* Expand advice for anchor-based controls * Expand accessibility note in input group * Correct statement about validation, fix server example * Tweak label > accessible name Co-authored-by: XhmikosR <xhmikosr@gmail.com> Co-authored-by: Mark Otto <markd.otto@gmail.com>
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layout | title | description | group | toc |
---|---|---|---|---|
docs | Forms | Examples and usage guidelines for form control styles, layout options, and custom components for creating a wide variety of forms. | components | true |
Overview
Bootstrap's form controls expand on [our Rebooted form styles]({{ site.baseurl }}/docs/{{ site.docs_version }}/content/reboot/#forms) with classes. Use these classes to opt into their customized displays for a more consistent rendering across browsers and devices.
Be sure to use an appropriate type
attribute on all inputs (e.g., email
for email address or number
for numerical information) to take advantage of newer input controls like email verification, number selection, and more.
Here's a quick example to demonstrate Bootstrap's form styles. Keep reading for documentation on required classes, form layout, and more.
{% capture example %}
Form controls
Textual form controls—like <input>
s, <select>
s, and <textarea>
s—are styled with the .form-control
class. Included are styles for general appearance, focus state, sizing, and more.
Be sure to explore our custom forms to further style <select>
s.
{% capture example %}
For file inputs, swap the .form-control
for .form-control-file
.
{% capture example %}
Sizing
Set heights using classes like .form-control-lg
and .form-control-sm
.
{% capture example %} {% endcapture %} {% include example.html content=example %}
{% capture example %} Large select Default select Small select {% endcapture %} {% include example.html content=example %}
Readonly
Add the readonly
boolean attribute on an input to prevent modification of the input's value. Read-only inputs appear lighter (just like disabled inputs), but retain the standard cursor.
{% capture example %} {% endcapture %} {% include example.html content=example %}
Readonly plain text
If you want to have <input readonly>
elements in your form styled as plain text, use the .form-control-plaintext
class to remove the default form field styling and preserve the correct margin and padding.
{% capture example %}
{% capture example %}
Range Inputs
Set horizontally scrollable range inputs using .form-control-range
.
{% capture example %}
Checkboxes and radios
Default checkboxes and radios are improved upon with the help of .form-check
, a single class for both input types that improves the layout and behavior of their HTML elements. Checkboxes are for selecting one or several options in a list, while radios are for selecting one option from many.
Disabled checkboxes and radios are supported. The disabled
attribute will apply a lighter color to help indicate the input's state.
Checkboxes and radio buttons support HTML-based form validation and provide concise, accessible labels. As such, our <input>
s and <label>
s are sibling elements as opposed to an <input>
within a <label>
. This is slightly more verbose as you must specify id
and for
attributes to relate the <input>
and <label>
.
Default (stacked)
By default, any number of checkboxes and radios that are immediate sibling will be vertically stacked and appropriately spaced with .form-check
.
{% capture example %}
{% capture example %}
Inline
Group checkboxes or radios on the same horizontal row by adding .form-check-inline
to any .form-check
.
{% capture example %}
{% capture example %}
Without labels
Add .position-static
to inputs within .form-check
that don't have any label text. Remember to still provide some form of accessible name for assistive technologies (for instance, using aria-label
).
{% capture example %}
Layout
Since Bootstrap applies display: block
and width: 100%
to almost all our form controls, forms will by default stack vertically. Additional classes can be used to vary this layout on a per-form basis.
Form groups
The .form-group
class is the easiest way to add some structure to forms. It provides a flexible class that encourages proper grouping of labels, controls, optional help text, and form validation messaging. By default it only applies margin-bottom
, but it picks up additional styles in .form-inline
as needed. Use it with <fieldset>
s, <div>
s, or nearly any other element.
{% capture example %}
Form grid
More complex forms can be built using our grid classes. Use these for form layouts that require multiple columns, varied widths, and additional alignment options.
{% capture example %}
Form row
You may also swap .row
for .form-row
, a variation of our standard grid row that overrides the default column gutters for tighter and more compact layouts.
{% capture example %}
More complex layouts can also be created with the grid system.
{% capture example %}
Horizontal form
Create horizontal forms with the grid by adding the .row
class to form groups and using the .col-*-*
classes to specify the width of your labels and controls. Be sure to add .col-form-label
to your <label>
s as well so they're vertically centered with their associated form controls.
At times, you maybe need to use margin or padding utilities to create that perfect alignment you need. For example, we've removed the padding-top
on our stacked radio inputs label to better align the text baseline.
{% capture example %}
Horizontal form label sizing
Be sure to use .col-form-label-sm
or .col-form-label-lg
to your <label>
s or <legend>
s to correctly follow the size of .form-control-lg
and .form-control-sm
.
{% capture example %}
Column sizing
As shown in the previous examples, our grid system allows you to place any number of .col
s within a .row
or .form-row
. They'll split the available width equally between them. You may also pick a subset of your columns to take up more or less space, while the remaining .col
s equally split the rest, with specific column classes like .col-7
.
{% capture example %}
Auto-sizing
The example below uses a flexbox utility to vertically center the contents and changes .col
to .col-auto
so that your columns only take up as much space as needed. Put another way, the column sizes itself based on the contents.
{% capture example %}
You can then remix that once again with size-specific column classes.
{% capture example %}
And of course custom form controls are supported.
{% capture example %}
Inline forms
Use the .form-inline
class to display a series of labels, form controls, and buttons on a single horizontal row. Form controls within inline forms vary slightly from their default states.
- Controls are
display: flex
, collapsing any HTML white space and allowing you to provide alignment control with [spacing]({{ site.baseurl }}/docs/{{ site.docs_version }}/utilities/spacing/) and [flexbox]({{ site.baseurl }}/docs/{{ site.docs_version }}/utilities/flex/) utilities. - Controls and input groups receive
width: auto
to override the Bootstrap defaultwidth: 100%
. - Controls only appear inline in viewports that are at least 576px wide to account for narrow viewports on mobile devices.
You may need to manually address the width and alignment of individual form controls with [spacing utilities]({{ site.baseurl }}/docs/{{ site.docs_version }}/utilities/spacing/) (as shown below). Lastly, be sure to always include a <label>
with each form control, even if you need to hide it from non-screenreader visitors with .sr-only
.
{% capture example %}
Submit
{% endcapture %} {% include example.html content=example %}Custom form controls and selects are also supported.
{% capture example %}
Choose... One Two ThreeSubmit
{% endcapture %} {% include example.html content=example %}{% capture callout %}
Alternatives to hidden labels
Assistive technologies such as screen readers will have trouble with your forms if you don't include a label for every input. For these inline forms, you can hide the labels using the .sr-only
class. There are further alternative methods of providing a label for assistive technologies, such as the aria-label
, aria-labelledby
or title
attribute. If none of these are present, assistive technologies may resort to using the placeholder
attribute, if present, but note that use of placeholder
as a replacement for other labelling methods is not advised.
{% endcapture %}
{% include callout.html content=callout type="warning" %}
Help text
Block-level help text in forms can be created using .form-text
(previously known as .help-block
in v3). Inline help text can be flexibly implemented using any inline HTML element and utility classes like .text-muted
.
{% capture callout %}
Associating help text with form controls
Help text should be explicitly associated with the form control it relates to using the aria-describedby
attribute. This will ensure that assistive technologies—such as screen readers—will announce this help text when the user focuses or enters the control.
{% endcapture %}
{% include callout.html content=callout type="warning" %}
Help text below inputs can be styled with .form-text
. This class includes display: block
and adds some top margin for easy spacing from the inputs above.
{% capture example %} Your password must be 8-20 characters long, contain letters and numbers, and must not contain spaces, special characters, or emoji. {% endcapture %} {% include example.html content=example %}
Inline text can use any typical inline HTML element (be it a <small>
, <span>
, or something else) with nothing more than a utility class.
{% capture example %}
Disabled forms
Add the disabled
boolean attribute on an input to prevent user interactions and make it appear lighter.
{% highlight html %} {% endhighlight %}
Add the disabled
attribute to a <fieldset>
to disable all the controls within.
{% capture example %}
{% capture callout %}
Caveat with anchors
Browsers treat all native form controls (<input>
, <select>
, and <button>
elements) inside a <fieldset disabled>
as disabled, preventing both keyboard and mouse interactions on them.
However, if your form also includes custom button-like elements such as <a ... class="btn btn-*">
, these will only be given a style of pointer-events: none
. As noted in the section about [disabled state for buttons]({{ site.baseurl }}/docs/{{ site.docs_version }}/components/buttons/#disabled-state) (and specifically in the sub-section for anchor elements), this CSS property is not yet standardized and isn't fully supported in Internet Explorer 10. The anchor-based controls will also still be focusable and operable using the keyboard. You must manually modify these controls by adding tabindex="-1"
to prevent them from receiving focus and aria-disabled="disabled"
to signal their state to assistive technologies.
{% endcapture %}
{% include callout.html content=callout type="warning" %}
{% capture callout %}
Cross-browser compatibility
While Bootstrap will apply these styles in all browsers, Internet Explorer 11 and below don't fully support the disabled
attribute on a <fieldset>
. Use custom JavaScript to disable the fieldset in these browsers.
{% endcapture %}
{% include callout.html content=callout type="danger" %}
Validation
Provide valuable, actionable feedback to your users with HTML5 form validation–available in all our supported browsers. Choose from the browser default validation feedback, or implement custom messages with our built-in classes and starter JavaScript.
{% capture callout %} We are aware that currently the client-side custom validation styles and tooltips are not accessible, since they are not exposed to assistive technologies. While we work on a solution, we'd recommend either using the server-side option or the default browser validation method. {% endcapture %} {% include callout.html content=callout type="warning" %}
{% capture callout %}
Input group validation
Input groups have difficulty with validation styles, unfortunately. Our recommendation is to place feedback messages as sibling elements of the .input-group
that has .is-{valid|invalid}
. Placing feedback messages within input groups breaks the border-radius
. See this workaround.
{% endcapture %}
{% include callout.html content=callout type="warning" %}
How it works
Here's how form validation works with Bootstrap:
- HTML form validation is applied via CSS's two pseudo-classes,
:invalid
and:valid
. It applies to<input>
,<select>
, and<textarea>
elements. - Bootstrap scopes the
:invalid
and:valid
styles to parent.was-validated
class, usually applied to the<form>
. Otherwise, any required field without a value shows up as invalid on page load. This way, you may choose when to activate them (typically after form submission is attempted). - To reset the appearance of the form (for instance, in the case of dynamic form submissions using AJAX), remove the
.was-validated
class from the<form>
again after submission. - As a fallback,
.is-invalid
and.is-valid
classes may be used instead of the pseudo-classes for server side validation. They do not require a.was-validated
parent class. - Due to constraints in how CSS works, we cannot (at present) apply styles to a
<label>
that comes before a form control in the DOM without the help of custom JavaScript. - All modern browsers support the constraint validation API, a series of JavaScript methods for validating form controls.
- Feedback messages may utilize the browser defaults (different for each browser, and unstylable via CSS) or our custom feedback styles with additional HTML and CSS.
- You may provide custom validity messages with
setCustomValidity
in JavaScript.
With that in mind, consider the following demos for our custom form validation styles, optional server side classes, and browser defaults.
Custom styles
For custom Bootstrap form validation messages, you'll need to add the novalidate
boolean attribute to your <form>
. This disables the browser default feedback tooltips, but still provides access to the form validation APIs in JavaScript. Try to submit the form below; our JavaScript will intercept the submit button and relay feedback to you. When attempting to submit, you'll see the :invalid
and :valid
styles applied to your form controls.
Custom feedback styles apply custom colors, borders, focus styles, and background icons to better communicate feedback. Background icons for <select>
s are only available with .custom-select
, and not .form-control
.
{% capture example %}
{% endcapture %} {% include example.html content=example %}
Browser defaults
Not interested in custom validation feedback messages or writing JavaScript to change form behaviors? All good, you can use the browser defaults. Try submitting the form below. Depending on your browser and OS, you'll see a slightly different style of feedback.
While these feedback styles cannot be styled with CSS, you can still customize the feedback text through JavaScript.
{% capture example %}
Server side
We recommend using client-side validation, but in case you require server-side validation, you can indicate invalid and valid form fields with .is-invalid
and .is-valid
. Note that .invalid-feedback
is also supported with these classes.
For invalid fields, ensure that the invalid feedback/error message is associated with the relevant form field using aria-describedby
. This attribute allows more than one id
to be referenced, in case the field already points to additional form text.
{% capture example %}
Supported elements
Validation styles are available for the following form controls and components:
<input>
s and<textarea>
s with.form-control
<select>
s with.form-control
or.custom-select
.form-check
s.custom-checkbox
s and.custom-radio
s.custom-file
{% capture example %}
Tooltips
If your form layout allows it, you can swap the .{valid|invalid}-feedback
classes for .{valid|invalid}-tooltip
classes to display validation feedback in a styled tooltip. Be sure to have a parent with position: relative
on it for tooltip positioning. In the example below, our column classes have this already, but your project may require an alternative setup.
{% capture example %}
Customizing
Validation states can be customized via Sass with the $form-validation-states
map. Located in our _variables.scss
file, this Sass map is looped over to generate the default valid
/invalid
validation states. Included is a nested map for customizing each state's color and icon. While no other states are supported by browsers, those using custom styles can easily add more complex form feedback.
Please note that we do not recommend customizing these values without also modifying the form-validation-state
mixin.
{% highlight scss %}
// Sass map from _variables.scss
// Override this and recompile your Sass to generate different states
$form-validation-states: map-merge(
(
"valid": (
"color": $form-feedback-valid-color,
"icon": $form-feedback-icon-valid
),
"invalid": (
"color": $form-feedback-invalid-color,
"icon": $form-feedback-icon-invalid
)
),
$form-validation-states
);
// Loop from _forms.scss
// Any modifications to the above Sass map will be reflected in your compiled
// CSS via this loop.
@each $state, $data in $form-validation-states {
@include form-validation-state($state, map-get($data, color), map-get($data, icon));
}
{% endhighlight %}
Input group validation workaround
We're unable to resolve the broken border-radius
of input groups with validation due to selector limitations, so manual overrides are required. When you're using a standard input group and don't customize the default border radius values, add .rounded-right
to the elements with the broken border-radius
.
{% highlight html %}
When you are using a small or large input group or customizing the default border-radius
values, add custom CSS to the element with the busted border-radius
.
{% highlight css %} /* Change values to match the radius of your form control */ .fix-rounded-right { border-top-right-radius: .2rem !important; border-bottom-right-radius: .2rem !important; } {% endhighlight %}
{% highlight html %}
Custom forms
For even more customization and cross browser consistency, use our completely custom form elements to replace the browser defaults. They're built on top of semantic and accessible markup, so they're solid replacements for any default form control.
Checkboxes and radios
Each checkbox and radio <input>
and <label>
pairing is wrapped in a <div>
to create our custom control. Structurally, this is the same approach as our default .form-check
.
We use the sibling selector (~
) for all our <input>
states—like :checked
—to properly style our custom form indicator. When combined with the .custom-control-label
class, we can also style the text for each item based on the <input>
's state.
