HTMLAttributes
HTML attributes provide additional information about HTML elements.
HTML Attributes
- All HTML elements can haveattributes
- Attributes provideadditional information about elements
- Attributes are always specified inthe start tag
- Attributes usually come in name/value pairs like:name="value"
The href Attribute
The<a> tag defines a hyperlink. Thehref attribute specifies the URL of the page the link goes to:
You will learn more about links in ourHTML Linkschapter.
The src Attribute
The<img> tag is used to embed an image in an HTML page. Thesrc attribute specifies the path to the image to be displayed:
There are two ways to specify the URL in thesrc attribute:
1. Absolute URL - Links to an external image that is hosted on another website. Example:src="https://www.w3schools.com/images/img_girl.jpg".
Notes: External images might be under copyright. If you do not get permission to use it, you may be in violation of copyright laws. In addition, you cannot control external images; it can suddenly be removed or changed.
2. Relative URL - Links to an image that is hosted within the website. Here, the URL does not include the domain name. If the URL begins without a slash, it will be relative to the current page. Example: src="img_girl.jpg". If the URL begins with a slash, it will be relative to the domain. Example: src="/images/img_girl.jpg".
Tip: It is almost always best to use relative URLs. They will not break if you change domain.
The width and height Attributes
The<img> tag should also contain thewidth andheight attributes, which specify the width and height of the image (in pixels):
The alt Attribute
The requiredalt attribute for the<img> tag specifies an alternate text for an image, if the image for some reason cannot be displayed. This can be due to a slow connection, or an error in thesrc attribute, or if the user uses a screen reader.
Example
See what happens if we try to display an image that does not exist:
You will learn more about images in ourHTML Images chapter.
The style Attribute
Thestyle attribute is used to add styles to an element, such as color, font, size, and more.
You will learn more about styles in ourHTML Styles chapter.
The lang Attribute
You should always include thelang attribute inside the<html> tag, to declare the language of the Web page. This is meant to assist search engines and browsers.
The following example specifies English as the language:
<html lang="en">
<body>
...
</body>
</html>
Country codes can also be added to the language code in thelang attribute. So, the first two characters define the language of the HTML page, and the last two characters define the country.
The following example specifies English as the language and United States as the country:
<html lang="en-US">
<body>
...
</body>
</html>
You can see all the language codes in ourHTML Language Code Reference.
The title Attribute
Thetitle attribute defines some extra information about an element.
The value of the title attribute will be displayed as a tooltip when you mouse over the element:
We Suggest: Always Use Lowercase Attributes
The HTML standard does not require lowercase attribute names.
The title attribute (and all other attributes) can be written with uppercase or lowercase liketitle orTITLE.
However, W3Crecommends lowercase attributes in HTML, anddemands lowercase attributes for stricter document types like XHTML.
At W3Schools we always use lowercase attribute names.
We Suggest: Always Quote Attribute Values
The HTML standard does not require quotes around attribute values.
However, W3Crecommends quotes in HTML, anddemands quotes for stricter document types like XHTML.
Good:
Bad:
Sometimes you have to use quotes. This example will not display the title attribute correctly, because it contains a space:
At W3Schools we always use quotes around attribute values.
Single or Double Quotes?
Double quotes around attribute values are the most common in HTML, but single quotes can also be used.
In some situations, when the attribute value itself contains double quotes, it is necessary to use single quotes:
Or vice versa:
Chapter Summary
- All HTML elements can haveattributes
- The
hrefattribute of<a>specifies the URL of the page the link goes to - The
srcattribute of<img>specifies the path to the image to be displayed - The
widthandheightattributes of<img>provide size information for images - The
altattribute of<img>provides an alternate text for an image - The
styleattribute is used to add styles to an element, such as color, font, size, and more - The
langattribute of the<html>tag declares the language of the Web page - The
titleattribute defines some extra information about an element
HTML Attribute Reference
A complete list of all attributes for each HTML element, is listed in our:HTML Attribute Reference.
Video: HTML Attributes
