The following elements may be included in the body of an HTML document:
<P> ... </P> Level 0
The Paragraph element indicates a paragraph. The exact indentation, leading space, etc. of a paragraph is not defined and may be a function of other tags, style sheets, etc.
Typically, paragraphs are surrounded by a vertical space of one line or half a line. This is typically not the case within the Address element and is never the case within the Preformatted Text element. With some HTML interpreters, the first line in a paragraph is indented.
Example of use:
<H1>This Heading Precedes the Paragraph</H1> <P>This is the text of the first paragraph. <P>This is the text of the second paragraph. Although you do not need to start paragraphs on new lines, maintaining this convention facilitates document maintenance.</P> <P>This is the text of a third paragraph.</P>
<PRE> ... </PRE> Level 0
The Preformatted Text element presents blocks of text in fixed-width font, and so is suitable for text that has been formatted on screen.
The <PRE> tag may be used with the optional WIDTH attribute. The WIDTH attribute specifies the maximum number of characters for a line and allows the HTML interpreter to select a suitable font and indentation. If the WIDTH attribute is not present, a width of 80 characters is assumed. Where the WIDTH attribute is supported, widths of 40, 80 and 132 characters should be presented optimally, with other widths being rounded up.
Within preformatted text:
Example of use:
<PRE WIDTH="80"> This is an example line. </PRE>
<ADDRESS> ... </ADDRESS> Level 0
The Address element specifies such information as address, signature and authorship, often at the top or bottom of a document.
Typically, an Address is rendered in an italic typeface and may be indented. The Address element implies a paragraph break before and after.
Example of use:
<ADDRESS> Newsletter editor<BR> J.R. Brown<BR> JimquickPost News, Jumquick, CT 01234<BR> Tel (123) 456 7890 </ADDRESS>
<BLOCKQUOTE> ... </BLOCKQUOTE> Level 0
The Blockquote element is used to contain text quoted from another source.
A typical rendering might be a slight extra left and right indent, and/or italic font. The Blockquote element causes a paragraph break, and typically provides space above and below the quote.
Single-font rendition may reflect the quotation style of Internet mail by putting a vertical line of graphic characters, such as the greater than symbol (>), in the left margin.
Example of use:
I think the poem ends <BLOCKQUOTE> <P>Soft you now, the fair Ophelia. Nymph, in thy orisons, be all my sins remembered. </BLOCKQUOTE> but I am not sure.
<H1> ... </H1> through <H6> ... </H6> Level 0
HTML defines six levels of heading. A Heading element implies all the font changes, paragraph breaks before and after, and white space necessary to render the heading.
The highest level of headings is H1, followed by H2 ... H6.
Example of use:
<H1>This is a heading</H1> Here is some text <H2>Second level heading</H2> Here is some more text.
The rendering of headings is determined by the HTML interpreter, but typical renderings are:
Although heading levels can be skipped (for example, from H1 to H3), this practice is discouraged as skipping heading levels may produce unpredictable results when generating other representations from HTML.
HTML supports several types of lists, all of which may be nested.
<DL> ... </DL> Level 0
A definition list is a list of terms and corresponding definitions. Definition lists are typically formatted with the term flush-left and the definition, formatted paragraph style, indented after the term.
Example of use:
<DL> <DT>Term<DD>This is the definition of the first term. <DT>Term<DD>This is the definition of the second term. </DL>
If the DT term does not fit in the DT column (one third of the display area), it may be extended across the page with the DD section moved to the next line, or it may be wrapped onto successive lines of the left hand column.
Single occurrences of a DT tag without a subsequent DD tag are allowed, and have the same significance as if the DD tag had been present with no text.
The opening list tag must be DL and must be immediately followed by the first term (DT).
The definition list type can take the COMPACT attribute, which suggests that a compact rendering be used, because the list items are small and/or the entire list is large.
Unless you provide the COMPACT attribute, the HTML interpreter may leave white space between successive DT, DD pairs. The COMPACT attribute may also reduce the width of the left-hand (DT) column.
If using the COMPACT attribute, the opening list tag must be DL COMPACT, which must be immediately followed by the first DT tag:
<DL COMPACT> <DT>Term<DD>This is the first definition in compact format. <DT>Term<DD>This is the second definition in compact format. </DL>
<DIR> ... </DIR> Level 0
A Directory List element is used to present a list of items containing up to 20 characters each. Items in a directory list may be arranged in columns, typically 24 characters wide. If the HTML interpreter can optimize the column width as function of the widths of individual elements, so much the better.
A directory list must begin with the DIR tag which is immediately followed by a LI (list item) tag:
<DIR> <LI>A-H<LI>I-M <LI>M-R<LI>S-Z </DIR>
<MENU> ... </MENU> Level 0
A menu list is a list of items with typically one line per item. The menu list style is more compact than the style of an unordered list.
A menu list must begin with a MENU tag which is immediately followed by a LI (list item) tag:
<MENU> <LI>First item in the list. <LI>Second item in the list. <LI>Third item in the list. </MENU>
<OL> ... </OL> Level 0
The Ordered List element is used to present a numbered list of items, sorted by sequence or order of importance.
An ordered list must begin with the OL tag which is immediately followed by a LI (list item) tag:
<OL> <LI>Click the Web button to open the Open the URI window. <LI>Enter the URI number in the text field of the Open URI window. The Web document you specified is displayed. <LI>Click highlighted text to move from one link to another. </OL>
The Ordered List element can take the COMPACT attribute, which suggests that a compact rendering be used.
<UL> ... </UL> Level 0
The Unordered List element is used to present a list of items which is typically separated by white space and/or marked by bullets.
An unordered list must begin with the UL tag which is immediately followed by a LI (list item) tag:
<UL> <LI>First list item <LI>Second list item <LI>Third list item </UL>