View source for Help:HTML in wikitext

{{Short description|Usage of HTML tags with MediaWiki}}
<noinclude>{{pp-semi-indef|small=yes}}</noinclude>

{{Redirect|WP:HTML|general information about the default markup language on RetroWikipedia|RetroWikipedia:HTML5}}{{For|wikitext equivalents to HTML tags|Help:Wikitext}}{{Locutions pages header}}
{{RetroWikipedia how to|H:HTML|WP:HTML}}

{{Wiki markup}}
{{HTML}}

The [[MediaWiki]] software, which drives RetroWikipedia, allows the use of a subset of [[HTML 5]] [[HTML element|elements]], or tags and their [[HTML attribute|attributes]], for presentation formatting.{{r|sanitizer}} However, most HTML functionality can be replicated using equivalent [[Help:Wiki markup|wiki markup]] or [[Help:Templates|templates]]. These alternatives are generally preferred within articles because they are often simpler for most editors to use and less intrusive in the editing interface. [[RetroWikipedia:Manual_of_Style#Keep_markup_simple|RetroWikipedia's Manual of Style]] recommends when and where these alternatives should be used. (See [[Help:Wikitext]] for wikitext equivalents to HTML tags not otherwise discussed below.)

HTML can also be useful outside articles, such as for formatting within templates. For assistance with using Cascading Style Sheets on RetroWikipedia, see [[Help:Cascading Style Sheets]].

Some tags that resemble HTML are actually MediaWiki [[#Parser and extension tags|parser and extension tags]], and so are actually wiki markup. HTML included in pages can be validated for HTML5 compliance by using [[#Validation|validation]]. Note that some elements and attributes supported by MediaWiki and browsers have been [[RetroWikipedia:HTML5|deprecated by HTML5]] and should no longer be used.{{TOC limit|3}}

== Tutorials ==
This help page gives only an overview of allowed markup. For further assistance and detailed specifications:

* [https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Learn/HTML HTML5 Introduction] at developer.mozilla.org
* [https://www.w3schools.com/html/default.asp HTML5 Introduction] at w3schools.com

== Attributes ==
[[HTML attribute]]s provide additional information about an element and are always specified in the start tag. They are formatted as a name/value pair like <code>name="value"</code>.

Global attributes apply to all tags. Attributes not listed here are not allowed by MediaWiki{{r|sanitizer}}:
* <code>class</code>: one or more classifications to which the element belongs. See [[RetroWikipedia:Catalogue of CSS classes]].
* <code>dir</code>: text direction— <code>"ltr"</code> (left-to-right), <code>"rtl"</code> (right-to-left) or <code>"auto"</code>.
* <code>id</code>: unique identifier for the element.
* <code>lang</code>: primary language for the contents of the element per [[BCP 47]].
* <code>style</code>: applies CSS styling to the contents of the element.
* <code>title</code>: advisory information associated with the element.

HTML5 microdata attributes apply to all tags:{{r|html5microdata}}
* Any attribute beginning with <code>data-</code>
* <code>itemid</code>
* <code>itemprop</code>
* <code>itemref</code>
* <code>itemscope</code>
* <code>itemtype</code>

<!-- As of 10 January 2013, $wgAllowRdfaAttributes is not enabled, thus the attributes will be stripped
[[RDFa]] attributes:{{r|rdfa}}
* <code>about</code>
* <code>property</code>
* <code>resource</code>
* <code>datatype</code>
* <code>typeof</code>
-->
Other tags such as {{tag|table|o}} support specific attributes – these are listed in the appropriate section.

{{markup
|<syntaxhighlight lang="html">This is <span style="color:red;">red</span> text.</syntaxhighlight>
|2=This is <span style="color:red;">red</span> text.
}}

The MediaWiki {{sanitizer.php}} does some cleanup on attributes. A best practice is to use the proper syntax.
* Discards attributes not on a whitelist for the given element.
* Turns broken or invalid entities into plaintext.
* Double-quotes all attribute values.
* Attributes without values are given the name as value.
* Double attributes are discarded.
* Unsafe style attributes are discarded.
* Prepends space if there are attributes.

== Elements ==
These [[HTML element]]s are supported by the MediaWiki software. This section gives a brief overview of the HTML element, an example, relevant wikimarkup and templates.

=== Basic ===

==== h1, h2, h3, h4, h5, h6 ====
{{see|Help:Section|MOS:HEAD}}
The {{tag|h1}} through {{tag|h6}} tags are headings for the sections with which they are associated. {{tag|h1|o}} is used for the article title. Headings are [[Help:Cascading Style Sheets#Wiki headings|styled through CSS]] and added to the page's [[Help:table of contents|table of contents]].

