The textarea element is used for accepting multiple lines of textual data from the user (including carriage-returns and space bar spaces). If you need a single line of input, use input type"text", If you need more than one line of input, use textarea.
- use for multiple lines of textual input
- supports 30,000+ characters of data
- contains pre-formatted text: white space and carriage returns are maintained, not collapsed
- contains pre-formatted text: unless you wish to pre-populate the textarea, do not include any character data inside the element - not even a carriage return - white space in a textarea does NOT collapse
- use CSS to resize text area to allow for better visibility of user input
Examine the source code of this document for details. Also see the CSS source code for sizing rules applied to the #meaning_of_life textarea element.