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HTML: The Markup Language Reference

ⓘ textarea – text input area # T

The textarea element represents a multi-line plain-text edit control for the element’s raw value.

Permitted contents #

Permitted attributes #

ⓘ global attributes
Any attributes permitted globally.
ⓘ name = string #
The name part of the name/value pair associated with this element for the purposes of form submission.
ⓘ disabled = "disabled" or "" (empty string) or empty #
Specifies that the element represents a disabled control.
ⓘ form = ID reference NEW #
The value of the id attribute on the form with which to associate the element.
ⓘ readonly = "readonly" or "" (empty string) or empty #
Specifies that element represents a control whose value is not meant to be edited.
ⓘ maxlength = positive integer #
The maximum allowed value length of the element.
ⓘ autofocus = "autofocus" or "" (empty string) or empty NEW #
Specifies that the element represents a control to which a UA is meant to give focus as soon as the document is loaded.
ⓘ required = "required" or "" (empty string) or empty NEW #
Specifies that the element is a required part of form submission.
ⓘ placeholder = string NEW #
A short hint (one word or a short phrase) intended to aid the user when entering data into the control represented by its element.
ⓘ rows = positive integer #
The number of lines of text for the UA to show.
ⓘ wrap = "hard" NEW #
Instructs the UA to insert line breaks into the submitted value of the textarea such that each line has no more characters than the value specified by the cols attribute.
ⓘ cols = positive integer #
The expected maximum number of characters per line of text for the UA to show.
ⓘ wrap = "soft" NEW #
Instructs the UA to add no line breaks to the submitted value of the textarea.

Additional constraints and admonitions #

Tag omission #

A textarea element must have both a start tag and an end tag.

Permitted parent elements #

any element that can contain phrasing elements

Details #

The contents of the textarea element represent the control’s default value.

DOM interface #

interface HTMLTextAreaElement : HTMLElement {
           attribute boolean autofocus;
           attribute unsigned long cols;
           attribute boolean disabled;
           attribute DOMString dirName;
  readonly attribute HTMLFormElement form;
           attribute long maxLength;
           attribute DOMString name;
           attribute DOMString placeholder;
           attribute boolean readOnly;
           attribute boolean required;
           attribute unsigned long rows;
           attribute DOMString wrap;

  readonly attribute DOMString type;
           attribute DOMString defaultValue;
           attribute DOMString value;
  readonly attribute unsigned long textLength;

  readonly attribute boolean willValidate;
  readonly attribute ValidityState validity;
  readonly attribute DOMString validationMessage;
  boolean checkValidity();
  void setCustomValidity(in DOMString error);

  readonly attribute NodeList labels;

  void select();
           attribute unsigned long selectionStart;
           attribute unsigned long selectionEnd;
  void setSelectionRange(in unsigned long start, in unsigned long end);
};