Differents way to structure html inputs and labels in a form - html

I'm wondering what are the best solutions to structure a html form with labels and inputs.
I used to do this with float: left to the label and float: right for the inputs. And each line is surround with a block clear: both.
But i don't think these CSS property were made for something like that..
So what are the others solutions ? Tables ?

Well it really depends on what you want the form to look like. For example, if you want a clear grid with borders I recommend using a table.
To duplicate what you have, you can do this:
<label for='textbox'>Label</label><input type='text' id='textbox' />
And then this css:
label { display: inline-block; width: 100px; }
This will make the label stay on the same line as in input element but will push it the appropriate distance.
Personally, I try to avoid using floats to align elements. I would rather use position absolute and set left or right and top or bottom. To me floating is like asking the browser to do it for you, and maybe some browsers (cough ie cough) will decide to draw it a little differently.

Form markup and CSS will always be a personal choice. Sure, there are some rights and wrongs semantically and technically from a CSS point of view, but there certainly isn't one (or even a few) "right" techniques.
My personal preference is to float the label left and contain my inputs inside lists, which I personally consider more semantic than a div or p tag.
HTML:
<form>
<fieldset>
<ol>
<li>
<label for="input1">Label 1</label>
<input type="text" name="input1" id="input1">
</li>
<li>
<label for="input2">Label 2</label>
<input type="text" name="input2" id="input2">
</li>
<li>
<label for="input3">Label 3</label>
<input type="text" name="input3" id="input3">
</li>
</ol>
<button type="submit">Submit</button>
</fieldset>
</form>
CSS:
li {
clear: left;
margin-bottom: 10px;
}
label {
float: left; /* You could use "display: inline-block;" instead. */
margin-right: 10px;
width: 80px;
}

tables is also a solution.
also , Div with 2 inner divs( left and right)
or 1 div with both elements with float:left with margin-left.

Related

Aligning text boxes with CSS pushes out labels

I'm trying to align a section of text boxes but allowing labels in between them. Unfortunately they are being pushed aside. I'm sure it might be a css field type I'm unaware of that will handle this but maybe someone could help.
<div id="boxalign2">
<p>
<label>Contact Info</label><br>
<label>Email:</label> <input type="text"/>
<label>Office #:</label> <input type="text"/>
<label>Other:</label> <input type="text"/>
<label>Preferred method of contact</label>
<select id = "myList">
<option value = "1">Email</option>
<option value = "2">Phone</option>
</select>
</p>
css
#boxalign2 p label{
display: inline-block;
float: left;
clear: left;
width: 100px;
text-align: right;
}
If the above doesn't show my problem, here is the whole:http://jsfiddle.net/HLLVt/
Hi you don't need the float property in your #boxalign2 p label, also you need to manage the width of the labels and the container depends of what you want.
Chek this fiddle http://jsfiddle.net/HLLVt/4/
Remove the float and clear styles and the <p> tags around each label/input pair and they will all line up on one line. See http://jsfiddle.net/HLLVt/7/

How align div to a form field?

Currently I have the following HTML code.
<div class="field">
<label>E-mail address: </label>
<input type="text" id="email" name='email' style="width:200px;"></input>
<span class='warning' id="emailWarning" > </span>
<div class="tip" id="emailTip"></div>
</div>
However, I want the text in the div element (class = 'tip') to be aligned with the start of the form's text field.
How should I do this using HTML and CSS?
Here's what is looks like now:
http://jsfiddle.net/pEJMD/embedded/result/
This would be a quick workaround. You should put both the .tip div and the input into a wrapping div.
You can set a fixed size to the label. Than push the div to the right with the size of the label:
<div class="field">
<label style="width:100px;">E-mail address: </label>
<input type="text" id="email" name='email' style="width:200px;"></input>
<span class='warning' id="emailWarning" > </span>
<div class="tip" id="emailTip" style="margin-left:100px;">
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog
</div>
</div>
And the result.
Well, either you use a <table>, putting in one cell the <label> and in the other the <input>, or you use fixed widths/margins or paddings.
Solution 1: Table
Table solution
In this solution you use a table to hold the form. On column is for labels, the other column is for inputs. In this case you will have the tip in the input column, and it will align automatically with the input.
This has the pro to be working for flexible dimensions of your label/inputs. And tables are not always evil. Just remember that, if you want to keep your label aligned with the input, add a vertical-align:top to your CSS.
Solution 2: Fixed width
Fixed-width solution
In this solution you give a fixed width to your label, and move the .tip div using either margin, padding or left.
This will hold your layout in place, so be careful of extremely long labels!
You don't need an explicit width at all, nor tables; just use CSS tables (see my answer to this related question):
CSS
form { display: table; }
p { display: table-row; }
label { display: table-cell; }
input { display: table-cell; }
HTML
<form>
<p>
<label for="a">Short label:</label>
<input id="a" type="text">
</p>
<p>
<label for="b">Very very very long label:</label>
<input id="b" type="text">
</p>
</form>
Here's a JSFiddle: http://jsfiddle.net/DaS39/1/
And if you need the labels right-aligned, just add text-align: right to the labels: http://jsfiddle.net/DaS39/
Use margin-left:
Change:
<div class="tip" id="emailTip">
To:
<div class="tip" id="emailTip" style="margin-left:95px;">
DEMO
Learn more about the CSS margin property here.
You can give a height to the label, give a width to the parent div and float your tip. See the demo: http://jsfiddle.net/pEJMD/4/
Here you go: http://jsfiddle.net/4sJ2t/
You just need to give your label a fixed width, and then your tip a left margin
label {width:100px; text-align:right; margin-right:5px;}
.tip {margin-left:105px; padding: 5px 0;}

Styling HTML <li> elements: avoiding an invalid parent <div>

The situation:
I have a site with a long list of questions across multiple pages.
Each question is within a made up of a label and an input. Groups of question divs are within an additional div to provide grouping and bordering styles, etc.
The problem:
I want to number my questions, but want to avoid hard coding the numbering. However, it is invalid html to place the <li> inside the divs or labels.
In addition some question divs are conditionally hidden and revealed depending on user input. The divs therefore provide key functionality, and the number must be hidden and revealed along with these divs, (so positioning each <li> outside a divs would be problematic.
Code:
Here is an example of a pared down structure of my form, showing two question "blocks":
<form id="myform" method="post" action="/destinaion/page.php">
<div class="formfield">
<div class="page1">
<div class="lowerborder">
<div class="question">
<label for="q2">Question 1</label>
<input type="number" id="q1" name="q1"/>
</div>
<div class="question">
<label for="q1">Question 2</label>
<input type="number" id="q2" name="q2"/>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</form>
The div class form field contains the form page, and page1 various styling particulars for page 1.
I'd like to make an ordered list from my questions, perhaps something like
Attempt at achieving goal:
<form id="myform" method="post" action="/destination/page.php">
<div class="formfield">
<ol>
<div class="page1">
<div class="lowerborder">
<div class="question">
<label for="q2"><li>Question 1</li></label>
<input type="number" id="q1" name="q1"/>
</div>
<div class="question">
<label for="q1"><li>Question 2</li></label>
<input type="number" id="q2" name="q2"/>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</ol>
</div>
</form>
But as you can see I am putting the <li> inside the <label> which a) is not valid html, and b) doesn't play well with all browsers.
How can I avoid putting <li> elements inside invalid parents, when my list items are separated by many nested divs?
jsFiddle:
See a fiddle of my above attempt. Including some styling and functionality I am trying to achieve (styling via nested divs, hidden questions that reveal etc)
Please see this fiddle demonstrating how to do everything you want without interposing any other elements. I found no need for even a single div anywhere.
Note: I initially used float:left for the question to make the answers line up properly. However, this caused IE to render the numbers just left of the answers instead of left of the questions. I switched to using display:inline-block and now everything works in IE as well.
Comments:
I cleaned up the style sheet, which had some sections repeated and conflicting style rules. I removed unnecessary rules.
I created the lines separating groups of questions using a class, and I also made it apply to the top border of a question rather than the bottom, so that you can use it even if there are hidden questions ending a group, since a hidden question would probably never begin a group. There was no need for additional elements to have borders.
In my opinion the label for the "Reveal" checkbox should be the text next to it, so that you can click that text to check and uncheck the box. Thus, I added a "question" class to the items that are the question, rather than using a label. You must apply the style "question" to the questions to make them style properly. You can apply that to a label element (which is for something else or not), or you can use a span or other element to contain the text when it is not a label.
IE 7 stupidly puts the numbers at the bottom of the line, even though the questions are styled with vertical-align:top. I don't know how to fix that at this time, but it could be another question to those more expert than I in CSS quirks.
IE was not handling the "hidden" method very well, taking up extra space and then when revealing not showing the child elements, so I used absolute positioning instead (which, by taking it out of the document flow, has the same effect). See the CSS for how it works.
I modified the way you were applying the reveal script. Instead of manually wiring up each individual item, instead I put a data value on the checkbox itself, then at the ready event I use that to wire up the page appropriately. Now you can have checkboxes that reveal more questions just by adding an id to the revealed question (or use class instead if you need to reveal more than one at a time) and a data expando attribute like data-togglehidden="l4" to specify the id to toggle right in the checkbox element. No script changes required.
It looks a little like you may have "div-itis" which is the tendency to multiply divs all over the place. No need to be embarrassed, I have had div-itis too, when I was new to html development. You'll grow out of it due to experiences like this. In general, you should use normal non-div page elements and style them directly, rather than wrap things in divs and styling those. Divs are useful when you need to style a group of related functionality or provide a box for different elements. One hint that you may be using divs improperly is when they only have a single item in them (especially another div). Sometimes that is necessary, but ask yourself: can I move the style to the parent or child element instead?
I need to know more about how the "pages" work that you mentioned and that were in your original html markup. There are no pages in html, only when html is printed. So I'm not quite sure what that means or how to style your pages for you.
Here is the cleaned-up html, without the need of additional elements between ol and li:
<form id="myform" method="post" action="/destination/page.php">
<ol class="formfield">
<li>
<label class="question" for="q1">What is your first name?</label>
<input type="text" id="q1" name="q1"/>
</li>
<li>
<label class="question" for="q2">A very long question 2 that is sure to run to a second line just to prove that such a thing will work properly and not mess up the layout, described in your own words?</label>
<input type="text" id="q2" name="q2"/>
</li>
<li class="begingroup">
<span class="question">Are you the type of person who likes to needlessly answer extra questions?</span>
<input type="checkbox" id="q3" name="q3" data-togglehidden="l4"/>
<label for="q3">Yes, yes, that's me!!!</label>
</li>
<li id="l4" class="hidden">
<label class="question" for="q4">Why do you like to do extra needless work?</label>
<input type="text" id="q4" name="q4"/>
</li>
<li class="begingroup">
<label class="question" for="q5">What was your first pet's name?</label>
<input type="text" id="q5" name="q5"/>
</li>
</ol>
</form>
Here's what it looks like in Firefox 16.0.2:
And in IE 7.0.5730.13CO:
The CSS:
ol.formfield {
width: 500px;
margin: 10px auto;
padding: 16px 16px 16px 0;
border: 5px groove #005E9B;
list-style: decimal outside;
color: black;
background-color: #6Fc2F7;
font-family: 'Oxygen', sans-serif;
font-size:15px;
}
ol.formfield li {
clear: both;
padding: 2px;
margin-left: 1.7em;
}
ol.formfield li.begingroup {
margin-top: 8px;
padding-top: 8px;
border-top: 1px solid #005E9B;
}
.question {
display:inline-block;
width:300px;
vertical-align:top;
}
.hidden {
position: absolute;
height: 0;
width: 0;
overflow: hidden;
}
ol.formfield input {
border-radius:5px; /* css 3 */
-moz-border-radius:5px; /* mozilla */
-webkit-border-radius:5px; /* webkit */
}
And the script to wire up your hide/reveal based on data values on elements:
$('ol.formfield input:checkbox')
.each(function() {
var d = $(this).data('togglehidden');
if(d) {
$(this).on('change', function() {
if ($(this).attr('checked')) {
$('#' + d)
.removeClass('hidden')
.find(':input')
.focus();
} else {
$('#' + d).addClass('hidden');
}
});
}
});

Float left causes my input label to be on top instead v-align middle

I'm sure there are a lot of people with this problem, but I can't find a proper solution. That is basically is the problem. I've got a form with two pairs of label and field.
HTML:
<label for="Account">Inlognaam:</label>
<input class="field" id="Account" name="Account" type="
<br />
<label for="Wachtwoord">Wachtwoord:</label>
<input class="field" id="Wachtwoord" name="Wachtwoord" type="password" />
CSS:
label {
width: 150px;
float: left;
text-align: left;
}
So the problem is: when I don't use the 'float:left;' the input field will be not nice structured. BUT the label is going top-aligned. How can this be fixed?
An example is visible here: http://jsfiddle.net/ptKEh/9/ (comment float:left; to see what I mean)
EDIT::
Another thing... The input fields are in Chrome correct but in IE9 (9.0.8) the second field is a little shorter.
instead of floating the labels just use display: inline-block;
it will preserve the vertical alignment and it works even on IE6 and 7
I would recommend using padding to move the text down to be inline. This will only work with 1 line of text for the label and is cross browser capable.
I have put together an example jsfiddle http://jsfiddle.net/ptKEh/11/

Break line after input without html markup

I am trying to display a number of inputs and their corresponding labels. They are both inline elements, and I have a working solution with adding a br tag at the end like so
<label for="hello"></label>
<input id="hello" type="text" />
<br>
<label for="stackoverflow"></label>
<input id="stackoverflow" />
Id like to solve this without extraneous HTML markup, i.e with CSS. What is the easiest way to do this?
I have viewed other questions similar to this, but aligning by row instead of by column.
You can wrap the labels around your inputs and display them as blocks:
<style>
label { display: block; }
</style>
<label>
Hello: <input name="hello">
</label>
<label>
StackOverflow: <input name="stackoverflow">
</label>
Note that when you do this you don't need to use the for="name" attribute.
The other way (if you don't want the labels wrapped around your inputs) is to float the labels to the left:
<style>
label { float: left; clear: left; }
</style>
However, I generally prefer a little more markup, something that connects the label and the input into one logical element, called a field:
<div class="field">
<label for="hello">Hello</label>
<input name="hello">
</div>
<div class="field">
<label for="stackoverflow">Stackoverflow</label>
<input name="stackoverflow">
</div>
Because each field is a div, it will display as a block automatically, but you can control it for individual fields as well.
Try to set display:inline-block for your input and label elements. So you can add all block element specific css like witdh or margin-bottom.
You can also set your input and label to display:block and add margin-bottom only to the the input. Or you can reverse it and add a margin-top to your labels ;)
If you want to remove the margin on the last element you can use input:last-child {margin-bottom:0;}
input, label {display:block;}
input {margin-bottom:18px;}
input:last-child {margin-bottom:0;}
/* Or to be specific you can use the attribut-selector
which only works on inputs with type="text"
*/
input[type="text"]:last-child {margin-bottom:0;}