<FIELDSET>

NN n/a IE 4 HTML 4

<FIELDSET>...</FIELDSET>

End Tag: Required

A FIELDSET element is a structural container for form elements (as distinguished from the functional containment of the FORM element). In fact, you can define multiple FIELDSET elements within a single FORM element to supply context to logical groupings of form elements. For example, one FIELDSET element might contain text input fields for name and address info; another FIELDSET might be dedicated to credit card information. In applications envisioned by the HTML 4.0 specification, users could use access keys to navigate from one group to another, rather than have to tab ad nauseam to reach the next group.

Internet Explorer 4 boosts the attractiveness of this element by automatically drawing a rule around the form elements within each FIELDSET container. You can also attach a label that gets embedded within the rule by defining a LEGEND element immediately after the start tag of a FIELDSET element. When IE 4 draws the rule, the box extends the full width of the next outermost container geography--usually the document. If you'd rather have the box cinch up around the visible form elements, you have to set the width style sheet property. Unfortunately, the Mac and Windows versions do not render the box set to a specific width the same way: the Windows version comes closest to honoring the pixel count, whereas the Mac version is substantially wider.

Example

<FORM METHOD=POST ACTION="...">
<FIELDSET>
<LEGEND>Credit Card Information</LEGEND>
...inputElementsHere...
</FIELDSET>
</FORM>

Object Model Reference

IE	[window.]document.all.elementID

ALIGN

NN n/a IE 4 HTML n/a

ALIGN="where"

Optional

The ALIGN attribute appears only in Internet Explorer 4, and its implementation is far from consistent across operating systems. In theory, the attribute should control the alignment of INPUT elements it contains. This is true in the Macintosh version of IE 4, but in the Windows version, the settings have a minor effect on whether the FIELDSET element rule is flush left, flush right, or centered. It is best to let the default setting take precedence.

As a general rule, ALIGN attributes are deprecated in HTML 4.0 in favor of style sheets. Even though the ALIGN attribute isn't supported in HTML 4.0, you should feel free to use style sheets even for this Internet Explorer-specific attribute.

Example

<FIELDSET ALIGN="center">...</FIELDSET>

Value
Allowed values are left | center | right.

Default

left

Object Model Reference

IE	[window.]document.all.elementID.align

TITLE

NN n/a IE 4 HTML 4

TITLE="advisoryText"

Optional

An advisory description of the element. In Internet Explorer 4, the title is rendered as a tooltip when the cursor rests on the element for a moment. TITLE attributes of nested form elements override the setting for the entire FIELDSET, allowing you to specify one tooltip for the main fieldset area and more detailed tooltips for each element.

Example

<FIELDSET TITLE="Credit Card Info">...</FIELDSET>

Value
Any string of characters. The string must be inside a matching pair of (single or double) quotation marks.

Default

None.

Object Model Reference

IE	[window.]document.all.elementID.title

VALIGN

NN n/a IE 4 HTML 4

VALIGN="alignmentConstant"

Optional

Determines the vertical alignment of the FIELDSET within the FORM.

Example

<FIELDSET VALIGN="bottom">...</FIELDSET>

Value
Four constant values are recognized by both IE 4 and HTML 4.0: top | middle | bottom | baseline. With top and bottom, the content is rendered flush (or very close to it) to the top and bottom of the table cell. Set to middle (the default), the content floats perfectly centered vertically in the cell. When one cell's contents might wrap to multiple lines at common window widths (assuming a variable table width), it is advisable to set the VALIGN attribute to baseline. This assures that the character baseline of the first (or only) line of a cell's text aligns with the other cells in the row--usually the most aesthetically pleasing arrangement

Default

middle

Object Model Reference

IE	[window.]document.all.elementID.vAlign