em; border-style: none none solid solid; content: ''; border-width: 0.1em; }
                    157:    ul.domTree span { font-style: italic; font-family: serif; }
                    158:    ul.domTree .t1 code { color: purple; font-weight: bold; }
                    159:    ul.domTree .t2 { font-style: normal; font-family: monospace; }
                    160:    ul.domTree .t2 .name { color: black; font-weight: bold; }
                    161:    ul.domTree .t2 .value { color: blue; font-weight: normal; }
                    162:    ul.domTree .t3 code, .domTree .t4 code, .domTree .t5 code { color: gray; }
                    163:    ul.domTree .t7 code, .domTree .t8 code { color: green; }
                    164:    ul.domTree .t10 code { color: teal; }
                    165: 
                    166:    body.dfnEnabled dfn { cursor: pointer; }
                    167:    .dfnPanel {
                    168:      display: inline;
                    169:      position: absolute;
                    170:      z-index: 10;
                    171:      height: auto;
                    172:      width: auto;
                    173:      padding: 0.5em 0.75em;
                    174:      font: small sans-serif, Droid Sans Fallback;
                    175:      background: #DDDDDD;
                    176:      color: black;
                    177:      border: outset 0.2em;
                    178:    }
                    179:    .dfnPanel * { margin: 0; padding: 0; font: inherit; text-indent: 0; }
                    180:    .dfnPanel :link, .dfnPanel :visited { color: black; }
                    181:    .dfnPanel p { font-weight: bolder; }
                    182:    .dfnPanel * + p { margin-top: 0.25em; }
                    183:    .dfnPanel li { list-style-position: inside; }
                    184: 
                    185:    #configUI { position: absolute; z-index: 20; top: 10em; right: 1em; width: 11em; font-size: small; }
                    186:    #configUI p { margin: 0.5em 0; padding: 0.3em; background: #EEEEEE; color: black; border: inset thin; }
                    187:    #configUI p label { display: block; }
                    188:    #configUI #updateUI, #configUI .loginUI { text-align: center; }
                    189:    #configUI input[type=button] { display: block; margin: auto; }
                    190: 
                    191:    fieldset { margin: 1em; padding: 0.5em 1em; }
                    192:    fieldset > legend + * { margin-top: 0; }
                    193:    fieldset > :last-child { margin-bottom: 0; }
                    194:    fieldset p { margin: 0.5em 0; }
                    195: 
1.85      mike      196:    .stability {
                    197:      position: fixed;
                    198:      bottom: 0;
                    199:      left: 0; right: 0;
                    200:      margin: 0 auto 0 auto;
                    201:      width: 50%;
                    202:      background: maroon; color: yellow;
                    203:      -webkit-border-radius: 1em 1em 0 0;
                    204:      -moz-border-radius: 1em 1em 0 0;
                    205:      border-radius: 1em 1em 0 0;
                    206:      -moz-box-shadow: 0 0 1em #500;
                    207:      -webkit-box-shadow: 0 0 1em #500;
                    208:      box-shadow: 0 0 1em red;
                    209:      padding: 0.5em 1em;
                    210:      text-align: center;
                    211:    }
                    212:    .stability strong {
                    213:      display: block;
                    214:    }
                    215:    .stability input {
                    216:      appearance: none; margin: 0; border: 0; padding: 0.25em 0.5em; background: transparent; color: black;
                    217:      position: absolute; top: -0.5em; right: 0; font: 1.25em sans-serif; text-align: center;
                    218:    }
                    219:    .stability input:hover {
                    220:      color: white;
                    221:      text-shadow: 0 0 2px black;
                    222:    }
                    223:    .stability input:active {
                    224:      padding: 0.3em 0.45em 0.2em 0.55em;
                    225:    }
                    226:    .stability :link, .stability :visited,
                    227:    .stability :link:hover, .stability :visited:hover {
                    228:      background: transparent;
                    229:      color: white;
                    230:    }
                    231: 
                    232:   </style><link href="http://www.w3.org/StyleSheets/TR/W3C-WD" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css"><meta content="noindex" name="robots"><style type="text/css">
1.1       mike      233: 
                    234:    .applies thead th > * { display: block; }
                    235:    .applies thead code { display: block; }
                    236:    .applies tbody th { whitespace: nowrap; }
                    237:    .applies td { text-align: center; }
                    238:    .applies .yes { background: yellow; }
                    239: 
                    240:    .matrix, .matrix td { border: hidden; text-align: right; }
                    241:    .matrix { margin-left: 2em; }
                    242: 
                    243:    .dice-example { border-collapse: collapse; border-style: hidden solid solid hidden; border-width: thin; margin-left: 3em; }
                    244:    .dice-example caption { width: 30em; font-size: smaller; font-style: italic; padding: 0.75em 0; text-align: left; }