{{markup
|<nowiki><h1>Heading 1</h1>
<h2>Heading 2</h2>
<h3>Heading 3</h3>
<h4>Heading 4</h4>
<h5>Heading 5</h5>
<h6>Heading 6</h6></nowiki>
|{{fakeheading|sub=1|Heading 1}}
{{fakeheading|sub=2|Heading 2}}
{{fakeheading|sub=3|Heading 3}}
{{fakeheading|sub=4|Heading 4}}
{{fakeheading|sub=5|Heading 5}}
{{fakeheading|sub=6|Heading 6}}
}}

Wikimarkup: surround the text with the appropriate number of equal signs. Headers formatted with wikimarkup add an [edit] link.
<section begin="WIKI_section" />
{{markup
|<nowiki>= Heading 1 =
== Heading 2 ==
=== Heading 3 ===
==== Heading 4 ====
===== Heading 5 =====
====== Heading 6 ======
</nowiki>|{{fake heading|sub=1|Heading 1}}
{{fake heading|sub=2|Heading 2}}
{{fake heading|sub=3|Heading 3}}
{{fake heading|sub=4|Heading 4}}
{{fake heading|sub=5|Heading 5}}
{{fake heading|sub=6|Heading 6}}
}}
<section end="WIKI_section" />

Templates: {{tlx|fake heading}} for use in documentation

==== p ====
{{tag|p}} tag places content into a separate paragraph.

{{markup
|<nowiki><p>HyperText Markup Language</p><p>HyperText Markup Language</p></nowiki>
|<p>HyperText Markup Language</p><p>HyperText Markup Language</p>
}}

Wikimarkup: Separate paragraphs by a single blank line.

{{markup
|<nowiki>HyperText Markup Language

HyperText Markup Language</nowiki>
|HyperText Markup Language

HyperText Markup Language
}}

{{tag|p}} is especially useful in lists, for list items with multiple paragraphs:

{{markup|<syntaxhighlight lang="tid">
* <p>This is a paragraph.</p><p>This is another paragraph in the same item.</p>
* This is a different item.</syntaxhighlight>
|
* <p>This is a paragraph.</p><p>This is another paragraph in the same item.</p>
* This is a different item.}}

Note that the closing tag {{tag|p|c}} is not strictly necessary for MediaWiki installations that output HTML 5 (such as RetroWikipedia).

==== br ====
{{see|Help:Line-break handling#&lt;br&gt;| RetroWikipedia:Don't use line breaks}}
{{tag|br|o}} inserts a line break. See [[H:BR]] for the other 4 versions that the [[MediaWiki]] software converts to {{tag|br|s}} in the HTML that browsers read. 

{{markup
|<nowiki>HyperText<br>Markup Language</nowiki>
|HyperText<br>Markup Language
}}

Templates:
* {{tlx|break}} adds multiple line breaks.
* {{tlx|crlf2}} adds a true carriage return and line feed.
* {{tlx|clear}} adds a break with styling to clear floating elements.
* {{tlx|plainlist}} creates an unbulleted list.

==== hr ====
{{see|WP:LINE}}
{{tag|hr|o}} or {{tag|hr|s}} represents a paragraph-level thematic break and presents as a horizontal rule.

{{markup
|<nowiki><hr /></nowiki>
|<hr />
}}

Wikimarkup: use <code>----</code>
{{markup
|<nowiki>----</nowiki>
|{{crlf2}}
----
}}

Templates: {{tlx|hr}}

==== Comments ====
{{see|MOS:COMMENT}}
{{tag|!--}} formats the enclosed text as a hidden comment.

{{markup
|<nowiki>HyperText<!--Markup Language--></nowiki>
|HyperText<!--Markup Language-->
}}

Be careful with spacing around comments. Surrounding a comment with blank lines will result in a blank paragraph, perceived as an extra two blank lines:

{{markup|<nowiki>Content line 1

<!-- Comment -->

Content line 2</nowiki>|Content line 1

<!-- Comment -->

Content line 2}}

=== Formatting ===

==== abbr ====
{{tag|abbr}} creates a [[RetroWikipedia:Tooltips|tooltip]] to define an abbreviation or acronym that is displayed on mouse-over.

{{markup
|<nowiki><abbr title="HyperText Markup Language">HTML</abbr></nowiki>
|2=<abbr title="HyperText Markup Language">HTML</abbr>
}}

Templates: {{tlx|abbr}}

==== b ====
{{see|MOS:BOLD}}
{{tag|b}} formats text stylistically offset from other text (bold) without conveying extra importance.

