HTML Form Attributes

This chapter describes the different attributes for the HTML <form> element.

The Action Attribute

The action attribute defines the action to be performed when the form is submitted.

Usually, the form data is sent to a file called "action_page.php". This file contains a server-side script that handles the form data:

Tip: If the action attribute is omitted, the action is set to the current page.

The target attribute specifies where to display the response that is received after submitting the form.

The target attribute can have one of the following values:

The default value is _self which means that the response will open in the current window.

The method attribute specifies the HTTP method that should be used when submitting the form data.

The form-data can be sent as URL variables (with method="get") or as HTTP post transaction (with method="post").

The default HTTP method when submitting form data is GET.

Notes on GET:

Appends the form data to the end of the URL, in name/value pairs
NEVER EVER use GET to send sensitive data! (the submitted data will be visible in the URL!)
The length of a URL is limited (to 2048 characters)
GET is useful for form submissions where a user might want to bookmark the result (such as a search)
GET is good for non-sensitive data, like a search.

Notes on POST:

Appends the form data inside the body of the HTTP request (the data submitted is not shown in the URL)
POST has no size limitations, and can be used to send a lot of data
Form submissions with POST cannot be bookmarked

The autocomplete attribute specifies whether a form should have autocomplete on or off.

When autocomplete is on, the browser automatically complete values based on values that the user has entered before.

The novalidate attribute is a boolean attribute.

When present, it specifies that the form-data (input) should not be validated when the form is submitted.