| Depr. | Version |
|---|---|
| No | HTML 3.02 |
| IE5.5+ | FF1+ | SA1.3+ | OP9.2+ | CH2+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full | Full | Full | Full | Full |
Syntax
Description
The
"readonly" attribute stops the user from changing the
content, but doesn’t stop the user from interacting with the form
control content. It’s still possible to click inside the
textarea, tab to it, highlight the text inside it, and
even to copy and paste that content—it just can’t be changed.
The
most likely application for this attribute is to stop the user from
interfering with the content inside a textarea until
such a time as some other condition has been met (for example, a checkbox
is checked to confirm the user’s acceptance of terms and conditions). At
this point, JavaScript would be required to remove the
"readonly" value, making the form control completely
usable.
Example
Thereadonly
attribute below prevents the textarea content from
being changed: <form>
<label for="perfectday">Describe your perfect day:</label>
<textarea id="perfectday" readonly="readonly" name="perfectday"
accesskey="d" cols="40" rows="10">
Sitting by the beach, sipping a cocktail</textarea>
<input type="submit" value="Tell us"/>
</form>
Value
"readonly" is the
only possible value for this attribute.
Compatibility
| Internet Explorer | Firefox | Safari | Opera | Chrome | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5.5 | 6.0 | 7.0 | 8.0 | 1.0 | 1.5 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 3.5 | 1.3 | 2.0 | 3.1 | 4.0 | 9.2 | 9.5 | 10.0 | 2.0 |
| Full | Full | Full | Full | Full | Full | Full | Full | Full | Full | Full | Full | Full | Full | Full | Full | Full |
It causes no compatibility issues, and has excellent support across all tested browsers.
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