HTML DOM Option Object

Option Object

For each instance of an HTML <option> tag in a selection list on a form, an Option object is created.

An option in a selection list can be created either with the HTML <option> tag:

<option>Wolksvagen</option>

OR by using the option constructor and assign it to an index of the relevant Select object:

document.myForm.cartypes[3]=new Option("Wolksvagen")

Tip: Refresh the document by using history.go(0) at the end of the code to make the new option visible.

To specify a value to be returned to the server when an option is selected and the form submitted:

document.myForm.cartypes[3]=new Option("Wolksvagen","WV")

To make the option selected by default in the selection list:

document.myForm.cartypes[3]=new Option("Wolksvagen","WV",true)

The Option object's properties and methods are described below:

N: Netscape (including Mozilla when N6 or higher), IE: Internet Explorer, W3C: World Wide Web Consortium (Internet Standard)

Syntax: object.property_name

Property	Description	N	IE	W3C
defaultSelected	Sets or returns the value of the selected attribute of the option	6	3.02	Yes
disabled	Sets or returns a Boolean value that specifies whether the option should be disabled	6	5.5	Yes
form	Returns a reference to the form that contains the option object	6	3.02	Yes
id	Sets or returns the id of the option (In IE 4 this property is read-only)		4	No
index	Sets or returns the position of the option in the select box		3.02	Yes
label	Sets or returns a label for the option object		6	Yes
selected	Sets or returns the current state of the option	6	3.02	Yes
text	Sets or returns the text value for the <option> tag	6	3.02	Yes
value	Sets or returns the value to be returned to the server when an option is selected and the form is submitted	6	3.02	Yes

Syntax: object.method_name()

Method	Description	N	IE	W3C
click()	Simulates a mouse-click on the option		4	No