Now Friends , i will continue my tutorial series on HTML
HTML TUTORIAL SERIES - PART 2 (TAGS)
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Tag
What it is
When to use it
<a>
Anchor (most commonly a link)
Vital. Use to create links in content. Use the title attribute whenever the contents of the <a>…</a> pair do not accurately describe what you’ll get from selecting the link. Title attribute often displays as a tooltip in visual browsers, which may be a helpful usability aid.
<abbr>
Defines an abbreviation
Works in a similar way to <dfn> and<acronym>, using a title attribute (displays a tooltip in standard visual browsers). e.g. <abbr title=”Hypertext markup language”>HTML</abbr>
<ACRONYM>
Defines an acronym
Works in a similar way to <abbr>and <dfn>, using a title attribute (displays a tooltip in standard visual browsers).
<ADDRESS>
Used for marking up a physical (e.g. mailing) address
Not commonly used. Recommend looking into microformats, which allow for more detail and interoperability.
<APPLET>
Inserts a Java applet
The old way to insert a Java app. Use<object> instead today.
<AREA>
Hotspot in image map
Avoid image maps where possible. Occasionally necessary.
<BASE>
Specifies the base location of the document.
Use only when necessary. Adjusts any relative links and paths within the document.
<BASEFONT>
Sets default font size
Display info – never use it
<BIG>
Larger text
Display info – never use it
<BLINK>
Makes text blink
You go to hell if you use this
<BLOCKQUOTE>
Large quoted block of text
Use for any quoted text that constitutes one or more paragraphs (note: should contain <p> tags as well). Use <q> for quotations within a paragraph. Often used in conjunction with <cite> to cite the quotation’s source.
<BODY>
Document body
Essential (unless you’re using frames)
<BR>
Line break
This is arguably display information. Still in common use, but use with restraint.
<B>
Bold text
Display info – never use it
<BUTTON>
Used for a standard clickable button within a form
Often better than <input type=”button” /> or <input type=”submit” />, as it allows you to assign different styles based on the HTML element alone, whereas differentiating style based on the type of input is less well supported.
<CAPTION>
Caption for a table: describes the table’s contents
The correct way to assign a title to a table
<CENTER>
Centred block
Display info – never use it. Use<div> or some other block-level tag with the style text-align:center instead
<CITE>
Defines a citation
Defines the source of a quotation (in conjunction with content in <q> or<blockquote> pairs).
<CODE>
Defines an extract of code
Not commonly used. Similar to<pre> tag, but collapses consecutive white spaces and line breaks in the source.
<COL>
Identifies a particular column in a table
Can be very useful. e.g. <col class=”namecol”> can be applied to each first column in a series of tables, then the width of each column may be set to be equal in the stylesheet, overriding the table’s natural tendency to adjust its own column widths to fit its contents.
<DFN>
Definition of a term
Works in a similar way to <abbr>and <acronym>, using a titleattribute (displays a tooltip in standard visual browsers).
<DIR>
Directory list
Now deprecated. Use a standard<ul> or other list instead.
<DIV>
Division
Specifies a logical division within a document. Use it to separate or identify chunks of content that are not otherwise distinguished naturally using other tags.
One of the most common HTML tags.
<DL>
Definition list
Contains one or more definition-term / definition-description pairs.
<DT>
Definition term
Used as part of a <dt></dt><dd></dd> pair within a definition list (<dl></dl>)
<DD>
Definition description
<EM>
Emphasis
Commonly used in place of the old<i> (italics) tag to indicate emphasis (but less than <strong>)
<FONT>
Font settings
Display info – never use it
<FORM>
Input form
Essential for data input
<H1>
Level 1 header
Aim to have one H1 on each page, containing a description of what the page is about.
<H2>
Level 2 header
Defines a section of the page
<H3>
Level 3 header
Defines a sub-section of the page (should always follow an H2 in the logical hierarchy)
<H4>
Level 4 header
Etc. Less commonly used
<H5>
Level 5 header
Less commonly used. Only complex academic documents will break down to this level of detail.
<H6>
Level 6 header
Less commonly used
<HEAD>
Document head
Essential. Contains information about a page that does not constitute content to be communicated as part of the page.
<HR>
Horizontal rule
Display info with no semantic value – never use it. “Horizontal”, by definition, is a visual attribute.
<HTML>
Core element of every web page.
