SiteXpress Website Builder Software

HTML Tag Reference

Follow the links below for a list of common HTML tags and their meaning/application.
This list is not exhaustive, but covers the most commonly used tags.

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

<!--

The 

Syntax:

<!--#

The 

<!DOCTYPE>

The <!DOCTYPE> Tag is used as an "Identifier" that tells the browser what HTML Specification your page conforms to. This Tag should be the first line of any HTML page. Programs that validate the syntax of HTML documents can also use this tag to identify the version of the HTML specification to decide how to perform the validation.

Syntax:

Microsoft FrontPage's <!DOCTYPE> is:

<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//IETF//DTD HTML//EN">

It's not too important, and it is getting used less and used, but it is the standard.

The <A Tag is used as an Anchor, and is followed by HREF, NAME, TARGET, and a few other commands. The closing Tag is </A>, and the commands are as follows.

HREF - This is used as Hypertext Reference, and links an HTML document to another HTML document. This can be linked to a WWW address, HTML file, or NAME.

Syntax:

<a href="http://www.yahoo.com">Yahoo</a>

Other HREF commands include:

<A HREF="ftp://..."> - Makes a link to an ftp site.
<A HREF="gopher://..."> - Makes a link to a gopher server.
<A HREF="mailto:..."> - Allows an E-Mail link.
<A HREF="news:..."> - Makes a link to a newsgroup.
<A HREF="newsrc:..."> - Makes a link to a specific newsrc file.
<A HREF="nntp://..."> - Can be used to specify a different news server.
<A HREF="telnet://..."> - Allows a telnet session.
<A HREF="wais://..."> - Connects to a specified WAIS index server.

NAME - This is used for making the anchor the target of a link.

Syntax:

<A NAME="AmaHosting">AmaHosting</A>

<ADDRESS>

The <ADDRESS> Tag is used just as that, an Address. It can be anywhere in a page, most often at the bottom, and is usually contact info. There is a paragraph before and after the Address Tag, and everything in between is italicized, depending on the browser.

Syntax:

<address>
AmaHosting.com<br>
P.O. Box 880<br>
Worthington, OH 43085
</address>

<APPLET>

The <APPLET> Tag is used to run an applet, a "little" Java program. You have probably seen applets before, the most popular uses are LED Signs, text effects, scrolling effects, etc..

The Applet Tag usually runs a pre-compiled program on your server usually with a .class or .java extension, and is called by a CODE Reference.

<AREA>

The <AREA> Tag is used in conjunction with Imagemaps (<MAP>). It tells the image what coordinates make up the "hotspots" of your image, along with the URL it will go to when you click inside those coordinates.

<B>

The <B> Tag is used to make text Bold. The Bold Tag is identical to the <STRONG> Tag.

Syntax:

<BASE>

The <BASE> Tag is used to tell your HTML where it's "home base" is, and should be between the <HEAD> Tags. For example, if you have many links to the same host or directory other than the host or directory your page is currently, you'll save time by using a <BASE> Tag. It is used with the HREF command also.

For this example, assume that the current URL is http://www.AmaHosting.com/links.html

<head>
<title>AmaHosting: Links</title>
<base href="http://www.AmaHosting.com">
</head>
[...]
<a href="link1.html">Link 1</a>
<a href="link2.html">Link 2</a>

Even though you are at http://www.AmaHosting.com/links.html your HTML assumes that any link specified in the <BASE> Tag would use the link relative to http://www.AmaHosting.com. If you were to click on Link 1, it would go to http://www.AmaHosting.com/link1.html even though you are currently at http://www.AmaHosting.com/links.html and only specified link1.html for your link.

<BASEFONT>

The <BASEFONT> Tag is used to tell your HTML which default font should be used throughout your page, and has many of the same commands as the <FONT> Tag.

Syntax:

<BGSOUND>

The <BGSOUND> Tag is used to add sound to your page. Supported formats include Waveform (.wav), Midi (.mid), Next/Sun (.au), and other types of sound files. There are 3 commands, SRC, DELAY (in seconds), and LOOP (-1 is infinite).

Syntax:

<BIG>

The <BIG> Tag is used to format the text one size bigger, and can be in relation to your <FONT> or <BASEFONT> size, if you've specified either one. The obvious opposite of this is <SMALL>.

