Multiple-Line Text Input Controls

Multiple-line text input controls are HTML form elements that allow users to input text across multiple lines. These types of input controls are often used in web forms that require users to provide longer, more detailed responses, such as comments, feedback, or messages.

The most commonly used HTML element for multiple-line text input is the <textarea> element. Here’s an example of how to use the <textarea> element in HTML:

<label for="message">Message:</label>
<textarea id="message" name="message" rows="5" cols="30"></textarea>

In this example, the <textarea> element is used to create a text input control for a message field. The rows and cols attributes specify the number of visible rows and columns in the input control. The name attribute is used to specify the name of the input field, which is used to identify the input data when the form is submitted.

The <textarea> element can also be used to set a default value for the input field, as shown in the following example:

<label for="message">Message:</label>
<textarea id="message" name="message" rows="5" cols="30">Enter your message here...</textarea>

In this example, the default text “Enter your message here…” is displayed in the input control until the user enters their own text.

Another useful attribute of the <textarea> element is maxlength, which can be used to limit the number of characters that can be entered into the input field. Here’s an example:

<label for="comment">Comment:</label>
<textarea id="comment" name="comment" rows="5" cols="30" maxlength="500"></textarea>

In this example, the maxlength attribute is set to 500, which means that users can enter up to 500 characters in the input field.

In summary, multiple-line text input controls are used in web forms to allow users to input longer, more detailed responses. The <textarea> element is the most commonly used HTML element for multiple-line text input. It can be customized with attributes such as rows, cols, name, maxlength, and a default value to provide a more user-friendly and effective form input experience.