HTML dirname: submit text direction beside the user's words

Use it in a concrete workflow

An international support form accepts a customer explanation in either writing direction. Recording that direction can help a downstream case viewer render the note as intended. The text itself still needs escaping, a visible label, and a server-side policy for storing language and direction metadata. Direction is not the same as language, and a reported direction is not proof of the author's identity or locale.

<form action="/support/cases" method="post">
  <label for="case-explanation">Explain the damaged shipment</label>
  <textarea id="case-explanation" name="explanation" dirname="explanation_dir" dir="auto" required></textarea>
  <button type="submit">Send case</button>
</form>

Behavior and ownership

The submitted fields include explanation and explanation_dir. The latter is a direction token, not a translation or a language tag; validate and store it alongside the note if the application needs it.

Performance and maintenance

The additional field adds little transfer cost. Handling mixed-direction text correctly across storage, logs, exports, and later rendering is the substantial implementation work.

Common Mistakes

• Do not infer the user's language from explanation_dir.
• Do not trust submitted direction metadata without validation.
• Do not insert the explanation into HTML without escaping.

Connected lessons

• HTML lang, dir, and bdi: keep text pronunciation and direction stable
• HTML bdi: isolate an unknown text direction
• HTML form names and disabled controls: know which values submit