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HTML: <select> tag

This HTML tutorial explains how to use the HTML element called the <select> tag with syntax and examples.

Description

The HTML <select> tag creates a dropdown list of values that a user can choose from. These dropdown values are defined by a series of <option> tags within the <select> tag. This tag is also commonly referred to as the <select> element.

Syntax

In HTML, the syntax for the <select> tag is:

<body>
  <label for="tutorial_choice">Tutorials: </label>

  <select id="tutorial_choice">
    <option value="html">HTML</option>
    <option value="css">CSS</option>
    <option value="sql">SQL</option>
  </select>
</body>

Sample Output

Attributes

In addition to the Global Attributes, the following is a list of attributes that are specific to the <select> tag:

Attribute Description HTML Compatibility
autocomplete Value of either on or off to indicate whether the browser can automatically complete the values in the <select> control based on values previously entered in the form HTML 4.01, HTML5
autofocus Boolean value indicating that the <select> control has input focus when the page is loaded, unless the user overrides it. HTML 4.01, HTML5
disabled Boolean value indicating that the user cannot interact with the <select> control. HTML 4.01, HTML5
form Value indicating the form that owns the <select> control. It is the id of a <form> in the same document. HTML 4.01, HTML5
multiple Boolean value indicating whether multiple options can be selected in the <select> control. The default value for the <select> control is to only allow one option to be selected. HTML 4.01, HTML5
name Name of the <select> control HTML 4.01, HTML5
required Boolean value indicating whether the <select> control is required. Required <select> controls must be completed before the form can be submitted. HTML 4.01, HTML5
size The number of rows visible in the <select> control when multiple is specified or the <select> control is displayed as a scrolling list box. The default value for size is 0. HTML 4.01, HTML5

Note

  • The HTML <select> element is found within the <body> tag. The <select> tag is usually found within the <form> tag.
  • The <select> tag contains a set of <option> tags that provide the list of dropdown values.
  • By default, the first option in the <select> tag will appear as the selected item. The user can select another option in the dropdown list.

Browser Compatibility

The <select> tag has basic support with the following browsers:

  • Chrome
  • Android
  • Firefox (Gecko)
  • Firefox Mobile (Gecko)
  • Internet Explorer (IE)
  • Edge Mobile
  • Opera
  • Opera Mobile
  • Safari (WebKit)
  • Safari Mobile

Example

We will discuss the <select> tag below, exploring examples of how to use the <select> tag in HTML5, HTML 4.01 Transitional, XHTML 1.0 Transitional, XHTML 1.0 Strict, and XHTML 1.1.

  • HTML5
  • HTML4
  • XHTML

HTML5 Document

If you created a new web page in HTML5, your <select> tag might look like this:

<!doctype html>
<html>

<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>HTML5 Example by www.techonthenet.com</title>
</head>

<body>
  <label for="tutorial_choice">Tutorials: </label>

  <select id="tutorial_choice">
    <option value="html">HTML</option>
    <option value="css">CSS</option>
    <option value="sql">SQL</option>
  </select>
</body>

</html>

In this HTML5 Document example, we have used the <select> tag to create a list of three dropdown values - HTML, CSS and SQL. These values will appear as a drop down list for the user to select from.

HTML 4.01 Transitional Document

If you created a new web page in HTML 4.01 Transitional, your <select> tag might look like this:

<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/html4/loose.dtd">
<html>

<head>
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8">
<title>HTML 4.01 Transitional Example by www.techonthenet.com</title>
</head>

<body>
  <label for="tutorial_choice">Tutorials: </label>

  <select id="tutorial_choice">
    <option value="html">HTML</option>
    <option value="css">CSS</option>
    <option value="sql">SQL</option>
  </select>
</body>

</html>

In this HTML 4.01 Transitional Document example, we have used the <select> tag to create a list of three dropdown values - HTML, CSS and SQL. These values will appear as a drop down list for the user to select from.

XHTML 1.0 Transitional Document

If you created a new web page in XHTML 1.0 Transitional, your <select> tag might look like this:

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd">
<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

<head>
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />
<title>XHMTL 1.0 Transitional Example by www.techonthenet.com</title>
</head>

<body>
  <label for="tutorial_choice">Tutorials: </label>

  <select id="tutorial_choice">
    <option value="html">HTML</option>
    <option value="css">CSS</option>
    <option value="sql">SQL</option>
  </select>
</body>

</html>

In this XHTML 1.0 Transitional Document example, we have used the <select> tag to create a list of three dropdown values - HTML, CSS and SQL. These values will appear as a drop down list for the user to select from.

XHTML 1.0 Strict Document

If you created a new web page in XHTML 1.0 Strict, your <select> tag might look like this:

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd">
<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

<head>
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />
<title>XHTML 1.0 Strict Example by www.techonthenet.com</title>
</head>

<body>
<div>
  <label for="tutorial_choice">Tutorials: </label>

  <select id="tutorial_choice">
    <option value="html">HTML</option>
    <option value="css">CSS</option>
    <option value="sql">SQL</option>
  </select>
</div>
</body>

</html>

In this XHTML 1.0 Strict Document example, we have used the <select> tag to create a list of three dropdown values - HTML, CSS and SQL. These values will appear as a drop down list for the user to select from.

XHTML 1.1 Document

If you created a new web page in XHTML 1.1, your <select> tag might look like this:

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.1//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml11/DTD/xhtml11.dtd">
<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

<head>
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />
<title>XHTML 1.1 Example by www.techonthenet.com</title>
</head>

<body>
<div>
  <label for="tutorial_choice">Tutorials: </label>

  <select id="tutorial_choice">
    <option value="html">HTML</option>
    <option value="css">CSS</option>
    <option value="sql">SQL</option>
  </select>
</div>
</body>

</html>

In this XHTML 1.1 Document example, we have used the <select> tag to create a list of three dropdown values - HTML, CSS and SQL. These values will appear as a drop down list for the user to select from.

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