http://www.forumpromotion.org/webhostingisfree/ I just started a template, and I added form fields to it. The question I have is why do they look so messed up? Instead of looking like an actual submit button or textbox, they look like normal boxes. Aren't browsers supposed to automatically make them look formatted, regardless of CSS?
No. If you want it to look like a "standard" submit button and text field in the browser, then remove the CSS from them. I would suggest changing the CSS so it looks better, rather than the "standard".
I know, but for the time being, I just need standard. And there is no CSS attached to them right now...
See this: * { margin: 0; padding: 0; outline: 0;border:0; } That CSS is being applied to your form elements which is what's making them not appear 'standard'. Which is why I'd drop to the more targeted: html,body,address,blockquote,div, form,fieldset,legend, h1,h2,h3,h4,h5,h6, hr,ul,li,menu,ol,ul, table,tr,td,th,p,img { margin:0; padding:0; } img,fieldset { border:none; } a { outline:none; } Code (markup): There are bigger/more complete 'resets' out there, but for the most part they tend to go overboard declaring elements rarely used and often cause more problems than they solve. If you are going to leave in the global reset, you can pretty much kiss off input[submit]'s from EVER behaving properly since the specification is unbelievably vague about how inputs in general are supposed to be handled - so the browser makers all went and did what they do best - do it their own way and to hell with what anyone else is doing. Trident/IE uses line-height for the internal height, ignores any other height declarations and goes nuts on padding when it comes to submits, Gecko/FF uses height in an IE style box model (oh, that can drive you nuts) but applies a tiny bit of em sized padding you have no control over, webkit/Safari/Chrome applies their own goof assed widgets to hell with what the designer wants/declares... the only browser that does anything SENSIBLE with them being Opera, who just treats them like normal inline-block elements (and will actually behave as display:block if you set display:block *** THE HORRORS *** - what a CRAZY idea) I've actually been using input[image] more and more so I can have a degree of control over the bloody submits, and wrapping input[text] in spans just so I can strip ALL formatting from the inputs and again, have a degree of control over them.