I need to build a form for data input, let's say FirstName and LastName. I know how to do this with a table. In the first <td> I'd put a label tag and in the second I'd use an input tag with a type="text" attribute. This way the labels and textboxes would be lined up in two columns.
Is there a way to do this with CSS?
<div></div> to avoid using <br/>.You do NOT need tables to make great HTML forms. In fact, you don't want them! Try this code at home and see what you think..
<head>
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" />
<title>Contact info</title>
<LINK href="main2.css" type="text/css" rel="stylesheet">
<!--[if IE]>
<style>
fieldset.nested
{
position: relative;
margin-top: 15px;
}
fieldset.nested legend
{
position: absolute; top: -8px; left: 1em;
}
</style>
<![endif]-->
</head>
<body>
<div>
<form>
<fieldset class="main">
<legend>Contact info</legend>
<fieldset class="nested">
<legend>Name</legend>
<ol>
<li>
<label for="textboxName">Name</label>
<input id="textboxName" name="textboxName" type="text" style="width: 15em;"/>
</li>
<li>
<label for="textboxName" >Title</label>
<input id="textboxName" name="textboxTitle" type="text" style="width: 15em;"/>
</li>
<li>
<label for="textboxCompany">Company</label>
<input id="textboxCompany" name="textboxCompany" type="text" style="width: 15em;"/>
</li>
</ol>
</fieldset>
<fieldset class="nested">
<legend>Address</legend>
<ol>
<li>
<label for="textboxAddress1" >Street address</label>
<input id="textboxAddress1" name="textboxAddress1" type="text" style="width: 15em;"/>
</li>
<li>
<label for="textboxAddress2" >Street address</label>
<input id="textboxAddress2" name="textboxAddress2" type="text" style="width: 15em;"/>
</li>
<li>
<label for="textboxCity" >City</label>
<input id="textboxCity" name="textboxCity" type="text" style="width: 15em;"/>
</li>
<li>
<label for="textboxRegion" >City/Region</label>
<input id="textboxRegion" name="textboxRegion" type="text" style="width: 15em;"/>
</li>
<li>
<label for="textboxPostalCode" >Postal code</label>
<input id="textboxPostalCode" name="textboxPostalCode" type="text" style="width: 15em;"/>
</li>
<li>
<label for="textboxCountry" >Country</label>
<input id="textboxCountry" name="textboxCountry" type="text" style="width: 15em;"/>
</li>
</ol>
</fieldset>
<fieldset class="nested">
<legend>Phone numbers</legend>
<ol>
<li style="display:none">
<label for="textboxName" >Name</label>
<input id="text1" name="textboxName" type="text" style="width: 15em;"/>
</li>
<li style="display:none">
<label for="textboxAddress1" >Address</label>
<input id="text2" name="textboxAddress1" type="text" style="width: 15em;" />
</li>
<li>
<label for="textboxAddress2" >Phone</label>
<input id="text3" name="textboxAddress2" type="text" style="width: 15em;"/>
</li>
</ol>
</fieldset>
<div class="buttonsContainer">
<input class="button" type="submit" value="OK" />
<input class="button" type="button" value="Cancel" />
</div>
</fieldset>
</form>
</div>
</body>
</html>
CSS:
body
{
margin: 0;
padding: 0;
font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, Arial, sans-serif;
}
fieldset.main
{
margin: 1.5em 0 0 1.5em;
padding: 1em 0 0 0;
width: 400px;
font-size: .9em;
}
fieldset.main legend
{
margin-left: 1em;
color: #000000;
font-weight: bold;
}
fieldset.main ol
{
padding: 1em 1em 0 1em;
list-style: none;
}
fieldset.main li
{
padding-bottom: .5em;
}
fieldset.main ol li label
{
float: left;
width: 10em;
margin-right: 1em;
}
/* ----------------------------------------- */
fieldset.nested
{
margin: 0 0 1em 1em;
padding: 0;
width: 93%;
font-size: .8em;
border: 1px solid gray;
background: #B0C4DE;
}
fieldset.nested legend
{
margin-left: 1em;
font-weight: normal;
font-size: .9em;
color: black;
background-color: white;
padding: 0 1em 0 1em;
border: 1px solid black;
}
fieldset.nested ol
{
padding: 0 1em 0 1em;
list-style: none;
}
fieldset.nested li
{
/* Control leading between rows. */
padding-bottom: .7em;
}
fieldset.nested ol li label
{
float: left;
width: 10em;
margin-right: 1em;
}
/* ----------------------------------------- */
input.button
{
/* border-style: none; */
width: 6em;
height: 2.5em;
}
div.buttonsContainer
{
float: right;
margin: 1em 1em 1em 0;
}
CSS will work fine -- IF you are okay with entering pixel widths for things But sadly fails when you need to localize your strings and discover labels don't fit. For an address entry form, I would stick to using Tables, as they do all the right re-sizing and wrap behaviour and work w/o issues on almost every browser there is.
EDIT: I kinda wonder if any of the down-voters has checked the layout for these S.O. pages
A really good way to do this yourself is to install firebug on firefox and inspect elements on websites which implement this really well.
There is a great smashing maagzine on sign up forms. Several approaches in CSS can be seen, with some really great examples.
