SelectElement

The select element is an HTML form control used to present a list of options from which the user can choose one or more values. It is created with the <select> tag and contains one or more <option> elements. The name attribute on the select defines the key that will be sent with the form submission. Each option provides a value via its value attribute; the text content of the option is what the user sees. The default choice can be indicated with the selected attribute on an option.

If the multiple attribute is present, the control allows selecting more than one option, and the size attribute determines how many options are visible at once (rendered as a list box in many browsers). Without multiple, only a single value is submitted; with multiple, multiple values are submitted under the same name, often as an array on the server side. A placeholder-like effect can be achieved by inserting an option that is disabled and selected by default.

Options can be organized with optgroup elements to group related options under a common label. Additional attributes such as required, autofocus, and disabled affect submission, focus behavior, and interactivity. The form submission includes the selected option values, while an unselected control contributes nothing.

Accessibility considerations include pairing the select with a associated label via the for attribute, and ensuring the control remains reachable for keyboard users. Styling native select elements can be limited, so developers may replace them with custom widgets using scripting, while preserving the underlying form semantics.