Tag <option> HTML Reference



Example

A drop-down list with five options:

<select>
 <option>Option 1</option>
 <option>Option 2</option>
 <option>Option 3</option>
 <option>Option 4</option>
 <option>Option 5</option>
</select>

Browser Support

Internet Explorer Firefox Opera Google Chrome Safari

1. Definition and Usage

The <option> tag defines an option in a select list.

<option> elements go inside a <select> element.


2. Tips and Notes

Tip: If you have a long list of options, you can group related options with the <optgroup> tag.


3. Differences Between HTML and XHTML

In HTML the <option> tag has no end tag.

In XHTML the <option> tag must be properly closed.


4. Optional Attributes

DTD indicates in which HTML 4.01/XHTML 1.0 DTD the attribute is allowed. S=Strict, T=Transitional, and F=Frameset.

Attribute Value Description DTD
disabled disabled Specifies that an option should be disabled STF
label text Specifies a shorter label for an option STF
selected selected Specifies that an option should be pre-selected when the page loads STF
value text Specifies the value to be sent to a server STF

5. Standard Attributes

The <option> tag supports the following standard attributes:

Attribute Value Description DTD
class classname Specifies a classname for an element STF
dir rtl
ltr
Specifies the text direction for the content in an element STF
id id Specifies a unique id for an element STF
lang language_code Specifies a language code for the content in an element STF
style style_definition Specifies an inline style for an element STF
title text Specifies extra information about an element STF
xml:lang language_code Specifies a language code for the content in an element, in XHTML documents STF

6. Event Attributes

The <option> tag supports the following event attributes:

Attribute Value Description DTD
onclick script Script to be run on a mouse click STF
ondblclick script Script to be run on a mouse double-click STF
onmousedown script Script to be run when mouse button is pressed STF
onmousemove script Script to be run when mouse pointer moves STF
onmouseout script Script to be run when mouse pointer moves out of an element STF
onmouseover script Script to be run when mouse pointer moves over an element STF
onmouseup script Script to be run when mouse button is released STF
onkeydown script Script to be run when a key is pressed STF
onkeypress script Script to be run when a key is pressed and released STF
onkeyup script Script to be run when a key is released STF

Relative articles