How to Create a Drop Down List on a Web Page

Creating a drop down menu is a simple way to get more choices onto your page. It is also rather simple to program and can be done with a few new tags, <select> and <option>.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Computer
• HTML skills
• Web page
• Notepad

How to Create a Drop Down List on a Web Page

1. Open your web page in a text editor and decide where you want to drop down menu to go.
2. Type in the tag <FORM> and enter a name for the form like this, <FORM NAME=DDMENU>.
3. Enter the drop down tag <select> below the form tag, then give it a name value like this, <select name="drop-down-example">.
4. Add the values which will appear in the drop down list or the "options" using the <option> tag, like this: <option value="first">First choice</option><option value="second">Second choice</option><option value="third">Third choice</option>.
5. End the drop down list by typing in the </select> tag and complete the form with the </FORM> tag.
6. Add items as necessary to your drop down menu. Then add any actions you want the menu to perform using your chosen method.

Tips & Warnings

• Drop downs can be part of a form, or if selected can perform certain actions like drawing information from a database or spreadsheet and displaying it on a web page. These are defined by adding tags to the list, and sometimes using JAVA code and database plug ins which must be installed on your web server.