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HTML 4.01 and XHTML 1.0 Reference: <label> Tag

HTML <label> Tag - Form Control Label
Syntax This element uses separate opening and closing tags.
<label>...</label>
Usage The <label> tag is used to associate labels with form controls. Each label can be associated with exactly one form control. However, more than one label can be associated with a single control.

There are two methods available for associating a label with a control. Either the control can be placed between the opening and closing <label> tags, or the label's for attribute can be set to match the control's id attribute.

HTML <label> example with the input control placed between the opening and closing <label> tags.
<form action="example_input.php" method="post">
<p>
 <label>Enter Text <input type="text" name="texttest"></label>
 <br><input type="submit" value="Send"> <input type="reset">
</p>
</form>
Test It HTML Style

XHTML <label> example with the input control placed between the opening and closing <label> tags.
<form action="example_input.php" method="post">
<p>
 <label>Enter Text <input type="text" name="texttest" /></label>
 <br /><input type="submit" value="Send" /> <input type="reset" />
</p>
</form>
Test It XHTML Style

HTML <label> example using the label's for attribute matched with the input control's id attribute.
<form action="example_input.php" method="post">
<p>
 <label for="labelexample">Enter Text</label>
 <input id="labelexample" type="text" name="texttest">
 <br><input type="submit" value="Send"> <input type="reset">
</p>
</form>
Test It HTML Style

XHTML <label> example using the label's for attribute matched with the input control's id attribute.
<form action="example_input.php" method="post">
<p>
 <label for="labelexample">Enter Text</label>
 <input id="labelexample" type="text" name="texttest" />
 <br /><input type="submit" value="Send" /> <input type="reset" />
</p>
</form>
Test It XHTML Style

Content Model The <label> element can contain the following tags, and Text, between its opening and closing tags.Notes:
1. The <label> element can contain the <iframe> tag when using DTD Transitional and Frameset documents but not Strict documents.
2. The <label> element can contain the <label> tag when using XHTML but not HTML.
3. Red tags have been deprecated and are allowed in DTD Transitional and Frameset documents but not Strict documents.

<label> Tag Attribute Summary
Required Tag Specific Core Focus Events Language
  for id class style title accesskey onblur onfocus onclick ondblclick onkeydown onkeypress onkeyup onmousedown onmousemove onmouseout onmouseover onmouseup dir lang xml:lang1
Notes: 1. XHTML only.

<label> Tag Attributes
Attribute Description
forThe for attribute is used to associate the label with the control. This is accomplished by setting the value of the for attribute to match the control's id attribute.
idThe id attribute assigns a unique name to a tag. This allows style sheets or scripts to reference the tag. See id Example
classThe class attribute assigns a class name to a tag. The class name does not need to be unique. More than one tag can have the same class name. This allows style sheets or scripts to reference multiple tags with a single class name. See class Example
styleThe style attribute specifies styles for the tag. For Cascading Style Sheets (CSS), the syntax is name:value. Each name:value pair is separated by semicolons. See style Example
titleThe title attribute specifies additional information about the tag. It is common for browsers to display the title when the pointing device stops over the object. See title Example
accesskeyThe accesskey specifies a shortcut key for a tag. The action that is taken when an access key is invoked depends on the tag and may also depend on the browser. For example, if it is used with an <a> tag, some browsers may follow the link when the access key is invoked and other browsers may give focus to the link. See accesskey Example
onblurThe onblur attribute specifies a script to be run when the tag loses focus. See onblur Example
onfocusThe onfocus attribute specifies a script to be run when the tag receives focus. See onfocus Example
onclickThe onclick attribute specifies a script to be run when the object is clicked with a mouse or other pointing device. See onclick Example
ondblclickThe ondblclick attribute specifies a script to be run when the object is double clicked with a mouse or other pointing device. See ondblclick Example
onkeydownThe onkeydown attribute specifies a script to be run when a key is pressed down. See onkeydown Example
onkeypressThe onkeypress attribute specifies a script to be run when a key is pressed and released. See onkeypress Example
onkeyupThe onkeyup attribute specifies a script to be run when a key is released. See onkeyup Example
onmousedownThe onmousedown attribute specifies a script to be run when the mouse button, or other pointing device button, is pressed while over the object. See onmousedown Example
onmousemoveThe onmousemove attribute specifies a script to be run when the mouse, or other pointing device, is moved while it is over the object. See onmousemove Example
onmouseoutThe onmouseout attribute specifies a script to be run when the mouse, or other pointing device, is moved away from an object after being over it. See onmouseout Example
onmouseoverThe onmouseover attribute specifies a script to be run when the mouse, or other pointing device, is moved onto the object. See onmouseover Example
onmouseupThe onmouseup attribute specifies a script to be run when the mouse button, or other pointing device button, is released while over the object. See onmouseup Example
dirThe dir attribute tells the browser whether the text should be displayed from left-to-right or right-to-left. It does not reverse the direction of the characters, like the <bdo> tag does, but it can help the browser to determine if the text should be aligned on the left side or the right side. See dir Example
langThe lang attribute specifies a language. This attribute can help the browser to correctly display text. This attribute can also be useful for braille translation software, speech synthesizers, dictionary definitions, etc. See lang Example
xml:langThe xml:lang attribute specifies a language for XHTML documents. This attribute can help the browser to correctly display text. This attribute can also be useful for braille translation software, speech synthesizers, dictionary definitions, etc. See xml:lang Example

Note: XHTML only.

HTML <label> Tag Examples
Test It HTML StyleTest It HTML Style<label> example with the input control placed between the opening and closing <label> tags.
Test It HTML StyleTest It HTML Style<label> example using the label's for attribute matched with the input control's id attribute.