                    245:    .dice-example td, .dice-example th { border: solid thin; width: 1.35em; height: 1.05em; text-align: center; padding: 0; }
                    246: 
                    247:    td.eg { border-width: thin; text-align: center; }
                    248: 
                    249:    #table-example-1 { border: solid thin; border-collapse: collapse; margin-left: 3em; }
                    250:    #table-example-1 * { font-family: "Essays1743", serif; line-height: 1.01em; }
                    251:    #table-example-1 caption { padding-bottom: 0.5em; }
                    252:    #table-example-1 thead, #table-example-1 tbody { border: none; }
                    253:    #table-example-1 th, #table-example-1 td { border: solid thin; }
                    254:    #table-example-1 th { font-weight: normal; }
                    255:    #table-example-1 td { border-style: none solid; vertical-align: top; }
                    256:    #table-example-1 th { padding: 0.5em; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; }
                    257:    #table-example-1 tbody tr:first-child td { padding-top: 0.5em; }
                    258:    #table-example-1 tbody tr:last-child td { padding-bottom: 1.5em; }
                    259:    #table-example-1 tbody td:first-child { padding-left: 2.5em; padding-right: 0; width: 9em; }
                    260:    #table-example-1 tbody td:first-child::after { content: leader(". "); }
                    261:    #table-example-1 tbody td { padding-left: 2em; padding-right: 2em; }
                    262:    #table-example-1 tbody td:first-child + td { width: 10em; }
                    263:    #table-example-1 tbody td:first-child + td ~ td { width: 2.5em; }
                    264:    #table-example-1 tbody td:first-child + td + td + td ~ td { width: 1.25em; }
                    265: 
                    266:    .apple-table-examples { border: none; border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 1.5em 0em; width: 40em; margin-left: 3em; }
                    267:    .apple-table-examples * { font-family: "Times", serif; }
                    268:    .apple-table-examples td, .apple-table-examples th { border: none; white-space: nowrap; padding-top: 0; padding-bottom: 0; }
                    269:    .apple-table-examples tbody th:first-child { border-left: none; width: 100%; }
                    270:    .apple-table-examples thead th:first-child ~ th { font-size: smaller; font-weight: bolder; border-bottom: solid 2px; text-align: center; }
                    271:    .apple-table-examples tbody th::after, .apple-table-examples tfoot th::after { content: leader(". ") }
                    272:    .apple-table-examples tbody th, .apple-table-examples tfoot th { font: inherit; text-align: left; }
                    273:    .apple-table-examples td { text-align: right; vertical-align: top; }
                    274:    .apple-table-examples.e1 tbody tr:last-child td { border-bottom: solid 1px; }
                    275:    .apple-table-examples.e1 tbody + tbody tr:last-child td { border-bottom: double 3px; }
                    276:    .apple-table-examples.e2 th[scope=row] { padding-left: 1em; }
                    277:    .apple-table-examples sup { line-height: 0; }
                    278: 
                    279:    .details-example img { vertical-align: top; }
                    280: 
                    281:    #base64-table {
                    282:      white-space: nowrap;
                    283:      font-size: 0.6em;
                    284:      column-width: 6em;
                    285:      column-count: 5;
                    286:      column-gap: 1em;
                    287:      -moz-column-width: 6em;
                    288:      -moz-column-count: 5;
                    289:      -moz-column-gap: 1em;
                    290:      -webkit-column-width: 6em;
                    291:      -webkit-column-count: 5;
                    292:      -webkit-column-gap: 1em;
                    293:    }
                    294:    #base64-table thead { display: none; }
                    295:    #base64-table * { border: none; }
                    296:    #base64-table tbody td:first-child:after { content: ':'; }
                    297:    #base64-table tbody td:last-child { text-align: right; }
                    298: 
                    299:    #named-character-references-table {
                    300:      white-space: nowrap;
                    301:      font-size: 0.6em;
                    302:      column-width: 30em;
                    303:      column-gap: 1em;
                    304:      -moz-column-width: 30em;
                    305:      -moz-column-gap: 1em;
                    306:      -webkit-column-width: 30em;
                    307:      -webkit-column-gap: 1em;
                    308:    }
                    309:    #named-character-references-table > table > tbody > tr > td:first-child + td,
                    310:    #named-character-references-table > table > tbody > tr > td:last-child { text-align: center; }
                    311:    #named-character-references-table > table > tbody > tr > td:last-child:hover > span { position: absolute; top: auto; left: auto; margin-left: 0.5em; line-height: 1.2; font-size: 5em; border: outset; padding: 0.25em 0.5em; background: white; width: 1.25em; height: auto; text-align: center; }
                    312:    #named-character-references-table > table > tbody > tr#entity-CounterClockwiseContourIntegral > td:first-child { font-size: 0.5em; }
