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<label> element

for

From: Leo Smith
Date: Apr 1, 2002 1:34PM

I guess the important thing is that the label still gets associated
with the form element when <label> is outside of the <form> tags,
in assistive technologies that support <label>.

Has anyone experienced <label> not being associated with the
form element when it is outside of the <form> tags?

Leo.



On 29 Mar 2002, at 13:39, Paul Bohman wrote:

> Ok, I need to post a correction:
>
> In my last post I said that the LABEL tag "can be anywhere
*within the
> form tags*. The label tag means nothing outside of a form: it is a
child
> element of the form tag."
>
> After receiving an off-list prompt from Jim Thatcher, I looked up
the
> HTML specs and it appears that LABEL tags can exist outside of
FORM
> tags. In fact, any form element (drop-down boxes, text input
areas,
> submit buttons, etc.) can exist outside of form tags, but they will
> probably not work if the purpose of the form elements is to submit
> information back to the server (and they will not show up at all in
> Netscape 4.x). If you want the form to perform its proper function,
the
> form elements will need to be inside of the FORM tags, under
most
> circumstances.
>
> So I guess you could put the LABEL tag anywhere on the page,
not just
> within the form. I still don't recommend it, but it appears that it
can
> be done.
>
> Thanks Jim, for keeping me on my toes ;-)

Leo Smith
Web Designer/Developer
USM Office of Publications and Marketing
University of Southern Maine
207-780-4774


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