HTML and CSS Reference
In-Depth Information
9.7. Multiline Text Areas
The conventional and hidden-text types for forms restrict user input to a
single line of characters. The
<textarea>
form tag sets users free.
9.7.1. The <textarea> Tag
As part of a form, the
<textarea>
tag creates a multiline text-entry area
in the user's browser display. In it, the user may type a nearly unlimited
number of lines of text. Upon submission of the form, the browser col-
lects all the lines of text, each separated by
%0D%0A
(carriage return/line
feed), and sends them to the server as the value of this form element,
using the name specified by the required
name
attribute.
You may include plain text inside the
<textarea>
tag and its end tag
(
</textarea>
). That default text must be plain text, with no tags or other
special elements. The user may modify the contents and the browser
uses that text as the default value if the user presses a reset button for
the form. Hence, the text content is most often included for instructions
and examples:
Tell us about yourself:
<textarea name=address cols=40 rows=4>
Your Name Here
1234 My Street
Anytown, State Zipcode
</textarea>