<IMG >
Show an image
Vital. Always use the alt or longdescattributes when the image has content value
<INPUT>
Input fields within forms
Vital. (I prefer to use <button> for buttons and submit buttons though)
<ISINDEX>
Old type of search input
Not really used any more. Use<form> instead.
<I>
Italicised text
Display info – never use it
<KBD>
Keyboard input
Display info – never use it
<LINK>
Defines a relationship to another document
Commonly used to reference external stylesheets, but has other minor uses
<LI>
List item
Specifies an item in an unordered or ordered list (<ul> or <ol>)
<MAP>
Client-side imagemap
May have occasional value, but only use when absolutely necessary
<MARQUEE>
Makes text scroll across the screen
See <blink>
<MENU>
Menu item list
Deprecated. Do not use. Use other standard list types instead.
<META>
Meta-information
Useful way to insert relevant information into the <head> section of the page that does not need to be displayed.
<OL>
Ordered list
Type of list where the order of elements has some meaning. Generally rendered with item numbers (best managed with CSS).
<OPTION>
Selection list option
Vital for options within a drop-down control.
<PARAM>
Parameter for Java applet
Used in conjunction with an<object> or <applet> tag to pass additional setting information at runtime.
<PRE>
Preformatted text
Renders text in a pre-formatted style, preserving line breaks and all spaces present in the source. May be useful. (This one’s a paradox, as it is strictly display info that applies only to visual browsing, but it’s still so commonly used and useful that I’m hesitant to advise against using it.)
<P>
Paragraph
Only use to denote a paragraph of text. Never use for spacing alone.
<Q>
Short quotation
Use for inline quotations (whereas<blockquote> should be used for quotations of a paragraph or more). Often used in conjunction with<cite> to cite the quotation’s source.
<SAMP>
Denotes sample output text
Similar to the <code> tag. Rarely used. Avoid.
<SCRIPT>
Inline script (e.g. JavaScript)
It’s better to have all scripts as separate files than to write inline or in the <head> section, however still has its uses.
<SELECT>
Selection list
A drop-down selector for a form.
<SMALL>
Smaller text
Display info – never use it
<SPAN>
An inline span within text
Use to apply meaning (and style) to a span of text that goes with the flow of content (whereas a <div> tag is block-level and breaks the flow)
<Strikeout>
Display info – Strikeout the content
<STRONG>
Strong emphasis
Use this instead of the old <b> tag.
<STYLE>
CSS style settings
Normally used in <head> section of a page. Try to use external stylesheets, to enable you to apply different styles for different output media.
<SUB>
Subscript text
Arguably display info – recommend using alternative tags (e.g. <cite>). May be required in some academic uses, e.g. Chemical formulas.
<SUP>
Superscript text
<TABLE>
Table
Use for repeated data that has a naturally tabular form. Never use for layout purposes.
<TD>
Table data cell
A cell containing actual data. If a cell actually contains a descriptor or identifier for a row or column, use a<th> (table header) tag, not a<td>. This usually applies to column headers (within a <thead>), column footers (within a <tfoot>), as well as row headers (usually the first cell in a row in the <tbody>).
<TEXTAREA>
Multi-line text input area in a form
Essential
<TH>
Table column or row header cell
May appear in a <thead> (to denote a column header cell), <tbody> (to denote a row header), and in<tfoot> (to denote a column foot cell, e.g. a total)
<TBODY>
Indicates the main body of a data table
It is always worth using this tag, as well as using <thead> and <tfoot>where appropriate.
Note that it is permissible to have more than one <tbody>, <thead>, and <tfoot> in the same table.
<THEAD>
The head section of a table
The place to put column header cells (<th>)
<TFOOT>
The foot section of a table
Good place to put e.g. summary data, such as totals. Note that it goes before the <tbody> tag!
<TITLE>
Document title
Essential
<TR>
Table row
Essential with tables
<TT>
“Teletype” - simulates typewriter output
Similar to <pre>, except that it collapses white space like normal HTML (whereas <pre> leaves all consecutive white space intact). Avoid if possible
<UL>
Unordered list
Essential. Use for lists where the order or items has no particular importance.
<U>
Underline text
Display info – never use it
<VAR>
Variable in computer code
Obscure tag, may only be useful in academic documents. Avoid.
ADD +REPS IF YOU LIKED MY POSTS !!!!
