CSS & WEB FORM ELEMENTS
Christopher Schmitt | http://twitter.com/teleject

http://brightbytes.com/phineasgage/index.html

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FORM ELEMENTS
• Checkboxes • Select:
• Input: • Multiple Items
• File • Single Item
• Radio • Submit Button
• Text • Textarea

CSS PROPERTIES
• background-color • height
• background-image • letter-spacing
• border • line-height
• border-color • margin
• border-style • padding
• border-width • text-align
• color • text-decoration
• font-family • text-indent
• font-size • width
• font-weight • word-spacing

7.2 5 8.5 1.5 3 1
5.5 9 2.0 4b
6 3.0
7
8b2
7.2 9 1.5 2
2.0 3
3.0 4b

3,520
screengrabs

RADIO BUTTONS

CSS HEIGHT
FF 2
FF 2
FF 3
Chrome 1

CSS WIDTH
FF 3
FF 3
Safari 3
Safari 3
Safari 4b
Safari 4b

CSS TEXT INDENT
Chrome 1
Safari 4b
Safari 4b
Opera 9
Opera 9

CSS BACKGROUND COLOR
IE 6
IE 7
IE 8b2
Opera 9
Opera 9

CSS BACKGROUND IMG
Firefox 2
Firefox 2
IE 6
IE 7
IE 8b2
Opera 9
Opera 9

CSS & TEXTAREA
20
15
10
5
0
IE6 IE7 IE8b2 Ch Mac FF3 Win FF3 Mac Op9 Win Op9 Mac S3 Win S3 Mac S4b Win S4b
Yes No Somewhat N/A

CSS & INPUT TEXT FIELDS
20
15
10
5
0
IE6 IE7 IE8b2 Ch Mac FF3 Win FF3 Mac Op9 Win Op9 Mac S3 Win S3 Mac S4b Win S4b
Yes No Somewhat N/A

CSS & SUBMIT BUTTON
20
15
10
5
0
IE6 IE7 IE8b2 Ch Mac FF3 Win FF3 Mac Op9 Win Op9 Mac S3 Win S3 Mac S4b Win S4b
Yes No Somewhat N/A

CSS & SELECT BOXES (ONE)
20
15
10
5
0
IE6 IE7 IE8b2 Ch Mac FF3 Win FF3 Mac Op9 Win Op9 Mac S3 Win S3 Mac S4b Win S4b
Yes No Somewhat N/A

CSS & SELECT BOXES (MULTI)
20
15
10
5
0
IE6 IE7 IE8b2 Ch Mac FF3 Win FF3 Mac Op9 Win Op9 Mac S3 Win S3 Mac S4b Win S4b
Yes No Somewhat N/A

CSS & FILE UPLOADS
20
15
10
5
0
IE6 IE7 IE8b2 Ch Mac FF3 Win FF3 Mac Op9 Win Op9 Mac S3 Win S3 Mac S4b Win S4b
Yes No Somewhat N/A

CSS & CHECKBOXES
20
15
10
5
0
IE6 IE7 IE8b2 Ch Mac FF3 Win FF3 Mac Op9 Win Op9 Mac S3 Win S3 Mac S4b Win S4b
Yes No Somewhat N/A

CSS & RADIO BUTTONS
20
15
10
5
0
IE6 IE7 IE8b2 Ch Mac FF3 Win FF3 Mac Op9 Win Op9 Mac S3 Win S3 Mac S4b Win S4b
Yes No Somewhat N/A

Radio Check File Select Select Input Text
Buttons Boxes Uploads (Multi) (One) Text Area

CSS PROPERTIES
100
75
50
25
0
height letter-spacing line-height margin padding text-align text-decoration text-indent width word-spacing
Y N S N/A

CSS PROPERTIES
100
75
50
25
0
bkgd-color bkgd-image border border-color border-style border-width color font-family font-size font-weight
Y N S N/A

Text Indent Font Family Height Font Size Margin
Text Border Color Color Border Style Background
Decoration Color
Font Weight Background Letter Spacing
Image Width
Word Spacing Padding
Border

Radio Check File Select Select Input Text
Buttons Boxes Uploads (Multi) (One) Text Area
Text Indent Font Family Height Font Size Margin
Text Border Color Color Border Style Background
Decoration Color
Font Weight Background Letter Spacing
Image Width
Word Spacing Padding
Border

MacFF3
MacS4b WinOp9
WinS3 IE7 IE6 Chrome WinS4b
WinFF3 IE8b2
MacS3
Radio Check File Select Select Input Text
Buttons Boxes Uploads (Multi) (One) Text Area
Text Indent Font Family Height Font Size Margin
Text Border Color Color Border Style Background
Decoration Color
Font Weight Background Letter Spacing
Image Width
Word Spacing Padding
Border

LET BROWSER VENDORS
KNOW WHAT YOU WANT
• Internet Explorer
• http://blogs.msdn.com/ie/contact.aspx
• Opera
• http://my.opera.com/community/forums/forum.dml?id=24
• http://groups.google.com/group/opera.wishlist/topics
• Safari
• http://lists.webkit.org/mailman/listinfo/webkit-dev
• Google Chrome
• http://groups.google.com/group/chromium-dev