                    313: 
                    314:    .glyph.control { color: red; }
                    315: 
                    316:    @font-face {
                    317:      font-family: 'Essays1743';
                    318:      src: url('http://www.whatwg.org/specs/web-apps/current-work/fonts/Essays1743.ttf');
                    319:    }
                    320:    @font-face {
                    321:      font-family: 'Essays1743';
                    322:      font-weight: bold;
                    323:      src: url('http://www.whatwg.org/specs/web-apps/current-work/fonts/Essays1743-Bold.ttf');
                    324:    }
                    325:    @font-face {
                    326:      font-family: 'Essays1743';
                    327:      font-style: italic;
                    328:      src: url('http://www.whatwg.org/specs/web-apps/current-work/fonts/Essays1743-Italic.ttf');
                    329:    }
                    330:    @font-face {
                    331:      font-family: 'Essays1743';
                    332:      font-style: italic;
                    333:      font-weight: bold;
                    334:      src: url('http://www.whatwg.org/specs/web-apps/current-work/fonts/Essays1743-BoldItalic.ttf');
                    335:    }
                    336: 
                    337:   </style><link href="data:text/css," id="complete" rel="stylesheet" title="Complete specification"><link href="data:text/css,.impl%20%7B%20display:%20none;%20%7D%0Ahtml%20%7B%20border:%20solid%20yellow;%20%7D%20.domintro:before%20%7B%20display:%20none;%20%7D" id="author" rel="alternate stylesheet" title="Author documentation only"><link href="data:text/css,.impl%20%7B%20background:%20%23FFEEEE;%20%7D%20.domintro:before%20%7B%20background:%20%23FFEEEE;%20%7D" id="highlight" rel="alternate stylesheet" title="Highlight implementation requirements"><script type="text/javascript">
                    338:    function getCookie(name) {
                    339:      var params = location.search.substr(1).split("&");
                    340:      for (var index = 0; index < params.length; index++) {
                    341:        if (params[index] == name)
                    342:          return "1";
                    343:        var data = params[index].split("=");
                    344:        if (data[0] == name)
                    345:          return unescape(data[1]);
                    346:      }
                    347:      var cookies = document.cookie.split("; ");
                    348:      for (var index = 0; index < cookies.length; index++) {
                    349:        var data = cookies[index].split("=");
                    350:        if (data[0] == name)
                    351:          return unescape(data[1]);
                    352:      }
                    353:      return null;
                    354:    }
1.96      mike      355:   </script>
1.1       mike      356:   <script src="link-fixup.js"></script>
                    357:   <link href="forms.html" title="4.10 Forms" rel="prev">
                    358:   <link href="index.html#contents" title="Table of contents" rel="contents">
                    359:   <link href="the-fieldset-element.html" title="4.10.4 The fieldset element" rel="next">
1.22      mike      360:   </head><body onload="fixBrokenLink();" class="split chapter"><div class="head" id="head">
1.1       mike      361:    <p><a href="http://www.w3.org/"><img alt="W3C" height="48" src="http://www.w3.org/Icons/w3c_home" width="72"></a></p>
                    362: 
                    363:    <h1>HTML5</h1>
1.113   ! mike      364:    <h2 class="no-num no-toc" id="a-vocabulary-and-associated-apis-for-html-and-xhtml">A vocabulary and associated APIs for HTML and XHTML</h2><p>This is revision 1.5630.</p>
1.85      mike      365: 
1.98      mike      366:    <h2 class="no-num no-toc" id="w3c-working-draft-29-march-2012">W3C Working Draft 29 March 2012</h2>
1.85      mike      367:    </div>
1.1       mike      368: 
1.85      mike      369:   <nav class="prev_next">
1.1       mike      370:    <a href="forms.html">&#8592; 4.10 Forms</a> &#8211;
                    371:    <a href="index.html#contents">Table of contents</a> &#8211;
                    372:    <a href="the-fieldset-element.html">4.10.4 The fieldset element &#8594;</a>
                    373:   </nav>
                    374: 
1.85      mike      375:   <h4 id="the-form-element"><span class="secno">4.10.3 </span>The <dfn><code>form</code></dfn> element</h4>
                    376: 
                    377:   <dl class="element"><dt><a href="element-definitions.html#element-dfn-categories" title="element-dfn-categories">Categories</a>:</dt>
1.1       mike      378:    <dd><a href="content-models.html#flow-content">Flow content</a>.</dd>
                    379:    <dd><a href="content-models.html#palpable-content">Palpable content</a>.</dd>
1.25      mike      380:    <dt><a href="element-definitions.html#element-dfn-contexts" title="element-dfn-contexts">Contexts in which this element can be used</a>:</dt>
1.1       mike      381:    <dd>Where <a href="content-models.html#flow-content">flow content</a> is expected.</dd>
1.25      mike      382:    <dt><a href="element-definitions.html#element-dfn-content-model" title="element-dfn-content-model">Content model</a>:</dt>
1.1       mike      383:    <dd><a href="content-models.html#flow-content">Flow content</a>, but with no <code><a href="#the-form-element">form</a></code> element descendants.</dd>
