Think of filling out a sign-up page. Clear fields make the job simple; confusing fields make people leave.
What You Need to Know
The dirname attribute adds a second submitted field that reports the entered text direction.
In this example: submit direction alongside a comment field.
Try the Example
Take a look at the example. We’ll explain the important lines right below it.
<form action="/comment" method="post">
<label for="comment-text">Your comment</label>
<textarea id="comment-text" name="comment" dirname="comment.dir" rows="3"></textarea>
<button type="submit">Post comment</button>
</form>Let’s Read the Code
- name: The name is the key used for the submitted value.
- <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.
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) comment. 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
Enter text in a right-to-left language and inspect the comment.dir entry.
Common Beginner Mistakes
- Copying the example without giving the fields a clear label and a usable name.
- Not every form control supports dirname; use it on appropriate text controls.
Key Takeaways
- With dirname Attribute: Submitting Text Direction, the main idea is to match the HTML to the visitor’s task, not just to copy an unfamiliar attribute.
- name: The name is the key used for the submitted value.
- Test the behavior you expect rather than trusting how the snippet looks in your editor.