What is the 'name' attribute for?

The name attribute in HTML forms is used to specify the name of an input element. It serves several important purposes:

1. Data Submission: When a form is submitted, the name attribute is used as the key in the key-value pair sent to the server. The value entered in the input field is sent as the value associated with that key.

2. Form Handling: On the server side, the name attribute helps identify which data corresponds to which input field. This is crucial for processing form data correctly.

3. JavaScript Access: The name attribute can also be used in JavaScript to access form elements. For example, you can use document.forms['formName'].elements['inputName'] to get the value of an input field.

Here’s a simple example:

<form action="/submit" method="post">
    <label for="username">Username:</label>
    <input type="text" id="username" name="username" />
    
    <input type="submit" value="Submit" />
</form>

In this example, when the form is submitted, the data sent to the server will include username as the key and the value entered in the input field as its value.