1.25      mike      384:    <dt><a href="element-definitions.html#element-dfn-attributes" title="element-dfn-attributes">Content attributes</a>:</dt>
1.1       mike      385:    <dd><a href="global-attributes.html#global-attributes">Global attributes</a></dd>
                    386:    <dd><code title="attr-form-accept-charset"><a href="#attr-form-accept-charset">accept-charset</a></code></dd>
                    387:    <dd><code title="attr-fs-action"><a href="attributes-common-to-form-controls.html#attr-fs-action">action</a></code></dd>
                    388:    <dd><code title="attr-form-autocomplete"><a href="#attr-form-autocomplete">autocomplete</a></code></dd>
                    389:    <dd><code title="attr-fs-enctype"><a href="attributes-common-to-form-controls.html#attr-fs-enctype">enctype</a></code></dd>
                    390:    <dd><code title="attr-fs-method"><a href="attributes-common-to-form-controls.html#attr-fs-method">method</a></code></dd>
                    391:    <dd><code title="attr-form-name"><a href="#attr-form-name">name</a></code></dd>
                    392:    <dd><code title="attr-fs-novalidate"><a href="attributes-common-to-form-controls.html#attr-fs-novalidate">novalidate</a></code></dd>
                    393:    <dd><code title="attr-fs-target"><a href="attributes-common-to-form-controls.html#attr-fs-target">target</a></code></dd>
1.25      mike      394:    <dt><a href="element-definitions.html#element-dfn-dom" title="element-dfn-dom">DOM interface</a>:</dt>
1.1       mike      395:    <dd>
                    396: <pre class="idl">[OverrideBuiltins]
                    397: interface <dfn id="htmlformelement">HTMLFormElement</dfn> : <a href="elements.html#htmlelement">HTMLElement</a> {
                    398:            attribute DOMString <a href="#dom-form-acceptcharset" title="dom-form-acceptCharset">acceptCharset</a>;
                    399:            attribute DOMString <a href="attributes-common-to-form-controls.html#dom-fs-action" title="dom-fs-action">action</a>;
                    400:            attribute DOMString <a href="#dom-form-autocomplete" title="dom-form-autocomplete">autocomplete</a>;
                    401:            attribute DOMString <a href="attributes-common-to-form-controls.html#dom-fs-enctype" title="dom-fs-enctype">enctype</a>;
                    402:            attribute DOMString <a href="attributes-common-to-form-controls.html#dom-fs-encoding" title="dom-fs-encoding">encoding</a>;
                    403:            attribute DOMString <a href="attributes-common-to-form-controls.html#dom-fs-method" title="dom-fs-method">method</a>;
                    404:            attribute DOMString <a href="#dom-form-name" title="dom-form-name">name</a>;
                    405:            attribute boolean <a href="attributes-common-to-form-controls.html#dom-fs-novalidate" title="dom-fs-noValidate">noValidate</a>;
                    406:            attribute DOMString <a href="attributes-common-to-form-controls.html#dom-fs-target" title="dom-fs-target">target</a>;
                    407: 
                    408:   readonly attribute <a href="common-dom-interfaces.html#htmlformcontrolscollection">HTMLFormControlsCollection</a> <a href="#dom-form-elements" title="dom-form-elements">elements</a>;
                    409:   readonly attribute long <a href="#dom-form-length" title="dom-form-length">length</a>;
                    410:   <a href="#dom-form-item" title="dom-form-item">getter</a> <a href="infrastructure.html#element">Element</a> (unsigned long index);
                    411:   <a href="#dom-form-nameditem" title="dom-form-namedItem">getter</a> object (DOMString name);
                    412: 
                    413:   void <a href="#dom-form-submit" title="dom-form-submit">submit</a>();
                    414:   void <a href="#dom-form-reset" title="dom-form-reset">reset</a>();
                    415:   boolean <a href="#dom-form-checkvalidity" title="dom-form-checkValidity">checkValidity</a>();
                    416: };</pre>
                    417:    </dd>
                    418:   </dl><p>The <code><a href="#the-form-element">form</a></code> element <a href="rendering.html#represents">represents</a> a
                    419:   collection of <a href="forms.html#form-associated-element" title="form-associated element">form-associated
                    420:   elements</a>, some of which can represent editable values that
1.85      mike      421:   can be submitted to a server for processing.</p>
                    422: 
                    423:   <p>The <dfn id="attr-form-accept-charset" title="attr-form-accept-charset"><code>accept-charset</code></dfn>
1.1       mike      424:   attribute gives the character encodings that are to be used for the
                    425:   submission. If specified, the value must be an <a href="common-microsyntaxes.html#ordered-set-of-unique-space-separated-tokens">ordered set of
                    426:   unique space-separated tokens</a> that are <a href="infrastructure.html#ascii-case-insensitive">ASCII
                    427:   case-insensitive</a>, and each token must be an <a href="infrastructure.html#ascii-case-insensitive">ASCII
                    428:   case-insensitive</a> match for the <a href="infrastructure.html#preferred-mime-name">preferred MIME
                    429:   name</a> of an <a href="infrastructure.html#ascii-compatible-character-encoding">ASCII-compatible character encoding</a>.
