HTML <select> Tag
The HTML <select> tag represents a control for selecting amongst a set of options.
The <select> tag is used with the <option> tag to produce a list of options that the user can choose from. The <optgroup> element can also be used for grouping those <option> items.
Syntax
The <select> tag is written as <select></select> with any number of <option> tags nested between the start and end tags.
The name attribute is often included so that any script that processes the form control can reference the selected value.
Like this:
Examples
Basic tag usage
The <optgroup> Element
The <optgroup> element allows you to group the <option> elements within your <select> list. This can be useful when there are many list items and they can be sorted into logical groups.
Like this:
The multiple Attribute
The multiple attribute allows the user to select more than one option at a time. Browsers typically present multiple select lists in a different way to a normal select list.
Like this:
The size Attribute
If you have many options, you might want to display more options to the user (without them having to scroll or interact with the control first).
You can use the size attribute to specify the number of options to show the user.
Like this:
Attributes
Attributes can be added to an HTML element to provide more information about how the element should appear or behave.
The <select> element accepts the following attributes.
| 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 Possible values:
|
disabled | Disables the input control. The form control won't accept changes from the user. It also cannot receive focus and will be skipped when tabbing.
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 Possible values:
|
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 |
multiple | Indicates whether the user can select multiple rows at once.
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 Possible values:
|
name | Assigns a name to the input control. |
required | Specifies that the user is required to select an option before submitting the form.
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 Possible values:
|
size | Specifies the number of options to show to the user. The value must be a valid non-negative integer greater than zero. If the multiple attribute is present, then the size attribute's default value is 4. If the multiple attribute is absent, then the size attribute's default value is 1. |
Global Attributes
The following attributes are standard across all HTML elements. Therefore, you can use these attributes with the <select> tag , as well as with all other HTML tags.
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For a full explanation of these attributes, see HTML 5 global attributes.
Event Handlers
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.
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Most event handler content attributes can be used on all HTML elements, but some event handlers have specific rules around when they can be used and which elements they are applicable to.
For more detail, see HTML event handler content attributes.