BUTTON is a TYPE attribute value to the INPUT element for FORMs.
It places a button on an HTML form and uses scripting code to
make the button perform an action you define (this is aside from
the information that it sends in the Name/Value pair upon form
submittal.) Note that this INPUT type does not actually initiate
a form submission.
Description:
This is a method of giving access/focus to an active HTML element using
a keyboard character. This is a common GUI paradigm also known
as a "keyboard shortcut" or "keyboard accelerator"
A single character is used as the value of this attribute. In addition,
a platform-dependent key is usually used in combination with the
ACCESSKEY character to access the functionality of the active field.
Values:
A single, case-insensitive alphanumeric character from a browser's
character set.
Disabled
2 | 3
| 3.2 | 4
| IE4B1 | M
| N | O
Required? No
Description:
This is a stand-alone attribute which indicates the element is
initially non-functional.
Values: NA
Height
2 | 3
| 3.2 | 4
| IE | M
| N4B2 | O
Required? No
Description:
This attribute explicitly specifies the height of the button widget in pixels.
Values: Positive integers.
Name
2
| 3 | 3.2
| 4 | IE3B1
| M | N1
| O3
Required? Yes
Description:
This is a required attribute that associates a symbolic name to the
field for submittal to the form processing script.
Values: Alphanumeric characters.
Tabindex
2 | 3
| 3.2 | 4
| IE4B2 | M
| N | O
Required? No
Description:
"Tabbing" is a method of giving access/focus to an active HTML
element using a standard keyboard sequence. All the active elements in a
document can be cycled through using this sequence (ex: Windows TAB key.)
The order of the active elements in this cycle is usually the order they
occur in the document, but the TABINDEX attribute allows a different order
to be established. The use of this attribute should create the following
tabbing order cycle if the browser supports the attribute:
Active elements using the TABINDEX attribute with positive integers are
navigated first. Low values are navigated first.
Active elements not specifying any TABINDEX attribute
Those elements carrying a DISABLED attribute or using negative TABINDEX
values do not participate in the tabbing cycle.
Values: Positive or negative integers.
Type
2
| 3 | 3.2
| 4 | IE3B1
| M | N1
| O3
Required? Yes*
Description: * This is the required TYPE attribute for
this INPUT mechanism. From the strict view, the TYPE attribute
is not required.
Values:BUTTON
Value
2
| 3 | 3.2
| 4 | IE3B1
| M | N1
| O3
Required? Yes
Description:
This is a required attribute representing the symbolic result of
the button field when activated that is passed to the form
processing script. It is also used to indicate a label to be displayed
on the face of the button.
Values: Alphanumeric characters.
Width
2 | 3
| 3.2 | 4
| IE | M
| N4B2 | O
Required? No
Description:
This attribute explicitly specifies the width of the button widget in pixels.
Values: Positive integers.
Example
<form>
<inputTYPE="button"
VALUE="Press Me"
NAME="foo"
onClick="test1(this.form)">
</form>
This element seems to have slipped under the radar of most all
other the references I have seen, so finding info for it was
difficult at best. I was surprised to find that Netscape has
supported this element since version 1.0. I am not sure what purpose
it served in that era because its main focus is now related to
scripting (not supported until Navigator 2.0) I am still looking
for more info regarding this element.
I made the VALUE a required element because neither browser
has a default button label (unlike submit and reset) - this makes
the button blank or almost non-existant if no VALUE is present.
Netscape does not appear to have advertised that it supports the
HEIGHT and WIDTH attributes for this element. A reader alerted me
to them when he discovered them by accident.
Note: If HEIGHT and/or WIDTH dimensions are
specified that are smaller than the default size required to
display a button, the default size will be used.
Internet Explorer 4.0 honors all whitespace and carriage returns in the
value attribute for this element. The button will preserve and display them
'as-is'. Other browsers and earlier versions of Internet Explorer do not
do this.