{{markup
|<nowiki><b>HyperText Markup Language</b></nowiki>
|<b>HyperText Markup Language</b>
}}

Wikimarkup: Use <code><nowiki>'''</nowiki></code> to open and close bold text.

{{markup
|<nowiki>'''HyperText Markup Language'''</nowiki>
|'''HyperText Markup Language'''
}}

==== bdi ====

{{tag|bdi}} isolates the content from the surrounding text-direction settings.

{{markup
|<nowiki>اليمين إلى اليسارleft to right
</nowiki>
|اليمين إلى اليسارleft to right

|<nowiki>اليمين إلى اليسار<bdi>left to right</bdi></nowiki>
|اليمين إلى اليسار<bdi>left to right</bdi>
}}

Support: Firefox, Chrome

==== bdo ====
{{tag|bdo}} specifies the text direction.

Attributes and values:
* <code>dir</code> – Specifies the text direction.
** <code>ltr</code>
** <code>rtl</code>

{{markup
|1=<nowiki><bdo dir="rtl">HyperText Markup Language</bdo></nowiki>
|2=<bdo dir="rtl">HyperText Markup Language</bdo>
}}

==== blockquote ====
{{see|MOS:QUOTE}}
{{tag|blockquote}} presents text in an offset block.

{{markup
|<nowiki><blockquote>HyperText Markup Language</blockquote></nowiki>
|<blockquote>HyperText Markup Language</blockquote>
}}

Templates: {{tlx|quote}}; supports pre-formatted attribution and source parameters. For other specialized quotation templates, see [[:Category:Quotation templates]].

==== cite ====
{{tag|cite}} contains the title of a work. This is a new definition in HTML5— in the previous XML implementation {{tag|cite|o}} was used to contain a citation or a reference to other sources. No formatting is applied when this tag is used. 

{{markup
|<nowiki><cite>HyperText Markup Language</cite></nowiki>
|<cite>HyperText Markup Language</cite>
}}

{{tag|cite}} is generally not used directly in RetroWikipedia articles, and is often misused; see [[RetroWikipedia:HTML 5#cite]] for replacement instructions.

==== code ====
{{tag|code}} formats a section of computer code. Styled with [[Cascading Style Sheets|CSS]] through {{MediaWiki source|mediawiki.skinning/elements.less}} as a black [[Monospaced font|monospaced]] typeface with a grey background (#F8F9FA) and border (#EAECF0).

{{markup
|<nowiki>use <code>this code</code></nowiki>
|use <code>this code</code>
|col2=Renders as<ref name="white bgcolor">For the table cell a white background color was chosen here for a better display of the light gray background.</ref>
|col2style=background-color:#fff;
}}

Templates: {{tlx|code}} uses {{xtag|syntaxhighlight}}. See the "See also" section at the template page for additional code-markup templates.

See {{section link||samp}} and {{section link||kbd}} on this page for semantic markup of output and input, respectively.

==== data ====
{{tag|data}} formats a machine-readable version of contents.

{{markup
|<nowiki><data value="978-0764502149">HTML for Dummies</data></nowiki>
|2=<data value="978-0764502149">HTML for Dummies</data>
}}

Attributes: <code>value</code>

==== del ====
{{tag|del}} formats deleted text.

{{markup
|<nowiki><del>HyperText Markup Language</del></nowiki>
|<del>HyperText Markup Language</del>
}}

==== dfn ====
{{tag|dfn}} is used for indicating the defining instance of a term.

{{markup
|<nowiki><dfn>Definition</dfn></nowiki>
|<dfn>Definition</dfn>
}}

Templates: {{tlx|dfn}}

==== em ====
{{see|MOS:ITALIC}}
{{tag|em}} represents a span of text with emphatic stress (i.e. semantic emphasis). In most browsers, it renders as italic.

{{markup
|<nowiki><em>HyperText Markup Language</em></nowiki>
|<em>HyperText Markup Language</em>
}}

Templates: {{tlx|em}}

==== i ====
{{see|MOS:ITALIC}}
{{tag|i}} represents a span of text offset from its surrounding content without conveying any extra emphasis or importance, and for which the conventional typographic presentation is italic text.

{{markup
|<nowiki><i>HyperText Markup Language</i></nowiki>
|<i>HyperText Markup Language</i>
}}

Wikimarkup: Use <code><nowiki>''</nowiki></code> to open and close italic text.
{{markup
|<nowiki>''HyperText Markup Language''</nowiki>
|''HyperText Markup Language''
}}

==== ins ====
{{tag|ins}} indicates a range of text that has been added. Styled as underlined text. Used on talk pages to indicate refactored text; see [[WP:REDACT]].

{{markup
|<nowiki><ins>HyperText Markup Language</ins></nowiki>
|<ins>HyperText Markup Language</ins>
}}

==== kbd ====
{{tag|kbd}} indicates user input such as keyboard input or voice commands (but ''no'' {{kbd|gray background}} as with the template {{tlx|kbd}}).

{{markup
|<nowiki>Press <kbd>Enter</kbd></nowiki>
|Press <kbd>Enter</kbd>
}}

Templates:
* {{tlx|kbd}} applies monospace styling, and a light-grey background to distinguish from code ({{tag|code|o}}) and output ({{tag|samp|o}} or {{tlx|samp}}).
* {{tlx|key press}} renders illustrated keys and keystrokes.

==== mark ====
{{tag|mark}} represents a run of text in one document marked or highlighted for reference purposes, due to its relevance in another context. Marked text is formatted with a yellow background by default.

{{markup
|<nowiki><mark>HyperText Markup Language</mark></nowiki>
|<mark>HyperText Markup Language</mark>
|<nowiki><mark style="background:lightblue;">HyperText Markup Language</mark></nowiki>
|4=<mark style="background:lightblue;">HyperText Markup Language</mark>
}}

Support: Not supported by Internet Explorer 8 and below.

==== pre ====
{{tag|pre}} element represents a block of preformatted text. In MediaWiki, {{xtag|pre}} is actually a parser tag and not HTML, but the function is the same. It also prevents the parsing of templates.

{{markup
|<nowiki><pre>HyperText Markup Language</pre></nowiki>
|col2=Renders as<ref name="white bgcolor"/>
|col2style=background-color:#fff

|<pre>
HyperText Markup Language
</pre>
}}

===== HTML entities =====

{{tag|pre|o}} parses [[Character encodings in HTML|HTML entities]]. If you want to escape this, replace <code>&</code> with <code>&amp;amp;</code>, or use {{xtag|syntaxhighlight|params = lang="text"}} instead.

{{markup
|<nowiki><pre>&amp;amp;</pre></nowiki>
|col2=Renders as<ref name="white bgcolor"/>
|col2style=background-color:#fff

|<pre>
&amp;
</pre>
|<nowiki><pre>&amp;lt;</pre></nowiki>


|<pre>
&lt;
</pre>
|<nowiki><pre>&amp;amp;amp;</pre></nowiki>


|<pre>
&amp;amp;
</pre>
|<nowiki><pre>&amp;amp;lt;</pre></nowiki>


|<pre>
&amp;lt;
</pre>
}}

Templates:
* {{tlx|pre}} wraps text that overflows the page.

==== q ====
{{tag|q}} is used to mark a short quotation.  There has been very little implementation of this element in RetroWikipedia yet.

{{markup
|<nowiki><q>HyperText Markup Language</q></nowiki>
|<q>HyperText Markup Language</q>
}}

[[MOS:QUOTATIONS]] says RetroWikipedia should instead use "", {{tl|quote}}, or <nowiki><blockquote></nowiki>.

==== rp, rt, ruby ====

{{see|Ruby character}}

{{tag|ruby}} marks spans of phrasing content with ruby annotations.
* {{tag|rt}} marks the ruby text component of a ruby annotation; the ruby text shows in a reduced size over top of the normal characters.
* {{tag|rp}} is used to provide parentheses around a ruby text component of a ruby annotation, to be shown by user agents that don't support ruby annotations.

Browsers that do not support ruby characters will show the ruby text in normal size, enclosed in parentheses and after the normal content.

{{markup
|<syntaxhighlight lang="html"><ruby>
東<rp>(</rp><rt>とう</rt><rp>)</rp>
京<rp>(</rp><rt>きょう</rt><rp>)</rp>
</ruby></syntaxhighlight>
|<ruby>
東<rp>(</rp><rt>とう</rt><rp>)</rp>
京<rp>(</rp><rt>きょう</rt><rp>)</rp>
</ruby>
}}

Templates:
* {{tlx|ruby}}
* {{tlx|ruby-ja}} for Japanese
* {{tlx|Ruby-zh-p}} for Chinese pinyin
* {{tlx|Ruby-zh-b}} for Chinese bopomofo

==== s ====
{{tag|s}} is used to indicate inline content that is no longer accurate or relevant and that has been struck from the page. It is not appropriate when indicating document edits; to mark a span of text as having been removed from a document, use {{tag|del|o}}.