1.85      mike      430:   <a href="references.html#refsIANACHARSET">[IANACHARSET]</a></p>
                    431: 
                    432:   <p>The <dfn id="attr-form-name" title="attr-form-name"><code>name</code></dfn> attribute
1.1       mike      433:   represents the <code><a href="#the-form-element">form</a></code>'s name within the <code title="dom-document-forms"><a href="dom.html#dom-document-forms">forms</a></code> collection. The value must
                    434:   not be the empty string, and the value must be unique amongst the
                    435:   <code><a href="#the-form-element">form</a></code> elements in the <code title="dom-document-forms"><a href="dom.html#dom-document-forms">forms</a></code> collection that it is in, if
1.85      mike      436:   any.</p>
                    437: 
                    438:   <p>The <dfn id="attr-form-autocomplete" title="attr-form-autocomplete"><code>autocomplete</code></dfn>
1.1       mike      439:   attribute is an <a href="common-microsyntaxes.html#enumerated-attribute">enumerated attribute</a>. The attribute has
                    440:   two states. The <code title="attr-form-autocomplete-on">on</code>
                    441:   keyword maps to the <dfn id="attr-form-autocomplete-on-state" title="attr-form-autocomplete-on-state">on</dfn> state, and the
                    442:   <code title="attr-form-autocomplete-off">off</code> keyword maps to
                    443:   the <dfn id="attr-form-autocomplete-off-state" title="attr-form-autocomplete-off-state">off</dfn>
                    444:   state. The attribute may also be omitted. The <i>missing value
                    445:   default</i> is the <a href="#attr-form-autocomplete-on-state" title="attr-form-autocomplete-on-state">on</a> state. The <a href="#attr-form-autocomplete-off-state" title="attr-form-autocomplete-off-state">off</a> state indicates
                    446:   that by default, <code><a href="the-input-element.html#the-input-element">input</a></code> elements in the form will have
                    447:   their <a href="common-input-element-attributes.html#resulting-autocompletion-state">resulting autocompletion state</a> set to <i title="">off</i>; the <a href="#attr-form-autocomplete-on-state" title="attr-form-autocomplete-on-state">on</a> state indicates
                    448:   that by default, <code><a href="the-input-element.html#the-input-element">input</a></code> elements in the form will have
1.85      mike      449:   their <a href="common-input-element-attributes.html#resulting-autocompletion-state">resulting autocompletion state</a> set to <i title="">on</i>.</p>
                    450: 
                    451:   <p>The <code title="attr-fs-action"><a href="attributes-common-to-form-controls.html#attr-fs-action">action</a></code>, <code title="attr-fs-enctype"><a href="attributes-common-to-form-controls.html#attr-fs-enctype">enctype</a></code>, <code title="attr-fs-method"><a href="attributes-common-to-form-controls.html#attr-fs-method">method</a></code>, <code title="attr-fs-novalidate"><a href="attributes-common-to-form-controls.html#attr-fs-novalidate">novalidate</a></code>, and <code title="attr-fs-target"><a href="attributes-common-to-form-controls.html#attr-fs-target">target</a></code> attributes are <a href="attributes-common-to-form-controls.html#attributes-for-form-submission">attributes
                    452:   for form submission</a>.</p>
                    453: 
                    454: 
                    455:   <dl class="domintro"><dt><var title="">form</var> . <code title="dom-form-elements"><a href="#dom-form-elements">elements</a></code></dt>
1.1       mike      456: 
                    457:    <dd>
                    458: 
                    459:     <p>Returns an <code><a href="infrastructure.html#htmlcollection">HTMLCollection</a></code> of the form controls in
                    460:     the form (excluding image buttons for historical reasons).</p>
                    461: 
                    462:    </dd>
                    463: 
                    464:    <dt><var title="">form</var> . <code title="dom-form-length"><a href="#dom-form-length">length</a></code></dt>
                    465: 
                    466:    <dd>
                    467: 
                    468:     <p>Returns the number of form controls in the form (excluding
                    469:     image buttons for historical reasons).</p>
                    470: 
                    471:    </dd>
                    472: 
                    473:    <dt><var title="">form</var>[<var title="">index</var>]</dt>
                    474:    <dt><var title="">form</var>(<var title="">index</var>)</dt>
                    475: 
                    476:    <dd>
                    477: 
                    478:     <p>Returns the <var title="">index</var>th element in the form
                    479:     (excluding image buttons for historical reasons).</p>
                    480: 
                    481:    </dd>
                    482: 