Syntax:

<BLINK>

The <BLINK> Tag is used to make text blink. Simple enough? Internet Explorer 4.0 has seemingly support for this.

Syntax:

<BLINK>This Text Will Blink<BLINK>

<BLOCKQUOTE>

The <BLOCKQUOTE> Tag indents a block of text.

Syntax:

<BLOCKQUOTE>
First Line
Second Line
Third Line
Fourth Line
</BLOCKQUOTE>

<BODY>

Between the <BODY> and </BODY> Tags contain the information for the color, background, and margins of your page. There are several commands that can go inside the <BODY> Tag, including:

ALINK

Active Link Color - Color the text is when clicked. This can be much more visible when holding the click down on a link.

Syntax:

BACKGROUND

Background Image - This is the tiled background image. The graphic format can be .gif or .jpg.

Syntax:

BGCOLOR

Background Color - This is the solid background color throughout your page.

Syntax:

BGPROPERTIES - Internet Explorer Only Background Properties - Allows the ability "fix" a background image providing a watermark (non-scrolling) property so it doesn't tile as a background normally does. To give a page with a background image a watermark background, add bgproperties="FIXED".

LEFTMARGIN - Internet Explorer Only Left Margin - Allows a definable width before the text and images from the left side of the page begin. If you define leftmargin="50", it would start the indent of the text at 50 pixels from the left. Netscape an IE's natural left margin is about 10 pixels.

TOPMARGIN - Internet Explorer Only Top Margin - Allows a definable height before the text and images from the top of the page begin. If you define topmargin="150", it would start at 150 pixels from the top. Netscape an IE's natural top margin is about 20 pixels.

LINK

Link Color - This is used for your links.

Syntax:

TEXT

Text Color - Aside from FONT COLOR, this controls the text color throughout your page.

Syntax:

VLINK

Visited Link Color - This is used for your visited links, links that your guest has already "been there, done that" so to speak.

Syntax:

<BR>

The <BR> Tag is used to make text break, adding a line break

Syntax:

top line<br>
bottom line<br>

<CAPTION>

The <CAPTION> Tag acts as a Caption and is included after the <TABLE> Tag.

Syntax:

<table>
<caption>This is the caption</caption>
</table>

<CENTER>

The <CENTER> Tag centers all text enclosed within <CENTER></CENTER>

Syntax:

<center>Put Text You Want Centered Here</center>

<CITE>

The <CITE> Tag specifies a Citation, usually shown as italic text.

Syntax:

<cite>AmaHosting Script Sources</cite>

<CODE>

The <CODE> Tag typically specifies an example of Code, usually shown as monospaced text.

Syntax:

<code>AmaHosting Script Sources</code>

<COL>

The <COL< Tag specifies alignment of Columns in a <TABLE>. The ALIGN command can also issue LEFT, RIGHT, CENTER, or JUSTIFY. This is an Internet Explorer-specific Tag, so you'll be better off aligning the text inside each Table Cell (<TD>).

Syntax:

<table border="1" width="100%">
<col align="left">
<col align="center">
<col align="right">
<col align="justify">
<tr>
<td width="25%">Left</td>
<td width="25%">Center</td>
<td width="25%">Right</td>
<td width="25%">Justify</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="25%">Left</td>
<td width="25%">Center</td>
<td width="25%">Right</td>
<td width="25%">Justify</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="25%">Left</td>
<td width="25%">Center</td>
<td width="25%">Right</td>
<td width="25%">Justify</td>
</tr>
</table>

<COLGROUP>

The <COLGROUP> Tag specifies alignment of Groups of Columns in a <TABLE>. There are a couple available commands:

The ALIGN command can issue LEFT, RIGHT, CENTER, or JUSTIFY.

VALIGN (vertical align), which can issue BASELINE, TOP, MIDDLE, or BOTTOM.

SPAN, which sets how many columns are affected.

This is an Internet Explorer-specific Tag, so you'll be better off aligning the text inside each Table Cell (<TD>).

Syntax:

<table border="1" width="100%">
<col align="left">
<col align="center">
<colgroup span="2" align="right">
<tr>
<td width="25%">Left</td>
<td width="25%">Center</td>
<td width="25%">Right</td>
<td width="25%">Right</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="25%">Left</td>
<td width="25%">Center</td>
<td width="25%">Right</td>
<td width="25%">Right</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="25%">Left</td>
<td width="25%">Center</td>
<td width="25%">Right</td>
<td width="25%">Right</td>
</tr>
</table>

<COMMENT>

The <COMMENT> Tag is a Comment. This is used as "notes", or anything that you don't want seen on your page. It works the same as the <!-- Tag, but is only available using Internet Explorer.