{{markup
|<nowiki><s>HyperText Markup Language</s></nowiki>
|<s>HyperText Markup Language</s>
}}

Templates: {{tlx|strikethrough}} (for inline content), {{tlx|strikethroughdiv}} (for block content)

==== samp ====
{{tag|samp}} indicates sample output from a program or computing system.  Examples include: output of a program, script, or RetroWikipedia template; status displays or audio announcements made by an app or device; file system directory listings and samples from them, such as paths and file names.

{{markup
|<nowiki>sample output: <samp>HTML</samp></nowiki>
|sample output: <samp>HTML</samp>
}}

Templates: {{tlx|samp}} applies monospace styling, and gives the text in dark grey to distinguish from code ({{tag|code|o}}) and input ({{tag|kbd|o}} or {{tlx|kbd}}).

==== small ====
{{see|WP:FONTSIZE}}
{{tag|small}} format small text.

{{markup
|<nowiki><small>HyperText Markup Language</small></nowiki>
|<small>HyperText Markup Language</small>
}}

Templates:
* {{tlx|small}} uses {{tag|span|o|params=style="font-size:85%;"}}. {{tlx|small}} is recommended over {{tag|small|o}} since {{tag|small}} has a semantic meaning that is for [[fine print]], whereas {{tlx|small}} is purely stylistic.

==== strong ====
{{tag|strong}} formats a span of text with strong importance or unusual emphasis; in most browsers it renders as boldface.  This should generally not be used in RetroWikipedia articles, per [[WP:Neutral point of view]] policy.  See [[MOS:BOLD]] on use of this element and other boldfacing. Most semantic emphasis, including in quoted material, should be rendered with the {{tag|em|o}} element.

{{markup
|<nowiki><strong>HyperText Markup Language</strong></nowiki>
|<strong>HyperText Markup Language</strong>
}}

Templates: {{tlx|strong}}

==== sub ====
{{see|WP:SUBSCRIPT}}
{{tag|sub}} formats a span of text as a subscript.

{{markup
|<nowiki>HyperText <sub>Markup Language</sub></nowiki>
|HyperText <sub>Markup Language</sub>
}}

Templates:{{hlist|
| {{tlx|sub}} ({{sub|subscript}} text)
| {{tlx|subsub}} ({{subsub|subscript subscript}} text)
| {{tlx|ssub}} ({{ssub|subscript, small}} text)
| {{tlx|sup}}{{nbsp}}({{sup|superscript}} text)
| {{tlx|su}} ({{su|p=superscript|b=subscript}} text)
| {{tlx|sup sub}} (text{{sup sub|sup|sub}})
| {{tlx|e}} (1.23{{e|4}})
|style=line-height:2.5
|indent=3}}

==== sup ====
{{see|WP:SUPSCRIPT}}
{{tag|sup}} formats a span of text as a superscript.

{{markup
|<nowiki>HyperText <sup>Markup Language</sup></nowiki>
|HyperText <sup>Markup Language</sup>
}}

Templates:
* {{tlx|sub}} ({{sub|subscript}} text)
* {{tlx|subsub}} ({{subsub|subscript subscript}} text)
* {{tlx|ssub}} ({{ssub|subscript, small}} text)
* {{tlx|sup}} ({{sup|superscript}} text)
* {{tlx|su}} ({{su|p=superscript|b=subscript}} text)
* {{tlx|sup sub}} (text{{sup sub|sup|sub}})
* {{tlx|e}} (1.23{{e|4}})

==== time ====
{{tag|time}} defines either a time (24 hour clock), or a date in the Gregorian calendar, optionally with a time and a time-zone offset.

{{markup
|<nowiki><time>10:00</time></nowiki>
|<time>10:00</time>
}}

Attributes: <code>datetime</code>

Support: Not supported by Internet Explorer 8 and below.

==== u ====
{{see|MOS:BADEMPHASIS|MOS:QUOTE}}
{{tag|u}} represents a span of text offset from its surrounding content without conveying any extra emphasis or importance, and for which the conventional typographic presentation is underlining; for example, a span of text in Chinese that is a proper name (a Chinese proper name mark), or span of text that is known to be misspelled. 