We hide the default <input>
with opacity
and use the .custom-control-label
to build a new custom form indicator in its place with ::before
and ::after
. Unfortunately we can't build a custom one from just the <input>
because CSS's content
doesn't work on that element.
In the checked states, we use base64 embedded SVG icons from Open Iconic. This provides us the best control for styling and positioning across browsers and devices.
Checkboxes
{% capture example %}
Custom checkboxes can also utilize the :indeterminate
pseudo class when manually set via JavaScript (there is no available HTML attribute for specifying it).
If you're using jQuery, something like this should suffice:
{% highlight js %} $('.your-checkbox').prop('indeterminate', true) {% endhighlight %}
Radios
{% capture example %}
Inline
{% capture example %}
Disabled
Custom checkboxes and radios can also be disabled. Add the disabled
boolean attribute to the <input>
and the custom indicator and label description will be automatically styled.
{% capture example %}
Switches
A switch has the markup of a custom checkbox but uses the .custom-switch
class to render a toggle switch. Switches also support the disabled
attribute.
{% capture example %}
Select menu
Custom <select>
menus need only a custom class, .custom-select
to trigger the custom styles. Custom styles are limited to the <select>
's initial appearance and cannot modify the <option>
s due to browser limitations.
{% capture example %} Open this select menu One Two Three {% endcapture %} {% include example.html content=example %}
You may also choose from small and large custom selects to match our similarly sized text inputs.
{% capture example %} Open this select menu One Two Three Open this select menu One Two Three {% endcapture %} {% include example.html content=example %}
The multiple
attribute is also supported:
{% capture example %} Open this select menu One Two Three {% endcapture %} {% include example.html content=example %}
As is the size
attribute:
{% capture example %} Open this select menu One Two Three {% endcapture %} {% include example.html content=example %}
Range
Create custom <input type="range">
controls with .custom-range
. The track (the background) and thumb (the value) are both styled to appear the same across browsers. As only IE and Firefox support "filling" their track from the left or right of the thumb as a means to visually indicate progress, we do not currently support it.
{% capture example %} {% endcapture %} {% include example.html content=example %}
Range inputs have implicit values for min
and max
—0
and 100
, respectively. You may specify new values for those using the min
and max
attributes.
{% capture example %} {% endcapture %} {% include example.html content=example %}
By default, range inputs "snap" to integer values. To change this, you can specify a step
value. In the example below, we double the number of steps by using step="0.5"
.
{% capture example %} {% endcapture %} {% include example.html content=example %}
File browser
{% capture callout %} The recommended plugin to animate custom file input: bs-custom-file-input, that's what we are using currently here in our docs. {% endcapture %} {% include callout.html content=callout type="info" %}
The file input is the most gnarly of the bunch and requires additional JavaScript if you'd like to hook them up with functional Choose file... and selected file name text.
{% capture example %}
We hide the default file <input>
via opacity
and instead style the <label>
. The button is generated and positioned with ::after
. Lastly, we declare a width
and height
on the <input>
for proper spacing for surrounding content.
Translating or customizing the strings with SCSS
The :lang()
pseudo-class is used to allow for translation of the "Browse" text into other languages. Override or add entries to the $custom-file-text
Sass variable with the relevant language tag and localized strings. The English strings can be customized the same way. For example, here's how one might add a Spanish translation (Spanish's language code is es
):
{% highlight scss %} $custom-file-text: ( en: "Browse", es: "Elegir" ); {% endhighlight %}
Here's lang(es)
in action on the custom file input for a Spanish translation:
{% capture example %}
You'll need to set the language of your document (or subtree thereof) correctly in order for the correct text to be shown. This can be done using the lang
attribute on the <html>
element or the Content-Language
HTTP header, among other methods.
Translating or customizing the strings with HTML
Bootstrap also provides a way to translate the "Browse" text in HTML with the data-browse
attribute which can be added to the custom input label (example in Dutch):
{% capture example %}