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HTML Tag Quick Reference Guide

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Click on a particular category of tags to jump directly to it, or browse the full reference list.

Note: In older versions of HTML, some tags did not require ending tags. With the emergence of XML and XHTML, you should be sure to include both beginning and ending tags.

DocumentImagesFormsBasic TextImagemapsMETA TagsListsTablesStyle SheetsLinksFramesSpecial Characters

Structure Tags
FunctionStart TagAttributesEnd Tag
HTML Filenone
File Headernone
File Title</TT></TD><TD class=item vAlign=top>none</TD><TD class=ex vAlign=top>
Comments
Body background=”filename”
bgcolor=”color value”
text=”color value”
link=”color value”
vlink=”color value”
Division

align=”right/left/center”
style=”property:value;”
class=”classname”

Span (inline)style=”property:value;”
class=”classname”

Basic Text Tags
FunctionStart TagAttributesEnd Tag
Line Break
clear=”left/right/all”
or
Paragraph

align=”center/right”

Boldnone
Italicnone
Typewriter Textnone
Headlinealign=”center/right”
Fontface=”name, name”
size=”+/-value/fixed size”
color=”color value”
Note: the font tag is being phased out in favor of CSS styles.
Horizontal Rule

size=”XX”
width=”XX/XX%”
noshade

or

Block Quote

none

Division

align=”left/center/right”


List Tags
FunctionStart TagAttributesEnd Tag
Unordered List

    		type=”disc/circle/square”

    Ordered List

      		type=”I/A/1/a/i”
      start=”value to start counting at”

      List Item

    		1. type=all ul and ol options

      Definiton List

      		none

      Definition List Item

      		none

      Definition List Definition

      		none


      Link Tags
      FunctionStart TagAttributesEnd Tag
      Anchor Linkhref=”filename”
      target=”windowname”
      Anchor Markname=”markname”

      Image Tags
      FunctionStart TagAttributesEnd Tag
      Insert Imagesrc=”filename”
      align=”left/right”
      width=”XXX”
      height=”XXX”
      alt=”text that desribes image”
      ISMAP
      USEMAP=”#mapname”

      Client-side Imagemap Tags
      FunctionStart TagAttributesEnd Tag
      Define Map

      		name=”mapname”

      Area Definition

      		shape=”rect/circle/poly/point”
      coords=”X,Y,X,Y”
      href=”imagename”


      Table Tags
      FunctionStart TagAttributesEnd Tag
      Table

      border=”X”
      width=”XX/X%”
      cellspacing=”XX”
      cellpadding=”XX”
      bgcolor=”color value” background=”filename”

      Table Row

      align=”left/center/right”
      valign=”top/middle/bottom”
      bgcolor=”color value”
      Table Data

      		align=”left/center/right”
      valign=”top/middle/bottom”
      width=X
      nowrap
      colspan=”X”
      rowspan=”X”
      bgcolor=”color value”
      Table Header

      		align=”left/center/right”
      valign=”top/middle/bottom”
      width=X
      nowrap
      colspan=”X”
      rowspan=”X”
      bgcolor=”color value”

      Caption

      align=”left/center/right”
      valign=”top/middle/bottom”


      Frame Tags
      FunctionStart TagAttributesEnd Tag
      Set Framescols=”XX/XX%/*”
      rows=”XX/XX%/*”
      Frame Definitionsrc=”filename”
      name=”framename”
      noresize
      scroll=auto/yes/no
      marginwidth=”XX”
      marginheight=”XX”
      Basetarget=”framename”/
      “_self”/
      “_top”/
      “_parent”
      (Note the underscores)
      No Frames</TD><TD class=item vAlign=top>Between start and end tags, place the content that appears when a non-frames browser loads this page.</TD><TD class=ex vAlign=top>

      Form Tags
      FunctionStart TagAttributesEnd Tag
      Form

      		method=get/put
      action=”programname”

      Input Fieldname=”variablename”
      type=text/password/
      checkbox/radio/submit/
      reset/image
      Selection Listname=”variablename”
      size=XX
      multiple
      Selection Optionnone
      Scrolling Text Field

      Meta Tags
      FunctionStart TagAttributesEnd Tag

      (Server metatags)      		http-equiv=”refresh”
      content=”seconds, filename”      		none

      (Content metatags)      		name=”keywords/description/author/
      generator/abstract/expiration”
      content=”your information”      		none

      Style Sheet Tags
      FunctionStart TagAttributesEnd Tag
      Style Definition Area

      Link to external CSS Filerel=stylesheet
      type=”text/css”
      href=”URL”      		none

      Commonly-Used Special Characters
      NameSymbolHTML Equivalent
      ampersand&&
      cent sign

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