{{tag|u|o}} was [[HTML element#Presentational markup|presentational element of HTML]]  that was originally used to underline text; this usage was [[deprecated]] in HTML4 in favor of the [[CSS]] style <code>{text-decoration: underline}</code>.<ref name=mozilla>{{cite web |url=https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/u |title=&lt;u&gt;: The Unarticulated Annotation (Underline) element | date = 1 August 2020 |access-date= 9 October 2020 | website= mozilla.org}}</ref>  In HTML5, the tag reappeared but its meaning was changed significantly: it now "represents a span of inline text which should be rendered in a way that indicates that it has a non-textual annotation".<ref name=mozilla /> This facility is intended for example to provide a red wavy line underline to flag spelling errors at input time but which are not to be embedded in any stored file (unlike an emphasis mark, which would be). 

{{markup
|<u>HyperText Markup Language</u>
|<u>HyperText Markup Language</u>
}}

Templates: {{tlx|underline}} (which supplies the recommended CSS style)

==== var ====
{{see|MOS:ITALIC}}
{{tag|var}} formats text in italics to indicate a variable in a mathematical expression or programming context, or placeholder text that the reader is meant to mentally replace with some other literal value.

{{markup
|1=<syntaxhighlight lang="wikitext">
*<var>E</var>=<var>m</var>c<sup>2</sup> (c is a constant not a variable)
*<code><nowiki>{{</nowiki><var>TemplateName</var>|<var>parameter</var>=<var>value</var><nowiki>}}</nowiki></code>
*If <var>A</var> then <var>B</var>

</syntaxhighlight>

|2=
*<var>E</var>=<var>m</var>c<sup>2</sup> (c is a constant not a variable)<br />
*<code><nowiki>{{</nowiki><var>TemplateName</var>{{!}}<var>parameter</var>=<var>value</var><nowiki>}}</nowiki></code><br />
*If <var>A</var> then <var>B</var>
}}

Templates:
* {{tlx|var}}
* {{tlx|varserif}} formatted in italic serif to differentiate characters

==== wbr ====
{{see|Help:Line-break handling#&lt;wbr&gt; and soft hyphens}}
{{tag|wbr|o}} is a word break opportunity; that is, it specifies where it would be OK to add a line-break where a word is too long, or it is perceived that the browser will break a line at the wrong place.

{{markup
|<nowiki>Now is the time to become a power editor, by learning HyperText Markup Language</nowiki>
|Now is the time to become a power editor, by learning HyperText Markup Language

|<nowiki>Now is the time to become a power editor, by learning Hyper<wbr>Text Markup Language</nowiki>
|Now is the time to become a power editor, by learning Hyper<wbr />Text Markup Language
}}

As the browser window is adjusted narrower, the second example wraps between ''Hyper'' and ''Text''.

=== Lists ===
{{see|Help:List|MOS:LIST}}

Do not leave blank lines between items in a list unless there is a reason to do so, since this causes the MediaWiki software to interpret each item as beginning a new list.

==== dl, dt, dd ====
{{tag|dl}}, {{tag|dt}} and {{tag|dd}} are used to create a description list (formerly definition list) with terms and descriptions. Terms are displayed in bold and descriptions are indented. Each term <em>must</em> include one or more descriptions.

{{markup
|<syntaxhighlight lang="html"><dl>
<dt>Term</dt>
<dd>Definition 1</dd>
<dd>Definition 2</dd>
</dl></syntaxhighlight>
|<dl>
<dt>Term</dt>
<dd>Definition 1</dd>
<dd>Definition 2</dd>
</dl>
}}

Wikimarkup: {{tag|dt|o}} is created using <code>;</code> while automatically enclosed in {{tag|dl}}. {{tag|dd|o}} is created using <code>:</code> for each value. For a single or first value the <code>:</code> can be placed on the same line after <code>;</code> where subsequent values must be placed on separate lines.

{{markup
|<syntaxhighlight lang="wikitext">; Term
: Definition 1
: Definition 2</syntaxhighlight>
|<dl><!-- this wikimarkup does not render in this template -->
<dt>Term</dt>
<dd>Definition 1</dd>
<dd>Definition 2</dd>
</dl>
}}

Templates: {{tlx|defn}}

==== ol, ul, li ====
{{tag|ol}} represents an ordered list; {{tag|ul}} represents an unordered list; {{tag|li}} represents a list item within either type of list.

