Learning to write HTML forms doesn't need to be difficult. This HTML forms tutorial takes you through all the lessons in the Free HTML Forms Class. You can also receive the lessons via email by signing up for the class. The class is 5 days of lessons about HTML forms.
I recommend you spend at least one day on each of the lessons. There are several linked articles in each lesson, and they are all important for learning how to build and use HTML forms.
Start the HTML Forms Tutorial
Using the FORM Tag
The FORM tag is the basis of all HTML forms. If you don't have a <form> tag, then you don't have a form. Don't worry too much about the value in the action attribute just yet. We'll cover that in a later lesson.
How to Use the INPUT Tag
The INPUT tag is the form tag that lets you collect information. You place the <input /> tags inside your <form> tag and label them to collect the information your form needs.
The Textarea Tag
Sometimes you want to create larger text boxes than the <input /> tag supports. The TEXTAREA tag creates boxes of whatever size you need to collect longer answers for your forms.
The Select and Option Tags
The SELECT and OPTION tags work together to help you create drop-down selection lists for your customers to choose options. Web developers use drop-down menus on their forms to help limit the answer choices by their customers. You need both the <select> and <option> tags to create a drop-down menu.
OPTIONAL: Other Form Tags
If you're looking for more to read about HTML form tags, this is a great place to start. There are many other tags you can use for HTML forms. This page lists many of the more advanced HTML form tags you can use.
HOMEWORK DAY 1: Build Your First HTML Form
Follow the instructions in this article to create your first simple HTML form. Feel free to add more input tags or even a drop-down menu. This article includes information on using mailto to create a mailto form that actually works. We'll discuss this more in a later lesson.