<DD>

The <DD> Tag is a Definition, which is a command within a Definition List. It inserts a break from the Definition Term (<DT>) and indents the lines.

Syntax:

<dl>
<dt>Term Number 1</dt>
<dd>Definition of Term Number 1</dd>
<dt>Term Number 2</dt>
<dd>Definition of Term Number 2</dd>
<dt>Term Number 3</dt>
<dd>Definition of Term Number 3</dd>
<dt>Term Number 4</dt>
<dd>Definition of Term Number 4. This is a really long definition
that should show the text wrapping at the same indent as this definition
itself.</dd>
<dt>Term Number 5</dt>
<dd>Definition of Term Number 5</dd>
</dl>

<DFN>

The <DFN> Tag is a Definition, not to be confused with <DD>, a command within a Definition List (<DL>). This is an Internet Explorer-only Tag, so I recommend you use <EM> instead.

Syntax:

AmaHosting <dfn> HTML Tag Reference List</dfn>

<DIR>

The <DIR> Tag is a Directory List, and is followed by a List Item (<LI>). <DIR> acts much like <MENU>, <OL>, or <UL>. I recommend using <OL> or <UL>, they're the most-widely used and supported.

Syntax:

<DIR>
<LI>List item one
<LI>List item two
<LI>List item three
<LI>List item four
</DIR>

<DIV>

The <DIV> Tag is a Document Division, and is used with the ALIGN command for LEFT, CENTER, or RIGHT. Anything within the <DIV> </DIV> Tags will be aligned accordingly, including other Tags.

Syntax:

<div align="right">
All this text will be aligned to the right.
</div>

<DL>

The <DL> Tag is a Defined List, or a Definition List. This is a list that includes terms (<DT>) and definitions (<DD>).

Syntax:

<dl>
<dt>Term Number 1</dt>
<dd>Definition of Term Number 1</dd>
<dt>Term Number 2</dt>
<dd>Definition of Term Number 2</dd>
<dt>Term Number 3</dt>
<dd>Definition of Term Number 3</dd>
<dt>Term Number 4</dt>
<dd>Definition of Term Number 4. This is a really long definition that should show the text wrapping at the same indent as this definition itself.</dd>
<dt>Term Number 5</dt>
<dd>Definition of Term Number 5</dd>
</dl>

<DT>

The <DT> Tag is a Definition Term, which is a command before the Definition (<DD>).

Syntax:

<dl>
<dt>Term Number 1</dt>
<dd>Definition of Term Number 1</dd>
<dt>Term Number 2</dt>
<dd>Definition of Term Number 2</dd>
<dt>Term Number 3</dt>
<dd>Definition of Term Number 3</dd>
<dt>Term Number 4</dt>
<dd>Definition of Term Number 4. This is a really long definition that should show the text wrapping at the same indent as this definition itself.</dd>
<dt>Term Number 5</dt>
<dd>Definition of Term Number 5</dd>
</dl>

<EM>

The <EM> Tag is used to format the text with Emphasis. It's basically the same as the Italic Tag (<I>).

Syntax:

AmaHosting <em>HTML Tag Reference List</em>

<EMBED>

The <EMBED> Tag is used to Embed Objects into HTML, and is followed by SRC. Other commands include HEIGHT, WIDTH, BORDER, HSPACE, and VSPACE. Embedded Objects are based upon the type of file (associated by the extension). Embedded Objects can be sound, video, VRML, multimedia, or any type of Browser Plug-in.

Syntax:

<FONT>

The <FONT> Tag is used to control the font SIZE, COLOR, and FACE attributes.

The SIZE can be 1-7 and can include + or - to make it relative to the current default font, which is 3 if there is no <BASEFONT> set.

Syntax:

<FORM>

The <FORM> Tag is a fill-out input form that allows the data to be handled in many ways, typically a CGI script. A form is most often used as a mailto Guestbook, although there are many different things you're able to do with the data. For this example, I'll use part of my old Feedback Form and explain along the way.

Remember, this just the elements of the <FORM> Tag, it isn't a "How To Add a Guestbook" or CGI Tutorial.

