jQuery - Create hidden form element on the fly

Question

What is the simplest way to dynamically create a hidden input form field using jQuery?

David Hellsing · Accepted Answer · 2010-03-09T10:12:08.270

682

$('<input>').attr('type','hidden').appendTo('form');

To answer your second question:

$('<input>').attr({
    type: 'hidden',
    id: 'foo',
    name: 'bar'
}).appendTo('form');

edited Mar 09 '10 at 10:12

answered Mar 09 '10 at 10:02

David Hellsing

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Note that IE will choke if you attempt to change the input type after it's created. Use `$('').foo(...)` as a workaround. – Roy Tinker Oct 06 '11 at 04:18
4

Also, jQuery documentation suggests that since DOM manipulation is expensive, if you have multiple inputs to be added, add all of them once using something like $(this).append(hidden_element_array.join('')); – Kedar Mhaswade Nov 02 '11 at 20:29
1

I just tried this method with jQuery 1.6.2 and recieved this error with Firefox 7.0.1: "uncaught exception: type property can't be changed" It seems that you cant use the attr method to change the type property under these conditions. I'm now trying the method below... – Mikepote Nov 11 '11 at 07:17
Will this same approach work with the newer `.prop` function in the newer API release? – SpaceBison Aug 31 '12 at 09:18
3

@SpaceBison `.prop` is not "the new `.attr`" as a lot of people seems to think. You should still use `.attr` to set attributes. – David Hellsing Mar 25 '13 at 13:33
1

I had trouble with this approach when I tried to add valid HTML for the input field, as I was unable to add either a or type of field. If anyone knows a solution, that would be very helpful – readikus Apr 18 '13 at 11:43

score 154 · Answer 2 · answered Mar 09 '10 at 09:56

154

$('#myformelement').append('<input type="hidden" name="myfieldname" value="myvalue" />');

answered Mar 09 '10 at 09:56

Mark Bell

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Did someone test this answer on old IE? – Arthur Halma Aug 31 '12 at 11:54
13

Personally, I believe this is a much better approach than the accepted answer as it involves less DOM manipulation/function calls. – PaulSkinner Aug 05 '13 at 09:38
3

@PaulSkinner For the given case, yes you are correct, but it isn't always so. Take a look here http://stackoverflow.com/a/2690367/1067465 – Fernando Silva Aug 06 '14 at 18:08

score 44 · Answer 3 · answered Nov 19 '15 at 14:47

44

The same as David's, but without attr()

$('<input>', {
    type: 'hidden',
    id: 'foo',
    name: 'foo',
    value: 'bar'
}).appendTo('form');

answered Nov 19 '15 at 14:47

Sergey Onishchenko

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Is there a name for this way of populating a tag? – DLF85 Mar 08 '16 at 05:24
how to append the input only 1 time? if its exist it keep entering new value with same attribute – Snowbases Jun 28 '18 at 08:10
Very streamlined, I love it. – Jacques Aug 09 '18 at 21:23

score 29 · Answer 4 · answered Jun 30 '14 at 15:11

29

if you want to add more attributes just do like:

$('<input>').attr('type','hidden').attr('name','foo[]').attr('value','bar').appendTo('form');

Or

$('<input>').attr({
    type: 'hidden',
    id: 'foo',
    name: 'foo[]',
    value: 'bar'
}).appendTo('form');

answered Jun 30 '14 at 15:11

Slipstream

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this is giving console error `Unexpected identifier` . – Prafulla Kumar Sahu Jul 19 '17 at 08:00
Second code, seems the "id" need to be generated dynamically something like foo1, foo2 etc – Web_Developer Oct 01 '18 at 08:00

Saurabh Chandra Patel · Answer 5 · 2020-09-30T11:13:17.983

8

function addHidden(theForm, key, value) {
    // Create a hidden input element, and append it to the form:
    var input = document.createElement('input');
    input.type = 'hidden';
    input.name = key; //name-as-seen-at-the-server
    input.value = value;
    theForm.appendChild(input);
}

// Form reference:
var theForm = document.forms['detParameterForm'];

// Add data:
addHidden(theForm, 'key-one', 'value');

edited Sep 30 '20 at 11:13

answered Sep 24 '14 at 07:17

Saurabh Chandra Patel

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What is the `'name-as-seen-at-the-server'`? – SaAtomic Mar 13 '17 at 06:31

score 2 · Answer 6 · answered Jul 11 '14 at 08:30

Working JSFIDDLE

If your form is like

<form action="" method="get" id="hidden-element-test">
      First name: <input type="text" name="fname"><br>
      Last name: <input type="text" name="lname"><br>
      <input type="submit" value="Submit">
</form> 
    <br><br>   
    <button id="add-input">Add hidden input</button>
    <button id="add-textarea">Add hidden textarea</button>

You can add hidden input and textarea to form like this

$(document).ready(function(){

    $("#add-input").on('click', function(){
        $('#hidden-element-test').prepend('<input type="hidden" name="ipaddress" value="192.168.1.201" />');
        alert('Hideen Input Added.');
    });

    $("#add-textarea").on('click', function(){
        $('#hidden-element-test').prepend('<textarea name="instructions" style="display:none;">this is a test textarea</textarea>');
        alert('Hideen Textarea Added.');
    });

});

Check working jsfiddle here

jQuery - Create hidden form element on the fly

6 Answers6

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