79 replies to this topic

[CTPhil]

Any tag can contain attributes, as far as I know. Think of it this way: the tag is identified by the first unbroken string of characters after the opening <, so anything that starts <a is an anchor tag, and anything that starts <title is a title tag. After that, before the tag is closed, you get attributes, and they're always in the format of x="y".

So, in

CODE

<a href="http://www.highrankings.com/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" style="text-decoration:none;">

you've got an anchor containing four attributes.

I think I finally got it! Thanks to all who contributed.

[torka]

I've nearly got it through my head

Not quite, at least I don't think so...

TAGS:

CODE

<a> or <title> or <img> or <b>

Just the bits between the angle brackets that start everything off.

ATTRIBUTES:

CODE

href="something.html" or style="somestyle;" or alt="some text here" or src="image.jpg"

These are things that modify the tag. They're written inside the angle brackets of the tag.

ELEMENTS:

CODE

<title>Page Title</title>
<a href="link.html">Anchor Text</a>
<img src="image.jpg" border="0" />

Tags, attributes, text and all the other bits that make these suckers actually do something on the page. In plain HTML, not all elements need to be closed (such as the "img" tag/element, which can stand on it's own). In XHTML, every element needs to be closed, thus the addition of the " /" (space and slash) at the end of the IMG tag (which makes it an IMG element, I think? ).

Personally, I've never really cared as much about the distinction between an element and a tag as I have about the distinction between a tag and an attribute. Since there is at least one tag that shares a name with an attribute (the infamous "title"), leading to much confusion when the two are mixed up, I try to make it a point to use the word attribute correctly in context.

I generally use "tag" and "element" interchangeably, even though I suppose that's not technically correct, because the potential for confusion and the consequences thereof is much less, at least in most normal forum conversations.

Present conversation excepted, of course.

CTPhil, I think you've got it!

--Torka

[Sarah]

Torka,

If you were here in my office, I would be dragging you to my friends pub for a Flirty Gertie* to thank you for clearing me up, putting me straight and getting me through the day on this one.

It's like you're the Betty Ford for confused little ones like myself.

*named after a barmaid who had the ability to wheedle drinks out of the tightest of wallets

[Clintorius]

I've nearly got it through my head:
<title> </title> tag
<title> ELEMENT </title> page title
<tag alt="ATTRIBUTE">ELEMENT</tag>tag, page title, with attribute

Not quite, sorry!

<title> </title> tag Yes, there is a open tag and a close tag

<title> ELEMENT </title> page title should be:
<title> page title</title> ELEMENT

<tag alt="ATTRIBUTE">ELEMENT</tag>tag, page title, with attribute should be:

<tag alt="ATTRIBUTE">ELEMENT-TEXT</tag>tag with attribute, page title, closing tag

Clintorius

[Clintorius]

In the HTML DOcument Object Model a HTML element span both the tags and the element text.

An anchor element = tag with attributes + anker text + closing tag.