How do I make a checkbox toggle from clicking on the text label as well?

Question

Checkboxes in html forms don't have implicit labels with them. Adding an explicit label (some text) next to it doesn't toggle the checkbox.

Answer 1

If you correctly markup your HTML code, there is no need for javascript. The following code will allow the user to click on the label text to tick the checkbox.

<label for="surname">Surname</label>
<input type="checkbox" name="surname" id="surname" />

The for attribute on the label element links to the id attribute on the input element and the browser does the rest.

This has been testing to work in:

• IE6
• IE7
• Firefox

Answer 2

The <label> answer is definatley the right way to do that - but how can I make clicking anywhere in my box around the label AND checkbox work?

Answer 3

You can wrap your checkbox in the label:

<label style="display: block; padding: 50px 0 0 50px; background-color: pink; width: 80px; height: 80px">
  <input type="checkbox" name="surname">
</label>

Answer 4

Ronnie,

If you wanted to enclose the label text and checkbox inside a wrapper element, you could do the following:

<label for="surname">
    Surname
    <input type="checkbox" name="surname" id="surname" />
</label>

Answer 5

Wrapping with the label still doesn't allow clicking 'anywhere in the box' - still just on the text! This does the job for me:

<div onclick="dob.checked=!dob.checked" class="checkbox"><input onclick="checked=!checked" id="dob" type="checkbox"/>Date of birth entry must be completed</div>

but unfortunately has lots of javascript that is effectively toggling twice.

Answer 6

Set the CSS "display" property for the label to be a block element and use that instead of your div - it keeps the semantic meaning of a label while allowing whatever styling you like.

For example

 <label for="test" style="width: 100px; height: 100px; display: block; background-color: #e0e0ff;">
   A ticky box! <input type="checkbox" id="test" />
 </label>

Answer 7

As indicated by @Gatekiller and others, the correct solution is the <label> tag.

Click-in-the-text is nice, but there is another reason to use the <label> tag: accessibility. The tools that visually-impaired people use to access the web need the <label>s to read-out the meaning of checkboxes and radio buttons. Without <label>s, they have to guess based on surrounding text, and they often get it wrong or have to give up.

It is very frustrating to be faced with a form that reads "Please select your shipping method, radio-button1, radio-button2, radio-button3".

Note that web accessibility is a complex topic; <label>s are a necessary step but they are not enough to guarantee accessibility or compliance with government regulations where it applies.