                    483:    <dt><var title="">form</var>[<var title="">name</var>]</dt>
                    484:    <dt><var title="">form</var>(<var title="">name</var>)</dt>
                    485: 
                    486:    <dd>
                    487: 
                    488:     <p>Returns the form control (or, if there are several, a
                    489:     <code><a href="infrastructure.html#nodelist">NodeList</a></code> of the form controls) in the form with the
                    490:     given <a href="infrastructure.html#concept-id" title="concept-id">ID</a> or <code title="attr-fe-name"><a href="attributes-common-to-form-controls.html#attr-fe-name">name</a></code> (excluding image buttons for
                    491:     historical reasons); or, if there are none, returns the
                    492:     <code><a href="the-img-element.html#the-img-element">img</a></code> element with the given ID.</p>
                    493: 
                    494:     <p>Once an element has been referenced using a particular name,
                    495:     that name will continue being available as a way to reference that
                    496:     element in this method, even if the element's actual <a href="infrastructure.html#concept-id" title="concept-id">ID</a> or <code title="attr-fe-name"><a href="attributes-common-to-form-controls.html#attr-fe-name">name</a></code> changes, for as long as the
                    497:     element remains in the <code><a href="dom.html#document">Document</a></code>.</p>
                    498: 
                    499:     <p>If there are multiple matching items, then a
                    500:     <code><a href="infrastructure.html#nodelist">NodeList</a></code> object containing all those elements is
                    501:     returned.</p>
                    502: 
                    503:    </dd>
                    504: 
                    505:    <dt><var title="">form</var> . <code title="dom-form-submit"><a href="#dom-form-submit">submit</a></code>()</dt>
                    506: 
                    507:    <dd>
                    508: 
                    509:     <p>Submits the form.</p>
                    510: 
                    511:    </dd>
                    512: 
                    513:    <dt><var title="">form</var> . <code title="dom-form-reset"><a href="#dom-form-reset">reset</a></code>()</dt>
                    514: 
                    515:    <dd>
                    516: 
                    517:     <p>Resets the form.</p>
                    518: 
                    519:    </dd>
                    520: 
                    521:    <dt><var title="">form</var> . <code title="dom-form-checkValidity"><a href="#dom-form-checkvalidity">checkValidity</a></code>()</dt>
                    522: 
                    523:    <dd>
                    524: 
                    525:     <p>Returns true if the form's controls are all valid; otherwise,
                    526:     returns false.</p>
                    527: 
                    528:    </dd>
                    529: 
                    530:   </dl><div class="impl">
                    531: 
                    532:   <p>The <dfn id="dom-form-autocomplete" title="dom-form-autocomplete"><code>autocomplete</code></dfn> IDL
                    533:   attribute must <a href="common-dom-interfaces.html#reflect">reflect</a> the content attribute of the
                    534:   same name, <a href="common-dom-interfaces.html#limited-to-only-known-values">limited to only known values</a>.</p>
                    535: 
                    536:   <p>The <dfn id="dom-form-name" title="dom-form-name"><code>name</code></dfn> IDL
                    537:   attribute must <a href="common-dom-interfaces.html#reflect">reflect</a> the content attribute of the
                    538:   same name.</p>
                    539: 
                    540:   <p>The <dfn id="dom-form-acceptcharset" title="dom-form-acceptCharset"><code>acceptCharset</code></dfn> IDL
                    541:   attribute must <a href="common-dom-interfaces.html#reflect">reflect</a> the <code title="attr-form-accept-charset"><a href="#attr-form-accept-charset">accept-charset</a></code> content
                    542:   attribute.</p>
                    543: 
                    544:   <hr><p>The <dfn id="dom-form-elements" title="dom-form-elements"><code>elements</code></dfn>
                    545:   IDL attribute must return an <code><a href="common-dom-interfaces.html#htmlformcontrolscollection">HTMLFormControlsCollection</a></code>
                    546:   rooted at the <code><a href="dom.html#document">Document</a></code> node, whose filter matches <a href="forms.html#category-listed" title="category-listed">listed elements</a> whose <a href="association-of-controls-and-forms.html#form-owner">form
                    547:   owner</a> is the <code><a href="#the-form-element">form</a></code> element, with the exception of
