HTML Validation

Bad value “” for attribute “for” on element “label”: An ID must not be the empty string.

About This HTML Issue

The for attribute on a label element can’t be an empty string. This attribute is intended to specify which form element a label is associated with, and it must reference the ID of an existing form element. An empty string is neither a valid ID nor a meaningful association.

Explanation

Invalid HTML: <label for=""></label>

The for attribute expects the value to be the ID of a form element, such as an input, textarea, select, etc.

How to Fix

Identify the Form Element: Find the form element (input, textarea, select, etc.) that the label is supposed to be associated with.
Assign an ID to the Form Element: Ensure the form element has a unique ID.
Modify the Label’s for Attribute: Set the for attribute of the label to match the ID of the form element.

Example

Before Fix

<form>
    <label for="">Username:</label>
    <input type="text" name="username">
</form>

After Fix

<form>
    <label for="username">Username:</label>
    <input type="text" id="username" name="username">
</form>

Learn more:

→ MDN - label - The Label element

Last reviewed: September 19, 2024

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Related W3C Validator Issues

Bad value “X” for attribute “for” on element “label”: An ID must not contain whitespace.

The <label> element represents a caption in a document, and it can be associated with a form input using the for attribute, which must be an ID. Document IDs cannot contain whitespace.

Example:

<form>
  <label for="user_name">Name</label>
  <input type="text" id="user_name" />
</form>

Any “input” descendant of a “label” element with a “for” attribute must have an ID value that matches that “for” attribute.

When nesting an input element inside a label that has a for attribute, the id attribute of the input is required to match it.

The label element represents a caption in a user interface. The caption can be associated with a specific form control, known as the label element’s labeled control, either using the for attribute, or by putting the form control inside the label element itself.

When the input is inside the label, there’s no need to specify a for attribute as there can only be one input, as in this example:

<label>
  Age
  <input type="text" name="age">
</label>

However, if the for attribute is specified, then it must match the id of the input like this:

<label for="user_age">
  Age
  <input type="text" name="age" id="user_age">
</label>

Any “select” descendant of a “label” element with a “for” attribute must have an ID value that matches that “for” attribute.

When nesting a select element inside a label that has a for attribute, the id attribute of the select is required to match it.

When the select is inside the label, there’s no need to specify a for attribute as there can only be one select, as in this example:

<label>
  Age
  <select>
    <option>young</option>
    <option>old</option>
  </select>
</label>

However, if the for attribute is specified, then it must match the id of the select like this:

<label for="age">
  Age
  <select id="age">
    <option>young</option>
    <option>old</option>
  </select>
</label>

The value of the “for” attribute of the “label” element must be the ID of a non-hidden form control.

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