HTML Contact Form Markup with Topic and Message

A form should feel easy to use. The visitor sees a question, gives an answer, and needs to know what will happen next.

What You Need to Know

A message and a topic are submitted as different named values, so the server can route the message correctly.

Try the Example

Take a look at the example. We’ll explain the important lines right below it.

<form action="/contact" method="post">
    <label for="email-address">Your email</label>
    <input id="email-address" name="email" type="email" required>
    <label for="contact-topic">What is this about?</label>
    <select id="contact-topic" name="topic">
        <option value="question">A question</option>
        <option value="feedback">Feedback</option>
    </select>
    <label for="contact-message">Your message</label>
    <textarea id="contact-message" name="message" rows="5" required></textarea>
    <button type="submit">Send message</button>
</form>

Let’s Read the Code

<form>: The form groups controls and identifies where submitted data goes.
<label>: The label tells people what the input is for. A matching for/id pair makes the label clickable.
for: For connects a label or output with a control by ID.
id: An id uniquely identifies an element on this page.

Read the named elements and attributes together. They explain how the browser connects this feature to the rest of the page.

What Happens in the Browser?

The HTML controls work in the browser, but saving an answer requires the example action path to be handled by a real server.

Where does the answer go? The example uses the submitted name(s) email, topic, message. Those names help the receiving server identify each answer. A label is for people; a name attribute is for the form data; an ID connects elements in the page.

Your Turn

Add a third topic and explain how its option value differs from its label.

Common Beginner Mistakes

Copying the example without giving the fields a clear label and a usable name.
The form does not send email by itself; an endpoint must store or deliver the message.

Key Takeaways

A control needs a clear label and, when submitted, a meaningful name and value.
<form>: The form groups controls and identifies where submitted data goes.
Remember that HTML form rules help the visitor, but server-side code must decide whether received data is valid.