Syntax:

NOTE: That is only the basics or the form tag, to make it work you need to use other tags with it (we will cover them in later issues).

<FRAME>

Frames can split your screen up into several small individual windows with their own pages loaded in each window. The <FRAME> tag is used to manipulate the individual windows.

Syntax:

<FRAMESET>

The <FRAMESET> tag will setup the frames in columns and rows. The <FRAME> is used in between the opening and closing <FRAMESET> tags.

Syntax:

<H1> - <H6>

The Heading Tags can be <H1> through <H6> (largest to smallest) although most designers use <FONT> sizes instead of Heading Tags. There are some that use Heading Tags along with Style Sheets to have variations in Heading styles.

Syntax:

<H1>This would be the largest text</H1>
<H2>This would be the second largest text</H2>
<H3>This would be the third largest text</H3>
<H4>This would be the fourth largest text</H4>
<H5>This would be the fifth largest text</H5>
<H6>This would be the smallest text</H6>

<HEAD>

The <HEAD> Tag represents the Head of an HTML page. The only requirement is that the <TITLE> Tag be inside it:

Syntax:

<HR>

The <HR> Tag a Horizontal Rule used as a separator. The optional commands include WIDTH and SIZE in pixels or percent, and NOSHADE. Some Web Developers like to use images, called by <IMG>, instead of the <HR> Tag for design reasons.

The default <HR> WIDTH is 100% and SIZE is 2 pixels. Other optional commands include:

ALIGN - Left, Center, or Right.
COLOR - Color name, or #RRGGBB Hex. (Internet Explorer only)

Syntax:

<HTML>

The <HTML> Tag is the mother of all Tags. It contains all the text and HyperText Markup. The <HTML> should be the first thing in your code (if no <!DOCTYPE> is used) and </HTML> should be the last thing in your code. There are no commands inside <HTML> unless you are using Style Sheets.

Syntax:

<I>

The <I> Tag is for Italics. Everything in between <I> </I> is shown as Italics, much like the <EM> and <DFN> Tags.

Syntax:

<i>this text is italicized<i>

<IMG>

The <IMG> Tag is for Images. There are several commands for this, so here is a list:

ALIGN

left or right - Aligns to the side and wraps the text above, around, and below it.
top - Aligns with the tallest item available.
texttop Aligns with the tallest text character available.
middle - Aligns the baseline of the current line with the middle of the image.
absmiddle - Aligns the middle of the current line with the middle of the image.
baseline - Aligns the bottom of the image with the baseline of the current line.
bottom - Aligns the bottom of the image with the baseline of the current line.
absbottom - Aligns the bottom of the image with the bottom of the current line.

ALT

Alternative text instead of the graphic. This text is shown if the user has graphics turned off, or it's a text-based browser like Lynx.

ISMAP

Identifies the Image as an Imagemap.

SRC

The source of the image, meaning where it is and what it's name is.

HEIGHT and WIDTH

Specifies the height and width of the image. If the real height and width are specified, it loads faster than one without the dimensions, because the browser doesn't have to calculate it after downloading.

The height and width doesn't have to be it's real values. For example, if I wanted a smaller signature-type footer that's the same as my header, I could use the same image, only the height and width would be specified smaller (and thus would be faster than loading 2 images).

BORDER

Specifies the Border thickness in pixels, including 0. This is also useful for images that are links, with no border. Example:

VSPACE and HSPACE

Specifies vertical and horizontal space around the image. This is useful for aligned images so the text will be a little padded and not wrap against the image. Example:

LOWSRC

Specifies a low resolution/color image instead or before the SRC. Most browsers will load the LOWSRC, then the rest of the text and images, then load the SRC last. Example:

NATURALSIZEFLAG

This is an Adobe PageMill/SiteMill "special" generated by this program and only this program. It allows PageMill to resize pictures, but it doesn't change the appearance of the page as all browsers ignore it since it's not standard HTML.

<INPUT>

The <INPUT> Tag is an Input, usually used within <FORM>. An <INPUT> is a field that can be edited by the user, and has several commands:

ALIGN

Vertical position of the image. For use only with TYPE=IMAGE. The ALIGN is the same as <IMG>.

CHECKED

Indicates that a checkbox or radio button is selected. Example in <FORM>.

