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HTML: <datalist> tag

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

Description

The HTML <datalist> tag is an HTML5 element that defines a list of suggested values for an <input> tag. These suggested values will appear in the input control as a dropdown list and the available options will be filtered as the user enters data into the input control. This tag is also commonly referred to as the <datalist> element.

Syntax

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

<body>
  <label for="tutorial_choice">Tutorials: </label>
  <input list="tutorial_types" name="tutorial_choice" id="tutorial_choice">

  <datalist id="tutorial_types">
    <option value="HTML">
    <option value="CSS">
    <option value="SQL">
  </datalist>
</body>

To associate a <datalist> with an <input> control, you must specify an id value for the <datalist> that matches the list attribute on the <input>: (in this example, the value "tutorial_types")

Sample Output

Attributes

Only the Global Attributes apply to the <datalist> tag. There are no attributes that are specific to the <datalist> tag.

Note

  • The HTML <datalist> element is found within the <body> tag. The <datalist> tag is usually found within the <form> tag.
  • The <datalist> tag contains a set of <option> tags that provide the possible values for the associated <input> tag.

Browser Compatibility

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

  • Chrome 20+
  • Firefox 4+ (Gecko)
  • Firefox Mobile 4+ (Gecko)
  • Internet Explorer 10+ (IE)
  • Edge
  • Edge Mobile
  • Opera 9.5+

Example

We will discuss the <datalist> tag below, exploring examples of how to use the <datalist> 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 <datalist> 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>
  <input list="tutorial_types" name="tutorial_choice" id="tutorial_choice">

  <datalist id="tutorial_types">
    <option value="HTML">
    <option value="CSS">
    <option value="SQL">
  </datalist>
</body>

</html>

In this HTML5 Document example, we have used the <datalist> tag to create a list of suggested values for the <input> tag. There are 3 suggested values (HTML, CSS and SQL) and these choices will appear as a drop down list for the user to select from.

HTML 4.01 Transitional Document

You can not use the <datalist> tag in HTML 4.01 Transitional.

XHTML 1.0 Transitional Document

You can not use the <datalist> tag in XHTML 1.0 Transitional.

XHTML 1.0 Strict Document

You can not use the <datalist> tag in XHTML 1.0 Strict.

XHTML 1.1 Document

You can not use the <datalist> tag in XHTML 1.1.

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