HTML TUTORIAL SERIES - PART 2 (TAGS)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tag
What it is
When to use it
<a>
Anchor (most commonly a link)
Vital. Use to create links in content. Use the title attribute whenever the contents of the <a>…</a> pair do not accurately describe what you’ll get from selecting the link. Title attribute often displays as a tooltip in visual browsers, which may be a helpful usability aid.
<abbr>
Defines an abbreviation
Works in a similar way to <dfn> and<acronym>, using a title attribute (displays a tooltip in standard visual browsers). e.g. <abbr title=”Hypertext markup language”>HTML</abbr>
<ACRONYM>
Defines an acronym
Works in a similar way to <abbr>and <dfn>, using a title attribute (displays a tooltip in standard visual browsers).
<ADDRESS>
Used for marking up a physical (e.g. mailing) address
Not commonly used. Recommend looking into microformats, which allow for more detail and interoperability.
<APPLET>
Inserts a Java applet
The old way to insert a Java app. Use<object> instead today.
<AREA>
Hotspot in image map
Avoid image maps where possible. Occasionally necessary.
<BASE>
Specifies the base location of the document.
Use only when necessary. Adjusts any relative links and paths within the document.
<BASEFONT>
Sets default font size
Display info – never use it
<BIG>
Larger text
Display info – never use it
<BLINK>
Makes text blink
You go to hell if you use this
<BLOCKQUOTE>
Large quoted block of text
Use for any quoted text that constitutes one or more paragraphs (note: should contain <p> tags as well). Use <q> for quotations within a paragraph. Often used in conjunction with <cite> to cite the quotation’s source.
<BODY>
Document body
Essential (unless you’re using frames)
<BR>
Line break
This is arguably display information. Still in common use, but use with restraint.
<B>
Bold text
Display info – never use it
<BUTTON>
Used for a standard clickable button within a form
Often better than <input type=”button” /> or <input type=”submit” />, as it allows you to assign different styles based on the HTML element alone, whereas differentiating style based on the type of input is less well supported.
<CAPTION>
Caption for a table: describes the table’s contents
The correct way to assign a title to a table
<CENTER>
Centred block
Display info – never use it. Use<div> or some other block-level tag with the style text-align:center instead
<CITE>
Defines a citation
Defines the source of a quotation (in conjunction with content in <q> or<blockquote> pairs).
<CODE>
Defines an extract of code
Not commonly used. Similar to<pre> tag, but collapses consecutive white spaces and line breaks in the source.
<COL>
Identifies a particular column in a table
Can be very useful. e.g. <col class=”namecol”> can be applied to each first column in a series of tables, then the width of each column may be set to be equal in the stylesheet, overriding the table’s natural tendency to adjust its own column widths to fit its contents.
<DFN>
Definition of a term
Works in a similar way to <abbr>and <acronym>, using a titleattribute (displays a tooltip in standard visual browsers).
<DIR>
Directory list
Now deprecated. Use a standard<ul> or other list instead.
<DIV>
Division
Specifies a logical division within a document. Use it to separate or identify chunks of content that are not otherwise distinguished naturally using other tags.
One of the most common HTML tags.
<DL>
Definition list
Contains one or more definition-term / definition-description pairs.
<DT>
Definition term
Used as part of a <dt></dt><dd></dd> pair within a definition list (<dl></dl>)
<DD>
Definition description
<EM>
Emphasis
Commonly used in place of the old<i> (italics) tag to indicate emphasis (but less than <strong>)
<FONT>
Font settings
Display info – never use it
<FORM>
Input form
Essential for data input
<H1>
Level 1 header
Aim to have one H1 on each page, containing a description of what the page is about.
<H2>
Level 2 header
Defines a section of the page
<H3>
Level 3 header
Defines a sub-section of the page (should always follow an H2 in the logical hierarchy)
<H4>
Level 4 header
Etc. Less commonly used
<H5>
Level 5 header
Less commonly used. Only complex academic documents will break down to this level of detail.
<H6>
Level 6 header
Less commonly used
<HEAD>
Document head
Essential. Contains information about a page that does not constitute content to be communicated as part of the page.
<HR>
Horizontal rule
Display info with no semantic value – never use it. “Horizontal”, by definition, is a visual attribute.
<HTML>
Core element of every web page.
