What is the <textarea> tag in HTML?
The <textarea> tag in HTML
The <textarea> tag defines a multi-line text box to input data from the user. The structure of the <textarea> tag is as follows:
<textarea id="aboutMe" name="aboutMe" rows="2" cols="5">
I am a content writer at Educative, Inc.
</textarea>
The <textarea> tag displays a multi-line text box for data input. The height and width of the text box are usually defined by rows and cols attributes, respectively. The row attribute specifies the number of text lines that must be visible in the text box. The cols attribute specifies the number of characters that must be visible in a single line - the default value is 20. Both of these dimensions can also be set using CSS. Even if the rows and cols attributes are specified, the user can expand the text box by dragging the symbol in the bottom left corner. The name field is usually supplied when the data of the text box is to be submitted as part of a <form>.
Example usage of the <textarea> tag
The following code provides an example:
In the example above, the cols attribute for the <textarea> tag is set to 25; therefore, the visible characters in the first line are I am a content writer at . The rows attribute is set to 2, so there are only 2 visible rows in the text box.
Attributes
| Attribute | Value | Description |
|---|---|---|
autofocus |
autofocus | If set, the text area is automatically focused when the page loads. |
cols |
number | Specifies the number of characters that must be visible in a single line. |
dirname |
textareaname.dir | |
disabled |
disabled | If set, the text area is disabled. |
form |
form_id | Links the text with the specified form. |
maxlength |
number | Restricts the number of characters that can be input in the text area. |
name |
text | Sets the name for the text area. |
placeholder |
text | The text is shown as a hint in the text area when there is no text data in it. |
readonly |
readonly | If set, the text area is read-only. |
required |
required | If set, the text area becomes a required field of the form. |
rows |
number | Specifies the number of visible lines of the text area. |
wrap |
hard soft |
Specifies the wrapping of the text area when it is to be submitted in a form. |