{{markup
|<syntaxhighlight lang="html"><ol>
<li>Item 1</li>
<li>Item 2</li>
</ol></syntaxhighlight>
|<ol>
<li>Item 1</li>
<li>Item 2</li>
</ol>
|<syntaxhighlight lang="html"><ul>
<li>Item 1</li>
<li>Item 2</li>
</ul></syntaxhighlight>
|<ul>
<li>Item 1</li>
<li>Item 2</li>
</ul>
}}

Wikimarkup: use <code>*</code> for items in an unordered list and <code>#</code> for ordered lists.
{{markup
|1=<syntaxhighlight lang="wikitext"># Item 1
# Item 2</syntaxhighlight>
|2=<nowiki />
# Item 1
# Item 2
|3=<syntaxhighlight lang="wikitext">* Item 1
* Item 2</syntaxhighlight>
|4=<nowiki />
* Item 1
* Item 2
}}

Templates: for a variety of specialized uses, see [[:Category:List formatting and function templates]].

=== Containers ===

==== div ====
{{see|Span and div}}
{{tag|div}} is a generic container for flow content that displays as a block element.

{{markup
|<nowiki>HyperText <div>Markup</div> Language</nowiki>
|HyperText <div>Markup</div> Language
}}

==== span ====
{{see|Span and div}}
{{tag|span}} is a container for flow content that displays as an inline element.

{{markup
|<nowiki>HyperText <span>Markup</span> Language</nowiki>
|HyperText Markup Language
}}

=== Tables ===
{{see|Help:Table|MOS:TABLES}}

==== table, td, tr ====
{{tag|table}} defines a table.

* {{tag|tr}} defines a table row.
* {{tag|td}} defines a data cell with contents that may include text, links, images, lists, forms, other tables, etc.

{{markup
|<syntaxhighlight lang="html"><table border=1>
<tr>
<td>data</td>
<td>data</td>
</tr>
</table></syntaxhighlight>
|2=<table border=1>
<tr>
<td>data</td>
<td>data</td>
</tr>
</table>
}}

Attributes:
* {{tag|table|o}}:
*: Allowed but not recommended: <code>border=""</code> and <code>border="1"</code>
*: Allowed but obsolete: <code>border</code> (with a non-empty value different from "1"), <code>align</code>, <code>bgcolor</code>, <code>cellpadding</code>, <code>cellspacing</code>, <code>frame</code>, <code>rules</code>, <code>summary</code>, <code>width</code><ref name="w3c_obsolete" />
* {{tag|td|o}}: <code>colspan</code>, <code>headers</code>, <code>rowspan</code>
*: Allowed but obsolete: <code>abbr</code>, <code>align</code>, <code>axis</code>, <code>bgcolor</code>, <code>scope</code>, <code>height</code>, <code>nowrap</code>, <code>valign</code>, <code>width</code><ref name="w3c_obsolete" />

==== th ====
{{tag|th}} defines a table header; styled as centered and bold.

{{markup
|<syntaxhighlight lang="html"><table border="1">
<tr>
<th>Header</th>
<th>Header</th>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>data</td>
<td>data</td>
</tr>
</table></syntaxhighlight>
|2=<table border="1">
<tr>
<th>Header</th>
<th>Header</th>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>data</td>
<td>data</td>
</tr>
</table>
}}

Attributes:
* {{tag|th|o}}: <code>colspan</code>, <code>headers</code>, <code>rowspan</code>, <code>scope</code>
*: Allowed but obsolete: <code>abbr</code>, <code>align</code>, <code>axis</code>, <code>bgcolor</code>, <code>height</code>, <code>nowrap</code>, <code>valign</code>, <code>width</code><ref name="w3c_obsolete" />

==== caption ====
{{tag|caption}} adds a caption to a table.

{{markup
|<syntaxhighlight lang="html"><table border=1>
<caption>Caption</caption>
<tr>
<td>data</td>
<td>data</td>
</tr>
</table></syntaxhighlight>
|2=<table border=1>
<caption>Caption</caption>
<tr>
<td>data</td>
<td>data</td>
</tr>
</table>
}}

Attributes:
* {{tag|caption|o}}:
*: Allowed but obsolete: <code>align</code><ref name="w3c_obsolete" />

==== thead, tfoot, tbody ====
{{tag|thead|o}}, {{tag|tfoot|o}} and {{tag|tbody|o}} are not supported, but are automatically generated when the page is rendered.

== Obsolete/deprecated elements ==
{{main|RetroWikipedia:HTML5#Obsolete elements and attributes}}
These elements are now obsolete and either deprecated or removed in HTML5, although they are still supported by browsers.<ref name="w3c_obsolete" /> '''Their use should be avoided on RetroWikipedia.''' These tags either have an alternate tag or a template that replaces their function with CSS; the tags are being replaced by editors on pages throughout RetroWikipedia (see [[RetroWikipedia:Linter]] for more details). See {{slink|RetroWikipedia:HTML5#Obsolete elements and attributes}} for more details on obsolete HTML parts and their replacements.

