Example in Action: How to Structure a Web Form

The <form> element

The <form> element formally defines a form and attributes that determine the form's behavior. Each time you want to create an HTML form, you must start it by using this element, nesting all the contents inside. Many assistive technologies and browser plugins can discover <form> elements and implement special hooks to make them easier to use.

Warning: It's strictly forbidden to nest a form inside another form. Nesting can cause forms to behave unpredictably, so it is a bad idea.

It's always possible to use a form control outside of a <form> element. If you do so, by default that control has nothing to do with any form unless you associate it with a form using its form attribute. This was introduced to let you explicitly bind a control with a form even if it is not nested inside it.

Let's move forward and cover the structural elements you'll find nested in a form.