MAXLENGTH

Indicates the maximum number of characters that can be entered into a text field. This can be greater than specified by the SIZE attribute, in which case the field will scroll appropriately. The default number of characters is unlimited. Example in <FORM>

NAME

Symbolic name used when transferring the form's contents. The NAME attribute is required for most input types and is normally used to provide a unique identifier for a field, or for a logically related group of fields. Example in <FORM>.

SIZE

Specifies the size or precision of the field according to its type. Example in <FORM>.

SRC

A URL specifying an image. For use only with TYPE=IMAGE.

TYPE

Defines the type of data the field accepts. Defaults to free text. Several types of fields can be defined with the TYPE attribute. Examples in <FORM>.

CHECKBOX

Used for simple Boolean attributes, or for attributes that can take multiple values at the same time. The latter is represented by a number of checkbox fields each of which has the same name. Each selected checkbox generates a separate name/value pair in the submitted data, even if this results in duplicate names. The default value for checkboxes is "on". Example in <FORM>.

HIDDEN

No field is presented to the user, but the content of the field is sent with the submitted form. This value may be used to transmit state information about client/server interaction. Example in <FORM>.

IMAGE

An image field upon which you can click with a pointing device, causing the form to be immediately submitted. The coordinates of the selected point are measured in pixel units from the upper-left corner of the image, and are returned (along with the other contents of the form) in two name/value pairs. The X-coordinate is submitted under the name of the field with .x appended, and the Y-coordinate is submitted under the name of the field with .y appended. Any VALUE attribute is ignored. The image itself is specified by the SRC attribute, exactly as for the <FORM> Tag.

PASSWORD

Same as the TEXT attribute, except that text is displayed as "********" instead of "password".

RADIO

Used for attributes that accept a single value from a set of alternatives. Each radio button field in the group should be given the same name. Only the selected radio button in the group generates a name/value pair in the submitted data. Radio buttons require an explicit VALUE attribute. Example in <FORM>.

RESET

Button that when pressed resets the form's fields to their specified initial values. The label to be displayed on the button may be specified just as for the SUBMIT button. Example in <FORM>.

SUBMIT

Button that when pressed submits the form. You can use the VALUE attribute to provide a non-editable label to be displayed on the button. The default label is application-specific. If a SUBMIT button is pressed in order to submit the form, and that button has a NAME attribute specified, then that button contributes a name/value pair to the submitted data. Otherwise, a SUBMIT button makes no contribution to the submitted data. Example in <FORM>.

TEXT

is used for a single line text entry fields. Use in conjunction with the SIZE and MAXLENGTH attributes. Use the TEXTAREA Tag for text fields which can accept multiple lines. Example in <FORM>.

TEXTAREA

Used for multiple-line text-entry fields. Use in conjunction with the SIZE and MAXLENGTH attributes. Example in <FORM>.

NAME

The field reported to the Form, required by the Form's ACTION.

ROWS

The number of rows the TEXTAREA takes up.

COLS

The number of columns the TEXTAREA takes up.

WRAP

Specifies the word wrap effect. The minimum browser version that support this is Netscape 2.0 (for IE 4.0, VIRTUAL is default). The options are:

OFF

Default, no wrap is sent.

VIRTUAL

Long lines are sent as one line but wraps in the TEXTAREA.

PHYSICAL

The text is transmitted at all wrap points.

FILE

Netscape supports a FILE option to the TYPE attribute of the INPUT element, allowing an ACCEPT attribute for the INPUT element (which is a list of media types or type patterns allowed for the input) and allowing the ENCTYPE of a from to be:

multipart/form-data

This allows the inclusion of files with form information, which could prove valuable for companies providing tech support, service providers, etc., requesting data files. Don't worry if this doesn't make sense, your System Administrator should understand.

VALUE

The initial displayed value of the field, if it displays a textual or numerical value; or the value to be returned when the field is selected, if it displays a Boolean value. This attribute is required for radio buttons. Example in <FORM>.

<ISINDEX>

The <ISINDEX> Tag tells the HTML user agent that the document is an index document. As well as reading it, the reader can use a keyword search.

The <ISINDEX> element is usually generated automatically by a server. If added manually to a HTML document, the HTML user agent assumes that the server can handle a search on the document. To use the <ISINDEX> element, the server must have a search engine that supports this element.

<KBD<

The <KBD> Tag indicates typed text, and functions and acts the same as <TT>.