=== center ===
{{for|centering tables|Help:Table#Centering tables}}
{{dc|{{tag|center}} (obsolete)}} was used to center text elements.

Templates: {{tlx|center}} uses CSS.

=== font ===
{{dc|{{tag|font}} (obsolete)}} was used to set the font size, font face and color of text.

Templates: {{tlx|font}} uses CSS.

=== rb ===
{{dc|{{tag|rb}} (obsolete)}} was used to mark base text in a ruby annotation.

For replacements, see: [[Help:HTML in wikitext#rp, rt, ruby]]

=== strike ===
{{dc|{{tag|strike}} (obsolete)}} formatted strike-through characters; use {{tag|s}} or {{tag|del}} instead, depending on the context.

=== tt ===
{{dc|{{tag|tt}} (obsolete)}} formatted text in a fixed-width font. Use {{tag|code|o}}, {{tag|kbd|o}}, {{tag|var|o}}, or {{tag|samp|o}} instead, depending on the context.

Templates: {{tlx|mono}} uses CSS.

== Unsupported elements ==

These elements are not supported, but have equivalent wiki markup. Attempting to use any element not whitelisted by  {{sanitizer.php}} will result in the markup showing as plain text.

=== a ===
{{details|Help:Wiki markup#Links and URLs}}
{{tag|a|o}} is used to create links. Use the <code><nowiki>[[ ]]</nowiki></code> wikimarkup for internal/intrawiki links and [[Help:Interwiki linking|interwiki links]],  and <code><nowiki>[ ]</nowiki></code> for external links.

=== input ===
{{details|mw:Extension:InputBox}}
{{tag|input|o}} is used to create [[Form (HTML)|forms]]. The {{xtag|inputbox}} extension tag is used to create a text box with a button.

== HTML Tidy ==
[[HTML Tidy]] is an outdated HTML4 library{{vague|upstream is now HTML5}} that is [[:mw:Parsing/Replacing Tidy|slated for removal]]. Tidy parses the MediaWiki output and cleans it up to increase the likelihood that valid HTML4 is rendered. For example, with Tidy enabled, {{tag|br|o}}, {{tag|br|c}}, {{tag|br/|o}}, {{tag|br.|o}} all rendered as {{tag|br|s}}. Tidy is not enabled for [[Help:MediaWiki namespace|MediaWiki interface pages]]. Tidy was never perfect and has been known to introduce errors.

== Exceptions ==
In some pages in the [[Help:MediaWiki namespace|MediaWiki namespace]], typically the short messages like button labels, HTML is not parsed, and tags will be exposed.

User and sitewide [[CSS]] and [[JavaScript]] pages are interpreted as if inside a {{tag|pre|o}} block. See [[Help:User style]].

== Validation ==
{{Main|Help:Markup validation}}
The MediaWiki software attempts to fix HTML errors, but it does not catch all of them. Where HTML is used, it is helpful to verify it with the [[W3C Markup Validation Service]].

== Parser and extension tags ==
{{shortcut|Help:Extension tag|Help:Parser tag}}
{{#section:Template:Xtag/doc|xtag}}

== See also ==
* [[Help:Wikitext]]
* [[RetroWikipedia:HTML5]]
* [[:Category:RetroWikipedia XHTML tag-replacing templates]]

== References ==
{{reflist|refs=
<ref name="w3c_obsolete">{{cite web |title=HTML5: A vocabulary and associated APIs for HTML and XHTML: Obsolete Features |work=W3C |date=31 July 2014 |url=http://www.w3.org/TR/html5/obsolete.html}}</ref>
<ref name="sanitizer">Allowable elements and attributes are defined in the {{sanitizer.php}} module.</ref>
<ref name="html5microdata">{{cite web |title=The microdata model |work=HTML Living Standard |url=http://www.whatwg.org/specs/web-apps/current-work/multipage/microdata.html#the-microdata-model}}</ref>
}}

== External links ==
* HTML 4.01 specification: [http://www.w3.org/TR/html401/index/elements.html elements] | [http://www.w3.org/TR/html401/index/attributes.html attributes]
* HTML 5.2 specification: [https://www.w3.org/TR/html5/fullindex.html#index-elements elements] | [https://www.w3.org/TR/html5/fullindex.html#attributes-table attributes]

{{RetroWikipedia directories}}
{{RetroWikipedia editor navigation}}

[[Category:RetroWikipedia editor help]]