Other content in SVG
Apart from graphic primitives like rectangles and circles, SVG offers a set of elements to embed other types of content in images as well.
Embedding raster images
Much like the img element in HTML SVG has animage element to serve the same purpose. You can use it to embed arbitrary raster (and vector) images. The specification requests applications to support at least PNG, JPEG and SVG format files.
The embedded picture becomes a normal SVG element. This means, that you can use clips, masks, filters, rotations and all other tools of SVG on the content:
<svg version="1.1" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" width="200" height="200"> <image x="90" y="-65" width="128" height="146" transform="rotate(45)" href="https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/SVG/Reference/Element/image/mdn_logo_only_color.png" /></svg>Embedding arbitrary XML
Since SVG is an XML application, you can of coursealways embed arbitrary XML anywhere in an SVG document. But then you have no means to define how the surrounding SVG should react on the content. Actually, in a conforming viewer it will react in no way at all, the data will be omitted. Therefore the specification adds the<foreignObject> element to SVG. Its sole purpose is to be a container for other markup and a carrier for SVG styling attributes (most prominentlywidth andheight to define the space the object will take).
TheforeignObject element is a good way to embed XHTML in SVG. If you have longer texts, the HTML layout is more suitable and comfortable than the SVGtext element. Another often cited use case is the embedding of formulas with MathML. For scientific applications of SVG this is a very good way to join both worlds.
Note:Please keep in mind, that the content of theforeignObject must be processable by the viewer. A standalone SVG viewer is unlikely to be able to render HTML or MathML.
Since theforeignObject is an SVG element, you can, like in the case ofimage, use any SVG goodness with it, which then will be applied to its content.