HTML element: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 01:34, 9 September 2004

Revision as of 01:35, 9 September 2004

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In [[computing]], an '''HTML element''' (instance) in terms of [[SGML]] is the complete sequence of a start ''tag'' (with [[attribute]]s and their [[attribute value|value]]s), any embedded HTML content, and the end tag. A special case is [[empty element]]s that don't have contents and end tags. Due to the constraints of the [[Document Type Definition|DTD]]s, various parts, including start and end tag, may be omitted in [[HTML]], but not [[XHTML]]. In [[XHTML]] the minimized tag syntax for an empty element (abbreviated form of the combination of opening and closing tag) is e.g. <BR />.

Informally, HTML elements or their attributes are often simply called "tags" (an example of [[synecdoche]]), though many prefer the term ''tag'' strictly in reference to the semantic structures delimiting the start and end of an element.