HTML <select>

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BrandonDusch
Published Apr 19, 2022Updated Jul 1, 2022
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The <select> element creates a dropdown list where the user can select from among a number of <option> elements.

The <select> element is normally used with <option> elements for gathering user input in a form.

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Syntax

<select name="dropdown name">
  <option value="value of option 1">Text for option 1</option>
  <option value="value of option 2">Text for option 2</option>
  <option value="value of option 3">Text for option 3</option>
</select>

The <select> element is referenced in the form data with a name attribute. Inside, the <option> elements will each have a value attribute that is submitted with the form if that option is selected.

Attributes

The attributes that can be used with the <select> element include:

  • autofocus indicates the drop-down list gets the focus automatically when the page loads.
  • disabled indicates that the drop-down list is disabled.
  • form specifies the form that the drop-down list belongs to.
  • multiple indicates that multiple options can be selected.
  • name specifies the name of the drop-down list.
  • required indicates that the drop-down list requires a selection before the form can be submitted.
  • size specifies the number of options visible in the drop-down list.

Example

The example form below allows the user to select one of four different types of meals:

<html>
  <head> </head>
  <body>
    <form>
      <label for="food">Select Meal Type</label>
      <select name="food" id="food">
        <option value="1">Beef</option>
        <option value="2">Chicken</option>
        <option value="3">Fish</option>
        <option value="4">Vegetarian</option>
      </select>
      <input type="submit" value="Order Dinner" />
    </form>
  </body>
</html>

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  • Career path

    Front-End Engineer

    Front-end engineers work closely with designers to make websites beautiful, functional, and fast.
    • Includes 34 Courses
    • With Professional Certification
    • Beginner Friendly.
      115 hours
  • Free course

    Learn HTML

    Start at the beginning by learning HTML basics — an important foundation for building and editing web pages.
    • Beginner Friendly.
      7 hours