Syntax:

<kbd>This is a keyboard type<kbd>

<LI>

The <LI> Tag is a List Item, and is used inside <MENU>, <DIR>, <OL>, and <UL>. Depending on the type of list, the <LI> will look like a numeric value, or a bulleted value.

Syntax:

<ul>
<li>List Item One
<li>List Item Two
<li>List Item Three
<li>List Item Four
<li>List Item Five
</ul>

<LINK>

The <LINK> Tag shows the relationship between documents, and can be part of the <HEAD> Tag. It can contain as many <LINK> Tags as desired. The Link Tag can also be used to point to an external Style Sheet to be used within HTML. Using standard Anchor commands, the style sheet is referenced as:

Syntax:

<LISTING>

The <LISTING> shows text in a small fixed-width style, similar to <PRE> but in the latest browsers is displayed smaller.

Syntax:

<LISTING>
This is an example of listing text.
</LISTING>

<MAP>

The <MAP> Tag is used within an Imagemap and describes each region in the image and where the region links to. The command inside <MAP> is <AREA>.

Syntax:

<MENU>

The <MENU> Tag is also used for lists and the <LI> Tag goes inside. <MENU> acts much like <DIR> and <UL>. I recommend using <UL>, it's the most-widely used and supported.

Syntax:

<menu>
<li>Menu List One
<li>Menu List Two
<li>Menu List Three
<li>Menu List Four
<li>Menu List Five
</menu>

<META>

The <META> Tag is used to embed information not contained in other HTML Tags or elements, for example to identify, index, and catalog documents. There are two main commands, MAIN and HTTP-EQUIV. The <META> Tag goes between the <HEAD> Tag and usually after the <TITLE> Tag:

Syntax:

One use of the <META> Tag is to reload or redirect an HTML Page. This is an example of a Client Pull.

Syntax:

The CONTENT is in seconds and in this case would reload the page after 1 minute.

If you add a ; URL=http://www.AmaHosting.com, it would automatically go to another URL after 5 seconds. I'm sure you have seen "This page has moved, automatically sending you there" pages, this is how it's done.

Syntax:

You might want to include information about the document, such as keywords for indexing, the name of the author, and so on. This can be done with the NAME followed by CONTENT:

Syntax:

The attribute NAME refers to user-selected names, while HTTP-EQUIV means that the value has a real equivalent header in the HTTP protocol. Again, this is only really useful given tools for processing these data. At present, there are quite a few search engines and other tools that take advantage of <META>.

<NEXTID>

The <NEXTID> Tag is used by some text editors to identify HTML pages (as reference). It's basically an old Tag and is skipped by most Browsers.

<NOBR>

The <NOBR> Tag is used to tell the text not to break, to force a single line of text.

Syntax:

<nobr>This text is forced to stay on one line, and should be used with caution because it would cause the user to have to scroll left and right to read the line of text....

<NOSCRIPT>

The <NOSCRIPT> Tag which allows authors to write alternative content for those users who browse with Javascript capabilities disabled in the browser, or for those using non-Javascript browsers.

Syntax:

<OBJECT>

The <OBJECT> Tag is used to add ActiveX controls to HTML Pages.

<OL>

The <OL> Tag is used as Ordered Lists, and creates a number-type list. Within Ordered Lists are <LI> List Tags.

Syntax:

<ol>
<li>Ordered List 1
<li>Ordered List 2
<li>Ordered List 3
<li>Ordered List 4
</ol>

<OPTION>

The <OPTION> Tag is used in a <FORM>, after <SELECT>. It has 2 commands:

SELECTED - Initially selects the option.
VALUE - Reports the value to the form for processing.

Syntax:

<option value="example">Example</option>

<P>

The <P> Tag is used for a paragraph, one of the most popular Tags in HTML. It has 3 commands within the ALIGN command, LEFT, CENTER, and RIGHT, the first is default.

Syntax:

<P ALIGN="CENTER">This text will be a new paragraph and it will be centered.</P>

<PLAINTEXT>

The <PLAINTEXT> Tag is used for formatting the enclosed text as plain, similar to <TT> and <PRE>. I would recommend either of the two instead of <PLAINTEXT>, since Internet Explorer and Netscape have different implementations of it. In Internet Explorer, a closing </PLAINTEXT> will allow HTML Tags. In Netscape, anything below the <PLAINTEXT> Tag will not allow any HTML Tags.

