Differences

This shows you the differences between two versions of the page.

Link to this comparison view

Both sides previous revision Previous revision
front-end-tech:xhtml:id-vs.-name-in-form-fields [Oct 24, 2026 08:33 PM]
145.223.144.96 removed 		— (current)
Line 1: Line 1:
-= ID vs. Name in Form Fields = 
  
-When creating a form field, you should give them both an ''id'' and a ''name'': 
-<code html> 
-<form> 
-<input type='text' id='formField1' name='formField1' /> 
-<input type='text' id='formField2' name='formField2' /> 
-</form> 
-</code> 
- 
-This is because browsers use the ''name'' field when they submit to a server, but when working with JavaScript it's best to use ''id'' (and the associated ''document.getElementById()'') to identify elements. You could use something like ''document.getElementsByName()'', but it is a lot harder to work with, because names aren't guaranteed to be unique and thus that function returns a collection of elements, not just one. 
- 
-You should also always name your ''name'' and ''id'' the same thing (and not reuse that identifier anywhere else), because of IE's poor implementation of ''getElementById()'' which can sometimes [[http://www.456bereastreet.com/archive/200802/beware_of_id_and_name_attribute_mixups_when_using_getelementbyid_in_internet_explorer/|return an element whose 'name' matches the 'id' you asked for.]] 
- 
-Conclusion? **Always use both, make them the same string, and make that string unique in the document.**