1.8       mike      548:   <code><a href="the-input-element.html#the-input-element">input</a></code> elements whose <code title="attr-input-type"><a href="the-input-element.html#attr-input-type">type</a></code> attribute is in the <a href="states-of-the-type-attribute.html#image-button-state-type-image" title="attr-input-type-image">Image Button</a> state, which must,
1.1       mike      549:   for historical reasons, be excluded from this particular
                    550:   collection.</p>
                    551: 
                    552:   <p>The <dfn id="dom-form-length" title="dom-form-length"><code>length</code></dfn> IDL
                    553:   attribute must return the number of nodes <a href="infrastructure.html#represented-by-the-collection" title="represented
                    554:   by the collection">represented</a> by the <code title="dom-form-elements"><a href="#dom-form-elements">elements</a></code> collection.</p>
                    555: 
                    556:   <p>The <a href="infrastructure.html#supported-property-indices">supported property indices</a> at any instant are
                    557:   the indices supported by the object returned by the <code title="dom-form-elements"><a href="#dom-form-elements">elements</a></code> attribute at that
                    558:   instant.</p>
                    559: 
                    560:   <p>When a <code><a href="#the-form-element">form</a></code> element is <dfn id="dom-form-item" title="dom-form-item">indexed for indexed property retrieval</dfn>,
                    561:   the user agent must return the value returned by the <code title="dom-HTMLFormControlsCollection-item">item</code> method on
                    562:   the <code title="dom-form-elements"><a href="#dom-form-elements">elements</a></code> collection, when
                    563:   invoked with the given index as its argument.</p>
                    564: 
                    565:   <hr><p>Each <code><a href="#the-form-element">form</a></code> element has a mapping of names to elements
                    566:   called the <dfn id="past-names-map">past names map</dfn>. It is used to persist names of
                    567:   controls even when they change names.</p>
                    568: 
                    569:   <p>The <a href="infrastructure.html#supported-property-names">supported property names</a> consist of the values
                    570:   of all the <code title="attr-id"><a href="global-attributes.html#the-id-attribute">id</a></code> and <code title="attr-fe-name"><a href="attributes-common-to-form-controls.html#attr-fe-name">name</a></code> attributes of all the <a href="forms.html#category-listed" title="category-listed">listed elements</a> and <code><a href="the-img-element.html#the-img-element">img</a></code>
                    571:   elements that are descendants of the <code><a href="#the-form-element">form</a></code> element, and
                    572:   all the names currently in the <a href="#past-names-map">past names map</a>.</p>
                    573: 
                    574:   <p>When a <code><a href="#the-form-element">form</a></code> element is <dfn id="dom-form-nameditem" title="dom-form-namedItem">indexed for named property
                    575:   retrieval</dfn>, the user agent must run the following steps:</p>
                    576: 
                    577:   <ol><li><p>Let <var title="">candidates</var> be a <a href="infrastructure.html#live">live</a>
                    578:    <code><a href="infrastructure.html#nodelist">NodeList</a></code> object containing all the <a href="forms.html#category-listed" title="category-listed">listed elements</a> that are descendants
                    579:    of the <code><a href="#the-form-element">form</a></code> element and that have either an <code title="attr-id"><a href="global-attributes.html#the-id-attribute">id</a></code> attribute or a <code title="attr-fe-name"><a href="attributes-common-to-form-controls.html#attr-fe-name">name</a></code> attribute equal to <var title="">name</var>, in <a href="infrastructure.html#tree-order">tree order</a>.</p></li>
                    580: 
                    581:    <li><p>If <var title="">candidates</var> is empty, let <var title="">candidates</var> be a <a href="infrastructure.html#live">live</a>
                    582:    <code><a href="infrastructure.html#nodelist">NodeList</a></code> object containing all the <code><a href="the-img-element.html#the-img-element">img</a></code>
                    583:    elements that are descendants of the <code><a href="#the-form-element">form</a></code> element and
                    584:    that have either an <code title="attr-id"><a href="global-attributes.html#the-id-attribute">id</a></code> attribute or a
                    585:    <code title="attr-img-name"><a href="obsolete.html#attr-img-name">name</a></code> attribute equal to <var title="">name</var>, in <a href="infrastructure.html#tree-order">tree order</a>.</p></li>
                    586: 
                    587:    <li><p>If <var title="">candidates</var> is empty, <var title="">name</var> is the name of one of the entries in the
