Form Labelling

Requirements

• Label all form controls appropriately and explicitly associate labels with form controls.
• Position labels, so they lay out properly with the form and controls they refer to.
• Provide informative error messages and a means of navigating from error messages to helpful information.
• The developer can programmatically determine the purpose of each input that collects information about the user.
• Do not rely on the ‘placeholder’ attribute for labelling input fields.

Full Explanation

Form Labelling means using the label element in HTML or equivalent in other languages. Ensure that where the label goes is consistent and close to each form control. Re-flowing or adapting the content to fit different screen sizes will always recognise label controls and keep them together.

1.3.5 Identify Input Purpose (Level AA) (WCAG 2.1 requirement)

The purpose of each input field collecting information about the user can be programmatically determined when:

• The input field serves a goal identified in the Input Purposes for User Interface Components section; and
• Technologies with support for identifying the expected meaning of form input data implement the content.