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To access the contents, click the chapter and section titles.
Platinum Edition Using HTML 4, XML, and Java 1.2
(Publisher: Macmillan Computer Publishing)
Author(s): Eric Ladd
ISBN: 078971759x
Publication Date: 11/01/98
Part II
HTML and Graphics
CHAPTER 3
HTML 4.0 Tag Reference
by Eric Ladd
- In this chapter
- Reference Scope 58
- How This Chapter Is Organized 58
- Global Attributes 59
- Event Handlers 61
- Document Structure Tags 62
- Formatting Tags 72
- List Tags 95
- Hyperlink Tags 102
- Image and Imagemap Tags 104
- Table Tags 109
- Form Tags 119
- Frame Tags 129
- Executable Content Tags 133
Reference Scope
This chapter is unique in the book because it is written to serve as a reference for all the tags included in the HTML 4.0 recommendation, as published by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). It is a one-stop catalog of each tag, including the tag’s attributes, syntax, and examples of uses. By necessity, the chapter covers a large amount of information, but you’ll soon come to appreciate the value of having all the relevant facts about all HTML tags—together with tips on how to use them—right at your fingertips.
NOTE: This chapter covers only the tags included in the recommended HTML 4.0 Document Type Definition (DTD), as published by the World Wide Web Consortium in April 1998. Browser-specific extensions to HTML 4.0 are beyond the scope of this chapter, but may be covered elsewhere in the book. The <LAYER> tag introduced by Netscape Communications Corporation, for example, is discussed in detail in Chapter 24, “Introduction to Dynamic HTML,” and Chapter 25, “Advanced Netscape Dynamic HTML.”
For the most up-to-date status of HTML 4.0, consult http://www.w3.org/TR/PR-html40/, where you will find links to the most current version of the standard and the version just prior to that.
How This Chapter Is Organized
Because of the vast coverage of the chapter, the information presented has been carefully structured to make it as easy as possible for you to look up the tags you need. At the highest level, the chapter is organized into major sections that cover a group of related tags. The major sections and the tags they cover include
- • Document structure tags (see p. 62): <HTML>, <HEAD>, <BASE>, <ISINDEX>, <META>, <LINK>, <SCRIPT>, <STYLE>, <TITLE>, <BDO>, and <BODY>.
- • Formatting tags (see p. 72): <B>, <BASEFONT>, <BIG>, <FONT>, <I>, <S>, <STRIKE>, <SMALL>, <SUB>, <SUP>, <TT>, <U>, <ABBR>, <ACRONYM>, <ADDRESS>, <CITE>, <CODE>, <DEL>, <DFN>, <EM>, <INS>, <KBD>, <Q>, <SAMP>, <STRONG>, <VAR>, <BLOCKQUOTE>, <BR>, <CENTER>, <DIV>, <HR>, <H1>-<H6>, <P>, <PRE>, and <SPAN>.
- • List tags (see p. 95): <LI>, <DIR>, <DL>, <DT>, <DD>, <MENU>, <OL>, and </UL>.
- • Hyperlink tags: <A>.
- • Image and imagemap tags (see p. 104): <IMG>, <MAP>, and <AREA>.
- • Table tags (see p. 109): <TABLE>, <CAPTION>, <THEAD>, <TFOOT>, <TBODY>, <COLGROUP>, <COL>, <TR>, <TD>, and <TH>.
- • Form tags (see p. 119): <FORM>, <INPUT>, <SELECT>, <OPTION>, <OPTGROUP>, <TEXTAREA>, <BUTTON>, <LABEL>, <FIELDSET>, and <LEGEND>.
- • Frame tags (see p. 129): <FRAMESET>, <FRAME>, <NOFRAMES>, and <IFRAME>.
- • Executable content tags (see p. 133): <APPLET>, <PARAM>, and <OBJECT>.
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 | In some cases, tags covered in this chapter get a more thorough treatment in a later chapter of the book. Look for cross-references to point you to this expanded coverage.
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Within a given section, several tags are discussed in detail. Specifically, you’ll find the following information about each tag:
- • The tag’s keyword—For example, the <INPUT> tag’s keyword is INPUT.
- • What kind of tag it is—Every HTML tag is either a container tag or a standalone tag. A container tag is one that activates an effect and that has a companion tag that discontinues the effect. For example, <I> is a container tag that, together with its companion closing tag </I>, causes all text found between them to be rendered in italic. The <I> tag turns on the italic effect and the </I> tag turns it off.
- • A standalone tag is one that does not have a companion tag. For example, the <IMG> tag simply places an image on a page. <IMG> has no effect that was turned on and needs to be turned off, so no closing tag is needed.
NOTE: Standalone tags are sometimes called empty tags.
- • The tag’s function—A description of the effect or page element that the tag controls.
- • The tag’s syntax—HTML is derived from the Standard Generalized Markup Language (SGML) by applying SGML constructs according to a certain set of rules. These rules define a tag’s syntax.
- • The tag’s attributes—An attribute modifies how a tag’s effect is applied. Some tags take no attributes, and others may be able to take several. Additionally, attributes can sometimes take on only one of a set number of values. In these cases, the possible values of the attribute are listed along with the attribute. Use of some attributes may be required (such as the SRC attribute for the <IMG> tag), and use of others may be optional. A tag’s required attributes, if any, are noted in each attribute discussion.
- • Example usage—You can learn more about how a tag is used by looking over the sample code given in the tag description.
- • Related tags—Some tags work in conjunction with others to produce an effect. In these cases, you’ll find a listing of the other HTML tags related to the one being described. Often, you’ll find that the related tags are discussed in the same section.
Within a section, tags are listed alphabetically by keyword, unless they need to be used in a certain order, in which case, they are presented in the order that they are typically used.
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