HTML5 Form Input Type – Beginners Guide for Web Developers – 009
HTML5 Form Input Type – Beginners Guide for Web Developers.
This tutorial is connected from the previous HTML5 tutorial, the “HTML5 Figure and Figcaption“.
In this tutorial, we are going to discuss about new form input types in HTML5. This tutorial will be break down into two parts of tutorial.
Take note first, check out the compatibility of these form input types depending on your browser because it might not be supported but mostly a lot of browsers are being updated to read these form input types.
First, let’s add a form input type numbers code below the article tag in your recent boilerplate HTML5 file.
[html5]
<section>
<form>
<input type="number" name=""/>
</form>
</section>
[/html5]As you have noticed that it is like a numberic up and down textbox. This is a new form input type by the HTML5.
So, what can we do with this number input? Actually, there are some attributes that we can give to it. We can give it value, step, minimum and maximum attributes.
Let’s try the minimum attribute:
[html5]
<section>
<form>
<input type="number" name="" min="10"/>
</form>
</section>
[/html5]After reloading your browser, try to type in less than 10. A message will prompt to you that your number input textbox needs greater than 10 value.
For the maximum attribute:
[html5]
<section>
<form>
<input type="number" name="" min="10" max="20"/>
</form>
</section>
[/html5]Notice that your number input textbox only reaches up to 20.
Let’s add the other attributes:
[html5]
<section>
<form>
<input type="number" name="" min="10" max="20" step="2" value="10"/>
</form>
</section>
[/html5]
Sample number input type.
Notice when you try to press the up and down arrow on your keyboard, the numbers increments and decrements to 2, that is the step attribute while the value gives you the placeholder of your number input textbox.
For us to proceed on our next form input, we have to create a line of code in our main.css for us not having any difficulties later in viewing our form input types.
Open your main.css and add this line of code below the Author’s custom styles comment:
[css]
main {
width: 80%;
margin: 0 auto;
}
input {
font-size: 20px;
}
[/css]Reload your page and you will see that our main content has changed and also the font size of our input textbox.
Next, range form input type. Range is actually a slider and it is going to have a value of number. So, how the range is rendered is determine by your browser itself.
Try this code below your form input number:
[html5]
<input type="range" name="" min="0" max="50" value="20"/>
[/html5]
Sample range input type.
Next, the date form input type. It is a date time picker where you can choose your date depending on the required field that it is intended to an information.
[html5]
<input type="Date name="" value="2017-01-06" min="2017-01-01" max="2030-01-01"/>
[/html5]
Sample date input type.
As you can see you can set your date input type its minimum value and its maximum value range. This is good in terms of minimizing your date value picking range.
Lastly, we are going to add a new form input type which is the color input type.
[html5]
<input type="color" name=""/>
[/html5]
Sample color input type.
I know that this input type is widely supported by browsers. It is a color picking widget which opens up your system’s color picking menu.
On our next tutorial, we will be discussing about HTML5 Form Input Type Part II. Stay tuned webbies!
For questions or any other concerns or thesis/capstone creation with documentation, you can contact me through the following:
E-Mail: [email protected]
Facebook: facebook.com/kirk.lavapiez
Contact No.: +639771069640
Ian Hero L. Lavapiez
BSIT Graduate, soon to be MIT.
System Analyst and Developer
Technology stack and requirements
To run this PHP project, you need these tools on your development machine:
- XAMPP or WAMP server. Bundles Apache, MySQL, and PHP so you can run PHP on Windows without individual installs. Free from apachefriends.org.
- PHP 8.0 or higher. Included with XAMPP. Older versions (5.x, 7.x) may work but modern PHP features improve security and performance.
- MySQL or MariaDB. Comes with XAMPP. phpMyAdmin manages the database through a browser UI.
- VS Code or PhpStorm. Free code editor with PHP syntax highlighting, IntelliSense, and debugging support.
- Web browser. Chrome, Firefox, or Edge for testing the running app.
Installing the source code
- Download the archive. Get the ZIP file from the download link on this page and extract it.
- Move to htdocs. Place the extracted folder inside C:\xampp\htdocs\ so Apache can serve it.
- Import the database. Open http://localhost/phpmyadmin, click Import, and select the .sql file included in the archive.
