I am working with html select boxes and have found that they currently don't support the placeholder attribute, but I don't exactly understand why this is the case.
I would just like to understand what are the reasons for this if any? Thanks for any insight.
Likely, this is because conventional placeholder text doesn't make sense in a select element because you only have a predefined set of options to choose from. You can't edit the text in a select element like you can with an editable combo box in many desktop applications, but that's only because HTML simply does not provide an editable select element out of the box.
The select element implements "placeholders" by way of what the HTML5 spec calls a placeholder label option, which is described thusly:
If a select element has a required attribute specified, does not have a multiple attribute specified, and has a display size of 1; and if the value of the first option element in the select element's list of options (if any) is the empty string, and that option element's parent node is the select element (and not an optgroup element), then that option is the select element's placeholder label option.
And it gives the following example:
Code Example:
The following example shows how a select element can be used to offer the user with a set of options from which the user can select a single option. The default option is preselected.
<p>
<label for="unittype">Select unit type:</label>
<select id="unittype" name="unittype">
<option value="1"> Miner </option>
<option value="2"> Puffer </option>
<option value="3" selected> Snipey </option>
<option value="4"> Max </option>
<option value="5"> Firebot </option>
</select>
</p>
When there is no default option, a placeholder can be used instead:
<select name="unittype" required>
<option value=""> Select unit type </option>
<option value="1"> Miner </option>
<option value="2"> Puffer </option>
<option value="3"> Snipey </option>
<option value="4"> Max </option>
<option value="5"> Firebot </option>
</select>
This idiom has in fact been in use since antiquity.
Placeholder text will appear when the user didn't feed any value.
selectbox, in this scenario the 1st option will appear when the user didn't enter a value. So we can use 1st <option> as placeholder text & place holder attribute is not required.
Related
I have on this check in form:
<label>Check in date </label>
<select id="day">
<option value="1">1</option>
<option value="2">2</option>
<option value="3">3</option>
<option value="4">4</option>
</select>
<select id="month">
<option value="1">1</option>
<option value="2">2</option>
<option value="3">3</option>
<option value="4">4</option>
</select>
<select id="year">
<option value="1">2012</option>
<option value="2">2013</option>
</select>
As you can see, the user will choose the month, the day and the year on different select boxes, however, only one label should exist for all three.
What would be the proper way to do this with HTML ?
Update:
I'm concerned with the accessibility hit that we may have on developing something like the code above. I mean, a blind user should be able to listen each label in order to fill this form...
The problem with using one label for all three input boxes is that an non-sighted user is not going to know which of three boxes the focus is in because the same text will be read out in each case. There's a number of approaches possible. Maybe the safest is to have a label for each box, but hide those labels off to the left side of the viewport. Another possibility which ought to work, but I haven't tested would be this:
<fieldset>
<legend>Check in date</legend>
<select id="day" aria-label="day">
<option value="1">1</option>
<option value="2">2</option>
<option value="3">3</option>
<option value="4">4</option>
</select>
<select id="month" aria-label="month">
<option value="1">1</option>
<option value="2">2</option>
<option value="3">3</option>
<option value="4">4</option>
</select>
<select id="year" aria-label="year">
<option value="1">2012</option>
<option value="2">2013</option>
</select>
</fieldset>
Following with the answer from #Alohci, you can also use aria-labelledby and reverse the naming reference (which I think is a bit closer to the convention you were looking for):
<label id="date">Check in date</label>
<select aria-labelledby="date">
<!-- ... -->
</select>
<select aria-labelledby="date">
<!-- ... -->
</select>
<select aria-labelledby="date">
<!-- ... -->
</select>
Also note, as per the W3C on labelled-by:
If the label text is visible on screen, authors SHOULD use aria-labelledby and SHOULD NOT use aria-label. Use aria-label only if the interface is such that it is not possible to have a visible label on the screen. User agents give precedence to aria-labelledby over aria-label when computing the accessible name property.
You cannot associate a label element with more than one control. This is described in the definition of label.
You could give each select element its own label.
A better approach is to have a single text input field for a date. Then there is no problem with label. It means more work, since you have to parse the data server-side, and you should also parse it client-side (for checks, so that the user can immediately be informed of problems). But it is better usability (surely it is faster to type in a date than to use three clumsy dropdowns) and better accessibility. You need to decide on a date format and clearly tell the user what the expected format is.
There is no proper way; a label refers to one element. Just point it to the first one.
<label for="day">Check in date </label>
You could also use a specifically-styled <fieldset> if you like semantics, but I think that's a bit overkill. An <input type="date"> is probably the best option here, as it is one element that can be pointed to by your <label>, is more semantic, and can be somewhat friendlier if you implement a good date picker to go along with it.
If you want to stick with the <select>s, try giving each one a title attribute for accessibility.
Trying to improve #Bracketworks answer:
<label id="date">Check in date</label>
<label for="day" id="label_day">Day</label>
<select id="day" aria-labelledby="date label_day">
<!-- ... -->
</select>
<label for="month" id="label_month">Month</label>
<select id="month" aria-labelledby="date label_month">
<!-- ... -->
</select>
<label for="year" id="label_year">Year</label>
<select id="year" aria-labelledby="date label_year">
<!-- ... -->
</select>
See example 1 of MDN's "Using the aria-labelledby attribute".
HTML5's input type="date" might be useful too, particularly if you're using month/day/year select boxes as a way to limit date selection possibilities. This input element supports min and max date attributes, so you can apply your limitations. It's not supported by older browsers, but I've seen smart cookies use jQueryUI's datepicker as a shim (by using capabilities detection to determine type="date" support, then loading in and invoking the datepicker only if it isn't supported natively).