LET BROWSER VENDORS
KNOW WHAT YOU WANT
• Web Form Elements Design Quiz
• Part 1: http://tr.im/lp2k
• Part 2: http://tr.im/lp2g
• http://www.WebFormElements.com/
• 3,500 form element screen captures
• HTML form element look-up tables (free):
• http://oreilly.com/catalog/9780596527419/appendixd/appd.pdf

HOW TO DESIGN FOR
SERIOUSLY MESSY FORMS

SURRENDER

ZERO OUT CSS PROPERTIES
• Zero out Borders
• Zero out Padding
• Zero Margins
• Clear out Background Images, Color, etc.
• Then
• wrap INPUT element with DIVs and bring in the control

SLOW WAY TO ZERO
<input type="submit" value="submit" class="submit" />

FASTER WAY TO ZERO
input { /* type selector */
border: 1px solid black;
}
.submit { /* class selector */
border: 1px solid black;
}

FASTER WAY TO ZERO
input[type="text"] {
border: 1px solid #177F75;
font-family:Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;
}
input[type="submit"] {
margin-left: 201px;
background-color: #00CC00;
}
input[type="text"], select {
display: block;
float: left;
margin-bottom: 7px;
}

FASTER WAY TO ZERO
label[for="byear"], label[for="bdate"] {
position: absolute;
left: -999px;
width: 990px;
}

DROP SHADOWS,
ROUNDED CORNERS,
OH MY!

BASIC FORM
<form id="webmailForm" action="/-/">
<fieldset>
<label for="email">Email</label>
<input id="email" type="text" value="a.graham@example.com" />
</fieldset>
<fieldset>
<label for="message">Message</label>
<textarea id="comment">Mr. Watson -- come here.</textarea>
</fieldset>
</form>

BASIC FORM
<form id="webmailForm" action="/-/">
<fieldset>
<label for="email">Email</label>
<input id="email" type="text" value="a.graham@example.com" />
</fieldset>
<fieldset>
<label for="message">Message</label>
<textarea id="comment">Mr. Watson -- come here.</textarea>
</fieldset>
</form>

BASIC FORM
#webmailForm fieldset {
margin: 0 0 15px 0;
border: 0;
}
#webmailForm fieldset label {
display: block;
margin: 0 0 5px 0;
font-weight: bold;
}

COOL FORM
#webmailForm fieldset input,
#webmailForm fieldset textarea {
width: 550px;
padding: 10px;
font-size: 1.2em;
border: none; /* zero out */
background: #fcf;
}

COOL FORM
#webmailForm fieldset input,
#webmailForm fieldset textarea {
width: 550px;
padding: 10px;
font-size: 1.2em;
border: none; /* zero out */
background: #fcf;
background-image: url(form-bkgd2.png);
background-repeat: repeat-x;
}

COOL FORM
#webmailForm fieldset input,
#webmailForm fieldset textarea {
width: 550px;
padding: 10px;
font-size: 1.2em;
border: none; /* zero out */
background: #fcf;
background-image: url(form-bkgd2.png);
background-repeat: repeat-x;
border-bottom: 1px solid #fff;
border-right: 1px solid #fff;
}

COOL FORM
#webmailForm fieldset input,
#webmailForm fieldset textarea {
width: 550px;
padding: 10px;
font-size: 1.2em;
border: none; /* zero out */
background: #fcf;
background-image: url(form-bkgd2.png);
background-repeat: repeat-x;
border-bottom: 1px solid #fff;
border-right: 1px solid #fff;
border-radius: 7px;
-webkit-border-radius: 7px;
-moz-border-radius: 7px;
}

OTHER CSS3 PROPERTIES

ENABLED & DISABLED
FORM ELEMENTS
<div>Enabled:<br />
<input name="enabled" type="text" value="Hello,
world!" />
</div>
<div>Disabled:<br />
<input name="disabled" type="text" value="Hello,
world!" disabled="disabled" />
</div>

ENABLED & DISABLED
FORM ELEMENTS

ENABLED & DISABLED
FORM ELEMENTS
input[type="text"]:disabled{
opacity: .7;
filter: alpha(opacity=70); /* cough */
}

ENABLED & DISABLED
FORM ELEMENTS
input[type="text"]:disabled:after {
content: "(disabled - do not use)";
font-size: .9em;
color: #CCCCCC;
display: block;
}

ENABLED & DISABLED
FORM ELEMENTS

ENABLED & DISABLED
FORM ELEMENTS
option:enabled{
color: #9F393F;
}
input:enabled{
background: #21B6A8;
color:#9F393F;
}

ENABLED & DISABLED
FORM ELEMENTS

CHECKED RADIO
FORM ELEMENTS
input[type="radio"]:checked{
background: #9F393F;
}

CHECKED RADIO
FORM ELEMENTS

THAT’S IT...

TAKE AWAYS
• Designing for forms is hard for HTML+CSS
• Even the same browser, different platform render Web forms
differently
• To
help you discern the safety of CSS on a Web form, use
WebFormElements.com
• Reviewed which browsers are most hazardous

TAKE AWAYS
• Reviewed which CSS properties are supported the most.
• Reviewed what high-profile sites are doing to design for forms:
Nothing.
• Call to action!
• Letbrowser vendors hear you or they won’t care to fix the
problem.
• With HTML5 form elements, problem is going to get worse.

...AND STOP ADAPTING.

THANK YOU!
Christopher Schmitt
schmitt@heatvision.com
@teleject on twitter

CREATIVE COMMONS CITATIONS
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