Content

HTML allows text to be displayed with a great deal of flexibility. This page explains how HTML tags provide text formatting instructions for browsers.

It is very important to realize that individual users can change how a page will display by changing browser preferences. It is best to test how a page will display in different browsers before posting it to the Web.

The <BR> Tag

Web browsers generally ignore extra spaces and returns in HTML code. In order to force a line break, the <BR> (BReak) tag is used. Simply add this tag where you want the line break to occur.

The <BR> tag has no attributes or closing tag.

The <FONT> Tag

Text can be modified with the <FONT> tag to change color, size, or typeface. The <FONT> tag follows the same rules for order of opening and closing tags; where the last tag opened should be the first tag closed.

<FONT> Tag Attributes

• SIZE=nnn
  • Where nnn is a number 1 through 7 (3 is the default)
  • Where nnn is a relative change in size (+1 or -2)
• COLOR=ccc
  • Where ccc a valid color name like green , blue, red or any of the other valid colors
  • Where ccc a valid hexadecimal number (or hex triplet) preceded by a pound sign (#000000=black, #FFFFFF=white)
  • Check Appendix B and Appendix C for more about colors
• FACE=fff
  • Where fff is the name of a desired font
  • This attribute is not reccommended

The SIZE Attribute

You can specify a relative or absolute SIZE to a font.
The valid SIZEs are 1 to 7.
The default is 3.
Using the + or - characters will change the SIZE by that amount.

The COLOR Attribute

Colors can be specified with either a name or a hexadecimal value (hex triplet).

Not all browsers will recognize all color names, so it is safer to use a hex triplet to identify a color.

A hexadecimal number is a base 16 number.
The base 10 number system uses digits 0-9.
Hexadecimal numbers also use A-F for 10-15 where:

	A=10			B=11			C=12
	D=13			E=14			F=15

So, 0-F are valid base 16 or hexadecimal values.

A hex triplet is a pound sign (#) followed by a set of 3 pairs of hexadecimal numbers.

Appendix B and Appendix C have more information on using color names and hex triplets.

The FACE Attribute

Font typefaces can be specified with the FACE attribute.

Not all browsers will recognize this attribute, and even if they do, the font must be installed for the attribute to work. Different platforms and font names can make this attribute difficult to implement.

A font is a style of type. Fonts come in families (bold, italic, etc.).

There are serif fonts (with flared ends) and sans serif fonts (no flared ends). A monospaced font is one where each character takes up the same amound of horizontal space like a typewriter.

Note that more than one font name may be specified. Browsers generally use the first match that is encountered.

Headings

HTML allows for six (6) levels of headings (H1 through H6). The code for headings is enclosed with <H1>...</H1> tags.

<H1>...<H6> Tag Attributes

• ALIGN=lrc
  • Where lrc is =LEFT, =RIGHT, or =CENTER
  • Default is CENTER

Styles

There are several text formatting tags. Remember, not all tags will work with all browsers. Combinations can produce unexpected results. Test!

The <PRE> Tag

Your browser will generally strip any extra white space in a file. Spaces and returns (or line breaks) that are part of the HTML file are generally ignored.

Text formatted with the <PRE> tag is generally displayed in a monospaced font like Courier (of course, users may mistakenly change the font in their browser preferences to a non-monospace font).

The <PRE> tag is similar to doing type on a typewriter or dot-matrix printer.

ABCDEFGhijklmnop QRSTUV wxyz

THINK DOT MATRIX:
12345678901234567890123456789012345678901234567890
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
X                                                X
X    TTTTT H  H  I  NN   N  K  KK                X
X      T   H  H  I  NNN  N  K KK                 X
X      T   HHHH  I  N NN N  KKK                  X
X      T   H  H  I  N  NNN  K KK                 X
X      T   H  H  I  N   NN  K  KK                X
X                                                X
X     DDD    OO  TTTTT                           X
X     D  D  O  O   T                             X
X     D  D  O  O   T                             X
X     DDD    OO    T                             X
X                                                X 
X     MMM MMM   AA   TTTTT  RRRR    I  X   X     X
X     M MMM M  A  A    T    R   R   I   X X      X
X     M  M  M  AAAA    T    RRRR    I    X       X
X     M     M  A  A    T    R  RR   I   X X      X
X     M     M  A  A    T    R   R   I  X   X     X
X                                                X
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Special Characters

A special character is any character that requires a key combination anything more complex than holding down the shift key to be produced.

Getting special characters to display properly involves the use of character entities. There are two forms of character entities: numbered entities and named entities.

Numbered entities use an ampersand, a number sign, a 2 or 3 digit code, and a semicolon to identify the character.

      &  produces  &  (Ampersand)
      "  produces  "  (Quotation mark)
      © produces  ©  (Copyright)
      ® produces  ®  (Registered trademark)
      &#60;  produces  <  (Less than)
      &#62;  produces  >  (Greater than)

Named entities use an ampersand, a number sign, a name for the character they represent, and a semicolon to identify the character.

      &  produces  &  (Amperstand)
      " produces  "  (Quotation mark)
      © produces  ©  (Copyright)
      ®  produces  ®  (Registered trademark)
      &lt;   produces  <  (Less than)
      &gt;   produces  >  (Greater than)

As with other elements of HTML, not all named entities will work with all browsers and numbered entities may display different characters in different browsers. Test!

A table with a listing of the named and numbered entities is listed in Appendix A.

Note on arcane tags that are rarely used:
In contrast, if you do not want a line to break, you can force the type to remain on a single line using <NOBR>...</NOBR> tags. The extension <WBR> (word break) may be used inside the <NOBR>...</NOBR> tags to indicate where a break may occur. The <WBR> tag does not force a line break, but will break the type if it is appropriate. If the line of type fits on the screen, the <WBR> tag is ignored.

The <ADDRESS> Tag

The <ADDRESS> tag is used to sign-off on Web pages. They usually go at the bottom of the page and contain the name of the Webmaster (or company that created the page), a contact person, the date the last time the page was updated, copyright notices, and anything else that seemed important at the time the page was done. They are usually offset by a horizontal rule.

The <BLOCKQUOTE> Tag

Although <CITE>...</CITE> and <CODE>...</CODE> will bring emphasis to short quotes, bits of code, math equations, book and magazine titles and the like, HTML also offers the <BLOCKQUOTE>...</BLOCKQUOTE> tags for longer quotes.

Generally, the format is to give the quote some space above and below, and to indent the text. Line breaks <BR> can be used to force breaks. The following poem is within <BLOCKQUOTE>...</BLOCKQUOTE> tags:

The <BLINK> Tag

The <BLINK>...</BLINK> tags will set type to blink. This is often very annoying and should be avoided.