Validation occurs:
<select name="fruit" required>
<option value="" selected> Select a fruit </option>
<option value="apple"> Apple </option>
</select>
Validation never happens:
<select name="fruit" required>
<option value="apple"> Apple </option>
<option value="" selected> Select a fruit </option>
</select>
Question
Why HTML doesn't considers the validation of required attribute in all cases that an empty option are selected?
Because its trying to treat the first element, since it's value is empty, as a placeholder label option, not a option to be selected, and therefore selecting it does not satisfy the "required" constraint.
You are right as default HTML5 validator will only check the value of the first selectable if you mark the input as required.
https://www.w3schools.com/code/tryit.asp?filename=FNP50ZBTEYOE
To modify this, you will need to use another validator and customize it by some code as well.
jQuery Validate Required Select
I am working on an assignment for an online web development course I am taking. The assignment is to create an HTML form.
One of the requirements is for there to be 3 dropdown menus - one for month, day, and year. A label of "Birthday:" is to precede these three menus.
The course's assignment solution showed three select elements nested inside of one label element. I tried this and, although it looked normal in the browser, when I uploaded the file to W3C I received the following error:
"Error: The label element may contain at most one button, input, meter, output, progress, select, or textarea descendant."
Is there a proper way to use one label element to be applied to multiple select elements? Or is this a poor practice and instead each day, month, and year should each get its own label?
Here is my code:
<div>
<label>Birthday:
<select name="month" required>
<option value="">Month</option>
<option value="Jan">Jan</option>
<option value="Feb">Feb</option>
<option value="Mar">Mar</option>
<option value="Apr">Apr</option>
</select>
<select name="day" required>
<option value="">Day</option>
<option value="1">1</option>
<option value="2">2</option>
<option value="3">3</option>
<option value="4">4</option>
</select>
<select name="year" required>
<option value="">Year</option>
<option value="1918">1918</option>
<option value="1988">1988</option>
<option value="1998">1998</option>
<option value="2008">2008</option>
</select>
</label>
</div>
-
In HTML, <input /> fields are »primitive«, which means, each one represents a single value primitive value like a number, string, boolean, etc. A Birth date, consisting of three values, one for the year, the month and the day is »complex« in that context. So you cannot make HTML »understand« that you are trying to create a »complex« field in that way.
That's why (imho) you should not attach the label (complex) to any of the fields (primitive) and use the label as »decoration« without any connection to any field, than you wont get any validation errors.
<label>'s as wrapping elements can be helpful (especially for radio buttons) to expand the »clicking area/hitbox« and to apply some css, depending on the fields value, without any javascript. Otherwise linking labels to fields is cool for search engines and stuff, but since HTML does not have a standardized definition about: »how to label complex inputs«, it is difficult to say if the proposed approach is helpful, or will be in the future (afik).
So in your case, I would just:
<form>
<div class="complex field-group">
<label>…</label>
<div class="fields">
<!-- eventually to help bots
<label for="x" style="display:none;">…</label>
-->
<input id="x"/>
…
</div>
</div>
</form>
Can I use label element with select?
Most of the places I see label example with input elements only.
What does standard say about label association?
Is it a valid HTML markup?
<label for="id_select"> Options </label>
<select id="id_select" autofocus="true">
<option value="1"> Option1 </option>
<option value="2"> Option2 </option>
</select>
Yes, it's valid and works fine.
This attribute explicitly associates the label being defined with another control.
http://www.w3.org/TR/html401/interact/forms.html#h-17.9.1
I have the following code ;
<label for="courseLevel">Level</label>
<select name="courseLevel" id="courseLevel">
<option label="courseLevel">Foundation</option>
<option label="courseLevel">Undergraduate</option>
<option label="courseLevel">Postgraduate</option>
</select>
In firefox and chrome i get "Foundation","Undergraduate","Postgraduate" as the options. In internet explorer i get "courseLevel","courseLevel","courseLevel". Why? and how can it be fixed?
label is not being used correctly (only IE 7+ and Opera support it). You don't need it.
<label for="courseLevel">Level</label>
<select name="courseLevel" id="courseLevel">
<option>Foundation</option>
<option>Undergraduate</option>
<option>Postgraduate</option>
</select>
What you are probably looking for is value. For example, you could assign numeric values to each of the options like so:
<label for="courseLevel">Level</label>
<select name="courseLevel" id="courseLevel">
<option value='0'>Foundation</option>
<option value='1'>Undergraduate</option>
<option value='2'>Postgraduate</option>
</select>
However, you don't need them. When no values are specified, the text between <option> and </option> will be used.
option tags don't need a label attribute. It might be the cause of this problem.
because firefox ignores the label elements assigned to each option.
http://www.w3schools.com/TAGS/att_option_label.asp , http://www.w3schools.com/TAGS/tag_option.asp
seems like only IE7+ and Opera supports this tag
The label attribute is only supported by IE/Opera and will replace the option's innerText value.
Your XHTML is wrong.
You actually want <option value=""> tags; the label property makes no sense there. Furthermore, each value of an <option> tag should be unique. The label tag is correct there, since it corresponds to the id of the <select> tag and will make the drop-down menu appear when the 'Level' text is clicked.
<label for="courseLevel">Level</label>
<select name="courseLevel" id="courseLevel">
<option value="1">Foundation</option>
<option value="2">Undergraduate</option>
<option value="3">Postgraduate</option>
</select>