<PRE>

The <PRE> Tag is used for Formatted Text. Anything between <PRE></PRE> is formatted text, usually fixed-width. You can use HTML Tags as long as they follow these guidelines:

<BR> moves to the beginning of the next line.
<P> shouldn't be used, but if it is, it moves to the beginning of the next line.
Anchor and character highlighting elements can be used, but elements that define paragraph formatting (headings, address, etc.) shouldn't be used.

<PRE>

This      text      will     appear      as    is   .

<PRE>

<S> and <STRIKE>

The <S> and <STRIKE> Tags are used to strike out text. They are identical (for now), but FrontPage 98 seems to like to use <STRIKE> better.

Syntax:

<S>~~This text will have a line through it~~<S> <STRIKE>~~So will this text~~<STRIKE>

<SAMP>

The <SAMP> Tag is used to display sample text. Everything between <SAMP></SAMP> displays as <TT> and <PRE> Tags do.

<SCRIPT>

The <SCRIPT> Tag is for scripts, for Netscape it's usually used for Javascript, for Internet Explorer it's usually used for VBScript (Visual Basic Script). The text of a script is inserted between <SCRIPT></SCRIPT> and is specified in the LANGUAGE command.

Syntax:

<head>
<title>AmaHosting</title>
<script language="Javascript">
</script>
</head>

<SELECT>

The <SELECT> Tag is used in a <FORM>, and allows the user to choose from a list of <OPTION> Tags. It has 3 commands:

MULTIPLE - Allows several selections.
NAME - Specifies the name that will submitted as a name/value pair.
SIZE - Specifies the number of visible items. If this is greater than one, then the control will be a list.

Syntax:

<select name="Heard_About_From" size="3">
<option value="newsgroup">Newsgroup</option>
<option value="personal_bookmark">A Bookmark on a Personal Page</option>
<option value="com_bookmark">A Bookmark on a Commercial Page</option>

<SMALL>

The <SMALL> Tag is used to format the text one size smaller, and can be in relation to your <FONT> or <BASEFONT> size, if you've specified either one. The obvious opposite of this is <BIG>.

Syntax:

<SMALL>This text will be one size smaller</SMALL>
<SMALL><SMALL>This text will be two sizes smaller</SMALL></SMALL>

SOUND

The <SOUND> Tag is used for sound, and is an old Mosiac Browser Tag.

Syntax:

<SPACER>

The <SPACER> Tag is for Netscape only and used to create a blank space on a page. The commands are:

TYPE - Specifies HORIZONTAL, VERTICAL, or BLOCK.HORIZONTAL - Puts a white space in between words.
VERTICAL - Puts a vertical space between lines.
BLOCK - Puts a size of blank space on the page (like <IMG> commands).
SIZE - Specifies the size in pixels. This is used with
<spacer type="horizontal">
or
<spacer type="vertical">
WIDTH - Specifies the width of space in pixels. This is used with <spacer type="block">
HEIGHT - Specifies the height of space in pixels. This is used with <spacer type="block">
ALIGN - Specifies the alignment of <SPACER> (like <IMG> commands). This is used with <spacer type="block">

Syntax:

<spacer type="block" height="50" width="150" align="left"> AmaHosting is one of the leaders in Web Hosting. Our packages offer unmatched value and convenience...

<SPAN>

The <SPAN> Tag is used with Style Sheets to apply a style to a page where use of standard HTML Tags is not needed or wanted. For example, it may be useful for text to be highlighted by rendering it with a different background color. For text such as this, using a standard HTML element such as <EM> with an applied style, would possibly be inappropriate, because browsers that don't support style sheets would render the text as italicized. The <SPAN> Tag is recommended in such situations as other browsers simply ignore it. The <SPAN> Tag can be used within text blocks to apply a style as defined in a Style Sheet, according to a CLASS or ID attribute, or the STYLE can be specified within the <SPAN> Tag. As with other elements used within the <BODY< of a HTML document, <SPAN> can also have a certain style applied to it in the style sheet definition.

Syntax:

.bluetext : { color : #0000FF} has been defined in a Style Sheet, then the following:

<p>I don't like the new <SPAN CLASS="bluetext">blue M&M's</SPAN>. They should be a cooler color, like purple!</p>

This would render the blue M&M's text in blue, or this:

<p>I don't like the new <SPAN STYLE="color : #0000FF">blue M&M's</SPAN>. They should be a cooler color, like purple!</p>

would do the same.

