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

<DT>

Type:

Container

Function:

Contains a term to be defined in a definition list.

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NOTE:  Some browsers will automatically render a definition list term in boldface.

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Syntax:

<DT> ... term being defined goes here ... </DT>

Attributes:

None.

Example:

<DL>
<DT>Creatine</DT>
<DD>A nutritional supplement that promotes muscle development</DD>
...
</DL>

Related Tags:

Use of the <DT> tag makes sense only in the context of a definition list (between the <DL> and </DL> tags). The <DD> tag is used to give the term’s definition.

<DD>

Type:

Container

Function:

Contains a term’s definition. The definition is typically indented from the term, making it easier for the reader to see the term-definition structure of the list.

Syntax:

<DD> ... term definition goes here ... </DD>

Attributes:

None.

Example:

<DL>
<DT>HTML</DT>
<DD>A document description language used to author Web pages</DD>
...
</DL>

Related Tags:

The <DD> tag should be used only when contained by <DL> and </DL> tags. A term, specified by a <DT> tag, should precede each definition.

<MENU>

Type:

Container

Function:

Creates a menu listing. Menu list items are typically short—usually not more than 20 characters in length— and are arranged in a single column. Most browsers render a menu list in the same way they render a bulleted list.

The use of menu lists has been deprecated by the W3C. You should use the unordered list tag (<UL>) instead.

Syntax:

<MENU COMPACT>
<LI>Menu list item 1</LI>
<LI>Menu list item 2</LI>
...
</MENU>

Attributes:

The optional COMPACT attribute is used to reduce vertical spacing between list items.

Example:

<MENU COMPACT>
<LI>Enter a Purchase Order</LI>
<LI>Payroll Functions</LI>
<LI>Generate invoices</LI>
</MENU>

Related Tags:

List items in a menu listing are specified with the <LI> tag.

<OL>

Type:

Container

Function:

Creates an ordered or numbered list (see Figure 3.13).

Syntax:

<OL TYPE=”1|A|a|I|i” START=”start_value” COMPACT>
<LI>List item 1</LI>
<LI>List item 2</LI>
...
</OL>

Attributes:

The <OL> tag can take the following attributes:

•  COMPACT—Instructs the browser to reduce vertical spacing between list items.

•  START—You can change to a position other than the first position in the ordering scheme by using the START attribute. For example, setting START to 3 with TYPE set equal to I produces a list that begins numbering with III (3 in uppercase Roman numerals).

FIGURE 3.13  Ordered and unordered lists are commonly used on Web pages today.

•  TYPE—Controls the numbering scheme used when rendering the list. The default value of 1 indicates the use of Arabic numerals, but you can also choose from uppercase letters (A), lowercase letters (a), uppercase Roman numerals (I), or lowercase Roman numerals (i).

All the attributes of the <OL> tag have been deprecated.

Example:

Book Outline
<OL TYPE=”A”>
<LI>HTML</LI>
<LI>XML</LI>
<LI>Dynamic HTML</LI>
<LI>Java</LI>
<LI>JavaScript</LI>
</OL>

Related Tags:

List items in an ordered list are specified with the <LI> tag.

<UL>

Type:

Container

Function:

Creates an unordered or bulleted list.

Syntax:

<UL TYPE=”DISC|SQUARE|CIRCLE” COMPACT>
<LI>List item 1</LI>
<LI>List item 2</LI>
...
</UL>

Attributes:

The <UL> tag can take the following attributes:

•  COMPACT—Reduces the vertical spacing between list items.

•  TYPE—Enables you to specify which bullet character to use when rendering the list. This can be helpful when nesting bulleted lists because browsers have a default progression of bulleted characters that they use. You can override the browser’s choice of bulleted characters in the nested lists by using TYPE.

The attributes listed above have been deprecated in HTML 4.0.

Example:

Web Browsers
<UL TYPE=”SQUARE”>
<LI>Netscape Navigator</LI>
<LI>Microsoft Internet Explorer</LI>
<LI>NCSA Mosaic</LI>
</UL>

Related Tags:

List items in an unordered list are specified with the <LI> tag.

Hyperlink Tags

The capability of linking Web resources is what makes the Web so fascinating. By following links, you can be looking up job opportunities one moment and then be reading up on the latest mixed drink recipes the next! Linking between documents is accomplished with the one simple tag described in this section.

<A>

Type:

Container

Function:

The <A> tag can do one of two things, depending on which attributes you use. Used with the HREF attribute, the <A> tag sets up a hyperlink from whatever content is found between the <A> and </A> tags and the document at the URL specified by HREF (see Figure 3.14). When you use the <A> tag with the NAME attribute, you set up a named anchor within a document that can be targeted by other hyperlinks. This helps make navigating a large document easier because you can set up anchors at the start of major sections and then place a set of links at the top of the document that points to the anchors at the beginning of each section.

FIGURE 3.14  Hypertext linking between documents puts the “Web” in World Wide Web.

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NOTE:  Hypertext links are typically colored and underlined. A linked graphic will be rendered with a colored border. If you don’t want a border around your linked image, be sure to specify BORDER=0 in the <IMG> tag you use to place the image.

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Syntax:

<!-- Setting up a hyperlink -->
<A HREF=”URL_of_linked_document” TARGET=”frame_name”
   REL=”forward_link_type” REV=”reverse_link_type”
   ACCESSKEY=”key_letter” TABINDEX=”tab_order_position”>
... hyperlinked element goes here ...
</A>

or

<!-- Setting up a named anchor -->
<A NAME=”anchor_name”>
... text to act as named anchor ...
</A>