- Update database credentials. Open the config.php or connection.php file and set the correct database name, username, and password (default XAMPP: root / empty password).
- Run the project. Start Apache + MySQL in XAMPP, then visit http://localhost/your-project-folder/ in a browser.
Using this project for your BSIT capstone
This PHP project maps cleanly to standard BSIT capstone documentation. Suggested chapter alignment:
- Chapter 1 (Introduction). Discuss the problem the system solves in real-world context. Cite Philippine business or academic use cases where a manual process could be replaced.
- Chapter 2 (Review of Related Literature). Compare this system’s features against 5-10 similar published projects. Cite journals like IJERT or IEEE Access for academic-standard sources.
- Chapter 3 (Methodology). Include Use Case Diagram, Data Flow Diagram, Entity Relationship Diagram, and Activity Diagram covering all major workflows.
- Chapter 4 (Results and Discussion). Screenshot each module of the running system with a caption explaining what data it processes and which user role interacts with it.
- Chapter 5 (Conclusion and Recommendations). Identify features that could be added in a Version 2, such as mobile app, REST API export, or AI-powered analytics.
Modules typical of HTML5 Form Input Type – Beginners Guide for Web Developers – 009
- Master data. CRUD forms for the primary entities with search and filter.
- Transaction processing. Data entry forms for day-to-day operations the system automates.
- Reports. Formatted printable output summarizing activity per day, user, or category.
- User management. Login with role-based permissions (Admin, Encoder, Viewer).
- Backup and restore. Export database to a .sql file and restore when needed.
Common enhancements for capstone review
- Modernize the UI. Add Bootstrap 5 or Tailwind CSS for a polished appearance.
- Add printable receipts. Use TCPDF or FPDF to generate PDF reports.
- Multi-user concurrency. Ensure database handles simultaneous writes without lost-update errors.
- Rewrite in Laravel. Migrate to Laravel for maintainability and modern development patterns.
Official documentation
Frequently Asked Questions
How does this PHP project work?
Built with vanilla PHP (no framework) and MySQL backend. Standard structure: form HTML, PHP script handlers, MySQL via PDO or mysqli, sessions for auth, Bootstrap for responsive layout. Ready to extend for BSIT capstone scope.
What PHP and MySQL versions does this project require?
Most projects in this batch run on PHP 7.4 to PHP 8.2 with MySQL 5.7+ or MariaDB 10+. A few older projects need PHP 5.6 (deprecated, use XAMPP 7.x). To run: install XAMPP / WAMP / Laragon, extract project to htdocs, import the included .sql file via phpMyAdmin, edit the connection file (usually config.php or db_connect.php) with your DB credentials, browse to the project URL in your browser.
How do I set up the database for this PHP project?
Open phpMyAdmin (http://localhost/phpmyadmin/ on XAMPP), create a new empty database with the name specified in the project’s config.php. Click the Import tab, choose the included .sql file, click Go. Then edit config.php (or includes/connection.php) with: ‘localhost’, your MySQL username (usually ‘root’), your MySQL password (usually blank for XAMPP), and the database name.
Can I use this PHP project for a BSIT capstone or thesis?
Yes, but extend it. A bare CRUD app is too narrow for full capstone scope. Add: user roles via session checks, reports/dashboards (Chart.js + AJAX), PDF exports (TCPDF library), email notifications (PHPMailer), real domain extension (analytics, audit log, multi-branch support). Pair with Chapter 1-5 documentation matching your panel’s rubric.
Why am I getting ‘connection error’ or ‘undefined function mysqli_connect’?
Three common PHP issues: (1) Connection error: Apache + MySQL services not running in XAMPP control panel, OR database name in config.php does not match what you created in phpMyAdmin. (2) ‘undefined function mysqli_connect’: MySQL extension not enabled, in php.ini uncomment extension=mysqli (then restart Apache). (3) ‘No such file or directory’: MySQL socket path wrong, use 127.0.0.1 instead of localhost in the connection string.
Where can I find more PHP projects with source code?
Browse the PHP Projects hub for the full library (300+ vanilla PHP systems). For modern PHP MVC alternatives see Laravel Projects (74 systems) or CodeIgniter Projects (32 systems). For BSIT-focused capstone idea lists see 150 Best Capstone Project Ideas.