<STRONG>

The <STRONG> Tag is used to make text strong, or bold, in fact it functions identical to <B>. FrontPage 98 typically uses the <STRONG> Tag instead of <B>.

Syntax:

<STYLE>

The <STYLE> Tag is used for Style Sheets. The TYPE and TITLE commands can be used. TYPE is used to specify the Internet media (MIME) type of the style sheet definition, which is "text/css". TITLE can be used to provide a title for the Style Sheet definitions. This may be used by browsers when a choice of Style Sheets are available.

Syntax:

<head>
<title>AmaHosting Services</title>
<style type="text/css" title="colors">
body { color : brown}
p { color : black; font-size : 18pt; font-family : Arial}
h1 { color : green; font-size : 12pt}
</style>
</head>

<SUB>

The <SUB> Tag is used for Subscript text. Subscript text is displayed below and smaller than normal text, and can be smaller if you specify a <FONT> size.

Syntax:

This text is <sub>_subscript<sub> and is lower than normal text

<SUP>

The <SUP> Tag is used for Superscript text. Superscript text is displayed above and smaller than normal text, and can be smaller if you specify a <FONT> size.

Syntax:

This text is <sup>^superscript</sup> and is higher than normal text.

<TABLE>

The<TABLE> Tag is used for Tables consisting of rows and columns. Tables are one of the most functional thing in HTML and can be used to create a spectrum of effects and layout control.

Syntax:

<TBODY>

The <TBODY> Tag is an Internet Explorer-only Tag and is used to set the body display inside the <TABLE> (link colors, background, etc.), in fact the commands are almost identical to the commands that can be used in <BODY>.

Syntax:

<TD>

The <TD> Tag is used in <TABLE> for Table Data, which is a single cell inside a Table Row (<TR>).

Syntax:

See <TABLE> syntax above.

<TH>

The <TH> Tag is used for Table Heading, which is a single, bold text cell inside a row:

Syntax:

<TABLE>
<TR>
<TH>Table Heading - Cell 1</TH>
<TH>Table Heading - Cell 2</TH>
</TR>
</TABLE>

<TITLE>

The <TITLE> Tag is used for the title of your page. This also presents itself as Window titles or labels. The <TITLE> is the only required Tag inside <HEAD>.

Syntax:

<HTML>
<HEAD>
<TITLE>Title of page</TITLE>
</HEAD>
<BODY>
</BODY>
</HTML>

<TR>

The <TR> Tag is used for the start of Table Rows, with <TD> inside them which puts the cells inside the Rows.

Syntax:

<TABLE>
<TR>
<TD>Table data - Cell 1</TD>
<TD>Table data - Cell 2</TD>
</TR>
</TABLE>

<TT>

The <TT> Tag is used for "typetype" text, or fixed-width typewriter-type font. Other than the different type style, it has normal font characteristics.

Syntax:

<TT>This text will appear in typerwriter-type font.</TT>

<U>

The <U> Tag is used to underline text.

Syntax:

<U>This text will be underlined.</U>

<UL>

The <UL> Tag is used for Unordered Lists, which look like bulleted lists. The <LI> Tag is preceded by each list item. <UL> acts much like <DIR> and <MENU>. I recommend using <UL>, it's the most-widely used and supported.

Syntax:

<UL>
<LI>ITEM ONE
<LI>ITEM TWO
<LI>ITEM THREE
</UL>

<VAR>

The <VAR> Tag is used for a Variable name.

Syntax:

My host is <VAR>AmaHosting<VAR>, they're the best.

<WBR>

The <WBR> Tag is used for a Word Break, when a <NOBR> section requires an exact break. Also, it can be used any time the browser can be helped by telling it where a word is allowed to be broken. The <WBR> Tag doesn't force a <BR>, but lets the browser know where a line break is allowed to be inserted, if needed.

<XMP>

The <XMP> Tag is used for blocks of text in fixed-width font, like <PRE> and <LISTING>. It will be displayed as fixed-width font with white space separating it from other text. It should be rendered such that 80 characters fit on a normal line.

Syntax:

This is the last <XMP>

HTML Tag<XMP> in this Reference List.