HTML Attributes

Attributes provide additional information about HTML elements.

HTML Attributes

  • HTML elements can have attributes
  • Attributes provide additional information about an element
  • Attributes are always specified in the start tag
  • Attributes come in name/value pairs like: name="value"

Attribute Example

HTML links are defined with the <a> tag. The link address is specified in the href attribute:

Example

<a href="http://www.xxx.com">This is a link</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.

Remark Tip: In some rare situations, 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

A complete list of legal attributes for each HTML element is listed in our:


Below is a list of some attributes that are standard for most HTML elements:

Attribute Value Description
class classname Specifies a classname for an element
id id Specifies a unique id for an element
style style_definition Specifies an inline style for an element
title tooltip_text Specifies extra information about an element (displayed as a tool tip)

For more information about standard attributes: