HTML 5 <button> Tag

• HTML <form> Tag
• HTML <input> Tag

The HTML <button> tag is used for creating a button control.

Although this tag is often used in conjunction with the <form> tag, it can also be used as a standalone control.

Example

Modify the code below, then click "Update". See below for attributes.

Source Code	Result
<!-- Example 1 --> <button onclick="JavaScript:alert('Well done!')">Click Me!</button> <!-- Example 2 --> <button onclick="JavaScript:alert('You will love this book!')"> <img src="/pix/web_graphics/free_website_graphics/icons/books/book13.gif" alt="Read book" /> <br />Read Book!</button>

Attributes

HTML tags can contain one or more attributes. Attributes are added to a tag to provide the browser with more information about how the tag should appear or behave. Attributes consist of a name and a value separated by an equals (=) sign, with the value surrounded by double quotes. Here's an example, style="color:black;".

There are 3 kinds of attributes that you can add to your HTML tags: Element-specific, global, and event handler content attributes.

The attributes that you can add to this tag are listed below.

Element-Specific Attributes

The following table shows the attributes that are specific to this tag/element.

Attribute	Description
autofocus	Automatically gives focus to this control when the page loads. This allows the user to start using the control without having to select it first. There must not be more than one element in the document with the autofocus attribute specified. This is a boolean attribute. If the attribute is present, its value must either be the empty string or a value that is an ASCII case-insensitive match for the attribute's canonical name, with no leading or trailing whitespace (i.e. either `autofocus` or `autofocus="autofocus"`). Possible values: [Empty string] autofocus
disabled	Disables the control. Therefore, if the user tries to use the control, nothing will happen. This is a boolean attribute. If the attribute is present, its value must either be the empty string or a value that is an ASCII case-insensitive match for the attribute's canonical name, with no leading or trailing whitespace (i.e. either `disabled` or `disabled="disabled"`). Possible values: [Empty string] disabled
form	Specifies the ID of a form to which this control belongs. Possible values: [The ID of a form element in the element's owner `Document`]
formaction	Specifies the URL of the file that will process the control when submitted.
formenctype	Specifies the content type used to encode the form data set when it's submitted to the server. Possible values: `application/x-www-form-urlencoded` (default) `multipart/form-data` (use this when uploading files) `text/plain` (use this when uploading files)
formmethod	Specifies the HTTP method to use when the control is submitted. Possible values: `get` (the form data is appended to the URL when submitted) `post` (the form data is not appended to the URL) `put` `delete`
formnovalidate	Specifies that the form is not to be validated during submission. This is a boolean attribute. If the attribute is present, its value must either be the empty string or a value that is an ASCII case-insensitive match for the attribute's canonical name, with no leading or trailing whitespace (i.e. either `novalidate` or `novalidate="novalidate"`). Possible values: [Empty string] novalidate
formtarget	Specifies the browsing context to load the destination indicated in the `action` attribute. Possible values: `_blank` `_self` `_top` `_parent`
name	Assigns the name of the control.
type	Specifies the type of button. Possible values: `submit` Submits the form. This is the default value. `reset` Resets the form. `button` Does nothing. You can use JavaScript to make the control actually do something.
value	Assigns an initial value to the control. This attribute must only be present if the `form` attribute is present.

Global Attributes

The following attributes are standard across all HTML 5 tags.

accesskey	hidden	itemtype
class	id	lang
contenteditable	inert	spellcheck
contextmenu	itemid	style
dir	itemprop	tabindex
draggable	itemref	title
dropzone	itemscope	translate

For a full explanation of these attributes, see HTML 5 global attributes.

Event Handler Content Attributes

Event handler content attributes enable you to invoke a script from within your HTML. The script is invoked when a certain "event" occurs. Each event handler content attribute deals with a different event.

Here are the standard HTML 5 event handler content attributes.

onabort	onerror*	onmousewheel
onblur*	onfocus*	onpause
oncanplay	onformchange	onplay
oncanplaythrough	onforminput	onplaying
onchange	oninput	onprogress
onclick	oninvalid	onratechange
oncontextmenu	onkeydown	onreadystatechange
ondblclick	onkeypress	onscroll
ondrag	onkeyup	onseeked
ondragend	onload*	onseeking
ondragenter	onloadeddata	onselect
ondragleave	onloadedmetadata	onshow
ondragover	onloadstart	onstalled
ondragstart	onmousedown	onsubmit
ondrop	onmousemove	onsuspend
ondurationchange	onmouseout	ontimeupdate
onemptied	onmouseover	onvolumechange
onended	onmouseup	onwaiting

For a full explanation of these attributes, see HTML 5 event handler content attributes.

HTML

HTML 5 <button> Tag

Related:

Example

Attributes

Element-Specific Attributes

Global Attributes

Event Handler Content Attributes

Also see the HTML 4.01 tags

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