HTML and CSS Reference
In-Depth Information
When you tab through this page, the browser will skip past the links and move directly to
the form fields.
Using Access Keys
Access keys also make your forms easier to navigate. They assign a character to an ele-
ment that moves the focus to that element when the user presses a key. To add an access
key to a check box, use the following code:
<p>
What are your interests?
</p>
<label>
Sports
<input type=”checkbox” name=”sports” accesskey=”S” /></label>
<label>
Music
<input type=””checkbox” name=”music” accesskey=”M” /></label>
<label>
Television
<input type=””checkbox” name=”tv” accesskey=”T” /></label>
Most browsers require you to hold down a modifier key and the key specified using
accesskey
to select the field. On Windows, both Firefox and Internet Explorer require
you to use the Alt key along with the access key to select a field. Access keys are mostly
useful for forms that will be used frequently by the same users. A user who is going to
use a form only once won't bother to learn the access keys, but if you've written a form
for data entry, the people who use it hundreds of times a day might really appreciate the
shortcuts.
Creating
disabled
and
readonly
Controls
Sometimes you might want to display a form control without enabling your visitors to
use the control or enter new information. To disable a control, add the
disabled
attribute
to the form control:
<label for=”question42”>
What is the meaning of life?
</label>
<textarea name=“question42” disabled=“disabled”>
Enter your answer here.
</textarea>
When displayed in a web browser, the control will be dimmed (a light shade of gray) to
indicate that it's unavailable.
To create a read-only control, use the
readonly
attribute:
Input
▼
<label>
This month
</label> <input type=“text” name=“month” value=“September”
readonly=“readonly” />
