Understanding the HTML Button Tag

The <button> tag in HTML is a powerful tool that allows developers to create interactive elements on their web pages. This tutorial will guide you through its usage, properties and some practical examples.

What is the <button> tag?

The <button> tag defines a clickable button. Inside this element, you can put content, like text or images. This is the difference between this element and buttons created with the input element.

Type Attribute

The type attribute of the <button> tag can take three values: submit, reset, and button:

• submit: The submit value defines a button for submitting form data to a form-handler. The form-handler is typically a server page with a script for processing input data.
• reset: The reset value defines a button for resetting all form controls to their initial values.
• button: The button value defines a clickable button. Nothing inside or outside the form will happen when the user clicks on the button if you don’t add any additional scripting events.

A Basic Example

<!-- A simple "Click Me" button -->
<button type="button">Click me!</button>

In this example, we have created an HTML button that displays “Click me!” as its label. However, clicking it won’t do anything because we haven’t defined any action yet.

Add Functionality with JavaScript

You can make your buttons perform actions by using JavaScript. Here’s an example:

<button type="button" onclick="alert('You clicked me!')">Click me!</button>

In this case, when the user clicks the button, they will see a popup alert saying “You clicked me!”.

Styling with CSS

You can also style your buttons using CSS to make them more visually appealing. Here’s an example:

<style>
.button {
  background-color: #4CAF50; /* Green */
  border: none;
  color: white;
  padding: 15px 32px;
  text-align: center;
  text-decoration: none;
  display: inline-block;
  font-size: 16px;
}
</style>

<button class="button">Click Me!</button>

This will create a green button with white text that says “Click Me!”.

Conclusion

The <button> tag is a versatile tool in HTML that allows you to create interactive elements on your web pages. With the right combination of JavaScript and CSS, you can create buttons that not only look good but also perform various functions.