Attributes provide additional information about HTML elements.
- HTML elements can have attributes.
- Attributes provide additional information about the element.
- Attributes are always specified in the start tag.
- Attributes come in name/value pairs like:
name="value"
.
For example, HTML links are defined with the <a>
tag.
The link address is provided as an attribute:
<a href="http://www.google.com/search?q=weather">Weather</a>
Always Quote Attribute Values
Attribute values should always be enclosed in quotes.
Double style quotes are the most common, but single style quotes are also allowed.
In some rare situations, like when the attribute value itself contains quotes, it is necessary to use single quotes:
name='John "ShotGun" Nelson'
HTML Tip: Use Lowercase Attributes
Attribute names and attribute values are case-insensitive.
However, the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) recommends lowercase attributes/attribute values in their HTML 4 Recommendation.
Newer versions of (X)HTML will demand lowercase attributes.
HTML Attributes Reference
Below is a list of attributes that are standard for most HTML elements: