Definition
The <textarea> HTML element is used to create a multi-line text input field where users can enter and edit larger amounts of text. It provides a larger and resizable input area compared to a regular single-line text input field.
Here’s an example of how to use the <textarea> element:
<label for="message">Message:</label>
<textarea id="message" name="message" rows="4" cols="40"></textarea>
In this example, the <textarea> element is used to create a text input field for entering a message. The id attribute uniquely identifies the textarea, and the name attribute specifies the name that will be used when submitting the form data.
The rows and cols attributes determine the initial size of the textarea. In this case, the textarea is set to display four rows and 40 columns. However, the actual size of the textarea can be modified by the user, as it is resizable by default.
The text entered into the textarea is the value of the <textarea> element. You can retrieve this value using JavaScript or access it when submitting a form.
You can also add additional attributes to the <textarea> element, such as placeholder to provide a hint or example text, maxlength to limit the number of characters that can be entered, or readonly to make the textarea read-only and prevent user input.