Control Input Length with
maxlength in HTML

Master the maxlength attribute for enhanced user experience and data integrity.

✍️Limits text input in <input> and <textarea> elements
Ensures data validation and prevents exceeding character limits
💡Detailed explanation on UTF-16 code units and constraint validation

Understanding The maxlength Attribute

The maxlength attribute is a crucial component of HTML form elements, specifically for and limits the number of characters in a text area to 200.

If maxlength is not specified or has an invalid value, the input will have no maximum length. It's crucial to note that the length is often, but not always, equivalent to the number of characters. The maxlength must be greater than or equal to the minlength (if the minlength attribute is valid).

Constraint Validation and User Experience

Constraint validation occurs when the value of the input element changes by the user. While browsers typically prevent the user from entering more text than maxlength permits, it is good practice to implement client-side validation as well to proactively prevent incorrect data.

When the input's text length exceeds maxlength, the element's validity.tooLong property becomes true. The read-only property of a or