How to select text input fields using CSS selector?


Selecting text input fields using CSS selectors is a powerful and crucial tool for styling and targeting the specific elements on the webpage. Text input fields are an essential part of any web form that requires users to provide input. As a web developer or designer, we may need to select text input fields using CSS selectors to apply styling to them. If we want to change the font color, background color, or add custom styles to the input fields, it is important to understand how to select them using CSS selectors.

Structure of a text input field

Before we select a text input field using CSS selectors, it is important to understand its structure. A text input field is usually represented by an HTML <input> element with the type attribute set to "text". For example, the following HTML code creates a text input field.

<input type="text" name="user-name" id="user-id" value="initial-value" placeholder="Enter username >

In the above code −

  • type="text" specifies that this is a text input field.

  • name="user-name" sets the attribute of the input field, which is used to identify the input when the form is submitted.

  • id="user-id" sets the ID attribute of the input field, which is used to identify the input for styling and scripting purposes.

  • value="initial-value" sets the initial value of the input field. This is optional and can be left out.

  • placeholder="Enter username" sets a placeholder text that appears inside the input field to give the user an idea of what to enter.

Using the element selector to select all text input fields

The easy way to select all text input fields on a web page is to use the element selector. Text input fields are HTML elements that allow users to enter text, such as their name, email address, or password. These elements are typically created using the "input" tag with the "type" attribute set to "text", "email", "password", or "search". To select all text input fields, we can use the following CSS selector −

input[type="text"], input[type="email"], input[type="password"] {
   /* write your CSS Code */
}

This selector targets all input fields with a "type" attribute set to "text", "email", or "password". The comma between the selectors means that all the selectors will receive the same styles.

Example 1: Selecting text input fields using type attribute

In this example, we use the type attribute selector to select all text input fields in the form. The CSS styles are applied to all text input fields with the attributes type="text", type="email", and type="password". The border, padding, font-size, and margin-bottom styles are applied to these input fields.

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
   <style>
      body { text-align: center; }
      input[type="text"],
      input[type="email"],
      input[type="password"] {
         border: 2px solid lightgray;
         padding: 12px;
         font-size: 18px;
         margin-bottom: 15px;
      }
   </style>
</head>
   <body>
      <h3>Selecting text input fields using type attribute</h3>
      <form>
         <label for="name">Name:</label>
         <input type="text" id="name" name="name" placeholder="Enter username"><br>
         <label for="email">Email:</label>
         <input type="email" id="email" name="email" placeholder="Enter Email ID"><br>
         <label for="password">Password:</label>
         <input type="password" id="password" name="password" placeholder="Enter your Password"><br>
      </form>
   </body>
</html>

Using the ID selector to select a specific text input field

We can use the ID selector to target a specific text input field. The ID selector is represented by the "#" character followed by the value of the ID attribute of the HTML element. For example, if we have an HTML element with the ID attribute set to "username", we can select it using the following CSS selector −

#username {
   /* Write CSS rules here */
}

Example 2: Selecting text input fields using ID attribute.

In this example, we use the ID attribute selector to select three text input fields with IDs name, email and password. The CSS styles are applied to these three input fields. The border-radius, and background-color styles are applied to these input fields.

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
   <style>
      body { text-align: center; }
      input[type="text"], input[type="email"],input[type="password"] {
         border: 2px solid lightgray;
         padding: 12px;
         font-size: 18px;
         margin-bottom: 15px;
      }
      #name, #email{
         background-color: lightgreen;
         border-radius:10px;
      }
   </style>
</head>
   <body>
      <h3>Selecting text input fields using ID attribute</h3>
      <form>
         <label for="name">Name:</label>
         <input type="text" id="name" name="name" placeholder="Enter username"><br>
         <label for="email">Email:</label>
         <input type="email" id="email" name="email" placeholder="Enter Email ID"><br>
         <label for="password">Password:</label>
         <input type="password" id="password" name="password" placeholder="Enter your Password"><br>
      </form>
   </body>
</html>

Using the class selector to select multiple text input fields

If we have multiple text input fields with similar styling or functionality, we can use the class selector to target them. The class selector is represented by the "." character followed by the value of the class attribute of the HTML element. For example, if we have multiple HTML elements with the class attribute set to "input-field", we can select them using the following CSS selector −

.input-field {
   /* write CSS rules here */
}

This selector targets all HTML elements with the class attribute set to "input-field".

Example 3: Selecting text input fields using class attribute

In this example, we use the Class attribute selector to select three text input fields with the class name, email, and password. The CSS styles are applied to these three input fields. The border-radius, and background-color styles are applied to these input fields.

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
   <style>
      body { text-align: center; }
      input[type="text"], input[type="email"], input[type="password"]{
         border: 2px solid lightgray;
         padding: 12px;
         font-size: 18px;
         margin-bottom: 15px;
      }
      .password, .search{
         background-color: lightgreen;
         border-radius:10px;
      }
   </style>
</head>
   <body>
      <h3>Selecting text input fields using ID attribute</h3>
      <form>
         <label for="name">Name:</label>
         <input type="text" id="name" name="name" placeholder="Enter username"><br>
         <label for="email">Email:</label>
         <input type="email" id="email" name="email" placeholder="Enter Email ID"><br>
         <label for="password">Password:</label>
         <input type="password" class="password" id="password" name="password" placeholder="Enter your Password"><br>
      </form>
   </body>
</html>

Conclusion

Selecting text input fields using CSS selectors is a simple process once we understand the structure of a text input field and the different CSS selectors available. By using the appropriate CSS selector, we can easily target and style text input fields to enhance the user experience of the web forms.

Updated on: 11-Apr-2023

4K+ Views

Kickstart Your Career

Get certified by completing the course

Get Started
Advertisements