How to Create a Drop Down Menu Name Box

Drop-down boxes provide a limited number of options for users.

Drop-down boxes provide website readers with a predetermined list of selections. They are beneficial for website forms when you want to limit the amount of input data. For instance, a drop-down box is a beneficial form element for a list of state name options. Since there are only 50 states, the developer can limit the answers from the user, which provides better data integrity. You can create a drop-down menu item using a simple text editor.

Instructions

1. Open your HTML page in any simple text editor. You can use an editor as simple as Notepad or use more advanced editors such as Notepad++ or Visual Studio.

2. Scroll down to the section where you want the drop-down menu located. The drop-down menu item is typically a part of a web page form, so it is located between "<form>" and "</form>" tags. Start the drop-down with the following block of code:
   <select name="names"> </select>

3. Populate your drop-down menu with a list of names. Each item shown in the drop-down menu is listed using a "<option>" tag. The following code creates a list of names for the drop-down menu element:
   <select name="names">
   <option value="John Smith">John Smith</option>
   <option value="Jane Smith">Jane Smith</option>
   <option value="Jane Doe">Jane Doe</option>
   </select>
   The item selected by the user is sent to the form's processing page.

4. Save the changes for your HTML file and open it with your browser. The drop-down menu list is displayed on the page, and it is used in your web page form.

References

• W3 Schools: drop-down box example