<IMG >
Show an image
Vital. Always use the alt or longdescattributes when the image has content value
<INPUT>
Input fields within forms
Vital. (I prefer to use <button> for buttons and submit buttons though)
<ISINDEX>
Old type of search input
Not really used any more. Use<form> instead.
<I>
Italicised text
Display info – never use it
<KBD>
Keyboard input
Display info – never use it
<LINK>
Defines a relationship to another document
Commonly used to reference external stylesheets, but has other minor uses
<LI>
List item
Specifies an item in an unordered or ordered list (<ul> or <ol>)
<MAP>
Client-side imagemap
May have occasional value, but only use when absolutely necessary
<MARQUEE>
Makes text scroll across the screen
See <blink>
<MENU>
Menu item list
Deprecated. Do not use. Use other standard list types instead.
<META>
Meta-information
Useful way to insert relevant information into the <head> section of the page that does not need to be displayed.
<OL>
Ordered list
Type of list where the order of elements has some meaning. Generally rendered with item numbers (best managed with CSS).
<OPTION>
Selection list option
Vital for options within a drop-down control.
<PARAM>
Parameter for Java applet
Used in conjunction with an<object> or <applet> tag to pass additional setting information at runtime.
<PRE>
Preformatted text
Renders text in a pre-formatted style, preserving line breaks and all spaces present in the source. May be useful. (This one’s a paradox, as it is strictly display info that applies only to visual browsing, but it’s still so commonly used and useful that I’m hesitant to advise against using it.)
<P>
Paragraph
Only use to denote a paragraph of text. Never use for spacing alone.
<Q>
Short quotation
Use for inline quotations (whereas<blockquote> should be used for quotations of a paragraph or more). Often used in conjunction with<cite> to cite the quotation’s source.
<SAMP>
Denotes sample output text
Similar to the <code> tag. Rarely used. Avoid.
<SCRIPT>
Inline script (e.g. JavaScript)
It’s better to have all scripts as separate files than to write inline or in the <head> section, however still has its uses.
<SELECT>
Selection list
A drop-down selector for a form.
<SMALL>
Smaller text
Display info – never use it
<SPAN>
An inline span within text
Use to apply meaning (and style) to a span of text that goes with the flow of content (whereas a <div> tag is block-level and breaks the flow)
<Strikeout>
Display info – Strikeout the content
<STRONG>
Strong emphasis
Use this instead of the old <b> tag.
<STYLE>
CSS style settings
Normally used in <head> section of a page. Try to use external stylesheets, to enable you to apply different styles for different output media.
<SUB>
Subscript text
Arguably display info – recommend using alternative tags (e.g. <cite>). May be required in some academic uses, e.g. Chemical formulas.
<SUP>
Superscript text
<TABLE>
Table
Use for repeated data that has a naturally tabular form. Never use for layout purposes.
<TD>
Table data cell
A cell containing actual data. If a cell actually contains a descriptor or identifier for a row or column, use a<th> (table header) tag, not a<td>. This usually applies to column headers (within a <thead>), column footers (within a <tfoot>), as well as row headers (usually the first cell in a row in the <tbody>).
<TEXTAREA>
Multi-line text input area in a form
Essential
<TH>
Table column or row header cell
May appear in a <thead> (to denote a column header cell), <tbody> (to denote a row header), and in<tfoot> (to denote a column foot cell, e.g. a total)
<TBODY>
Indicates the main body of a data table
It is always worth using this tag, as well as using <thead> and <tfoot>where appropriate.
Note that it is permissible to have more than one <tbody>, <thead>, and <tfoot> in the same table.
<THEAD>
The head section of a table
The place to put column header cells (<th>)
<TFOOT>
The foot section of a table
Good place to put e.g. summary data, such as totals. Note that it goes before the <tbody> tag!
<TITLE>
Document title
Essential
<TR>
Table row
Essential with tables
<TT>
“Teletype” - simulates typewriter output
Similar to <pre>, except that it collapses white space like normal HTML (whereas <pre> leaves all consecutive white space intact). Avoid if possible
<UL>
Unordered list
Essential. Use for lists where the order or items has no particular importance.
<U>
Underline text
Display info – never use it
<VAR>
Variable in computer code
Obscure tag, may only be useful in academic documents. Avoid.
ADD +REPS IF YOU LIKED MY POSTS !!!!