New Form Controls

This document is obsolete.

For the current specification, see: HTML: Forms

The following lists the requests for new form controls.

Search fields

<input type="search">

Requests for this Feature

• Roger Johansson

  The list of allowed type attribute values for input elements extended with search.

Notes

Safari has already implemented this feature and provides a distinct form control to differentiate it from ordinary text boxes. Other than rendering differences, it's not entirely clear what additional functionality or usability this feature will provide over an ordinary text box. It would provide a way to semantically identify the search field on the page and it might be possible for UAs to provide additional features, such as a shortcut key to focus the field or remembering search values, although UAs can already do that to some degree with regular text boxes. More research and feedback is required.

Combo Boxes

This feature is already provided using the datalist features in Web Forms 2.0.

<input type="text" name="title" list="title-list">

<datalist id="title-list">
  <option value="Mr">
  <option value="Mrs">
  <option value="Miss">
  <option value="Ms">
</datalist>

Requests for this Feature

• Tanny O'Haley

  I would like to see an expansion of the type attribute on input elements. For input fields we currently have checkbox, password, radio and text. I'd like to see combo (optional text with a drop down list), [...]

Date and Time

These features are already provided by the date and time controls in Web Forms 2.0

<input type="datetime">
<input type="datetime-local">
<input type="date">
<input type="month">
<input type="week">
<input type="time">

Requests for this Feature

• Tanny O'Haley

  For input fields [...] I'd like to see [...], date, time, [...]

URL

This feature is already provided with the URL control in Web Forms 2.0.

<input type="url">

Requests for this Feature

• Tanny O'Haley

  For input fields [...] I'd like to see [...], url.

E-mail

This feature is already provided with the email control in Web Forms 2.0.

<input type="email">

Requests for this Feature

• Tanny O'Haley

  For input fields [...] I'd like to see [...], email, [...]

Int, Long, Unsigned, Float, Number

This feature is already provided with the number control in Web Forms 2.0.

<input type="number">

Requests for this Feature

• Tanny O'Haley

  For input fields [...] I'd like to see [...], int, long, unsigned, float, number, [... ]

Currency

An input control that accepts currency.

Requests for this Feature

• Tanny O'Haley

  For input fields [...] I'd like to see [...], currency, [...]

Notes

There wasn't much information provided about this idea. Presumably, this might need some way to specify the currency unit (USD, AUD, GBP, Yen, etc.). The number control could already meet this use case.