                    588:    <code><a href="#the-form-element">form</a></code> element's <a href="#past-names-map">past names map</a>: return the
                    589:    object associated with <var title="">name</var> in that
                    590:    map.</p></li>
                    591: 
                    592:    <li><p>If <var title="">candidates</var> contains more than one
                    593:    node, return <var title="">candidates</var> and abort these
                    594:    steps.</p></li>
                    595: 
                    596:    <li><p>Otherwise, <var title="">candidates</var> contains exactly
                    597:    one node. Add a mapping from <var title="">name</var> to the node
                    598:    in <var title="">candidates</var> in the <code><a href="#the-form-element">form</a></code> element's
                    599:    <a href="#past-names-map">past names map</a>, replacing the previous entry with the
                    600:    same name, if any.</p></li>
                    601: 
                    602:    <li><p>Return the node in <var title="">candidates</var>.</p></li>
                    603: 
                    604:   </ol><p>If an element listed in the <code><a href="#the-form-element">form</a></code> element's <a href="#past-names-map">past
                    605:   names map</a> is removed from the <code><a href="dom.html#document">Document</a></code>, then its
                    606:   entries must be removed from the map.</p>
                    607: 
                    608:   
1.4       mike      609: 
1.1       mike      610:   
                    611: 
                    612:   <hr><p>The <dfn id="dom-form-submit" title="dom-form-submit"><code>submit()</code></dfn>
                    613:   method, when invoked, must <a href="form-submission.html#concept-form-submit" title="concept-form-submit">submit</a> the <code><a href="#the-form-element">form</a></code>
                    614:   element from the <code><a href="#the-form-element">form</a></code> element itself, with the <var title="">submitted from <code title="dom-form-submit"><a href="#dom-form-submit">submit()</a></code> method</var> flag set.</p>
                    615: 
                    616:   <p>The <dfn id="dom-form-reset" title="dom-form-reset"><code>reset()</code></dfn>
                    617:   method, when invoked, must run the following steps:</p>
                    618: 
                    619:   <ol><li><p>If the <code><a href="#the-form-element">form</a></code> element is marked as <i><a href="#locked-for-reset">locked for
                    620:    reset</a></i>, then abort these steps.</p></li>
                    621: 
                    622:    <li><p>Mark the <code><a href="#the-form-element">form</a></code> element as <dfn id="locked-for-reset">locked for
                    623:    reset</dfn>.</p></li>
                    624: 
                    625:    <li><p><a href="form-submission.html#concept-form-reset" title="concept-form-reset">Reset</a> the
                    626:    <code><a href="#the-form-element">form</a></code> element.</p></li>
                    627: 
                    628:    <li><p>Unmark the <code><a href="#the-form-element">form</a></code> element as <i><a href="#locked-for-reset">locked for
                    629:    reset</a></i>.</p></li>
                    630: 
                    631:   </ol><p>If the <dfn id="dom-form-checkvalidity" title="dom-form-checkValidity"><code>checkValidity()</code></dfn>
                    632:   method is invoked, the user agent must <a href="constraints.html#statically-validate-the-constraints">statically validate the
                    633:   constraints</a> of the <code><a href="#the-form-element">form</a></code> element, and return true
                    634:   if the constraint validation return a <i>positive</i> result, and
                    635:   false if it returned a <i>negative</i> result.</p>
                    636: 
1.85      mike      637:   </div>
                    638: 
                    639: 
                    640:   <div class="example">
1.1       mike      641: 
                    642:    <p>This example shows two search forms:</p>
                    643: 
                    644:    <pre>&lt;form action="http://www.google.com/search" method="get"&gt;
                    645:  &lt;label&gt;Google: &lt;input type="search" name="q"&gt;&lt;/label&gt; &lt;input type="submit" value="Search..."&gt;
                    646: &lt;/form&gt;
                    647: &lt;form action="http://www.bing.com/search" method="get"&gt;
                    648:  &lt;label&gt;Bing: &lt;input type="search" name="q"&gt;&lt;/label&gt; &lt;input type="submit" value="Search..."&gt;
                    649: &lt;/form&gt;</pre>
                    650: 
1.85      mike      651:   </div>
                    652: 
                    653: 
                    654: 
                    655: 
                    656:   </body></html>

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