HTML Tag Question

[Matt]

Whats the differences between the following:

1) <input type="text" name="username">
2) <input type="text" name="username" />
3) <input type="text" name="username"></input>

I always use #1, but I have seen people using #2 and #3, but
seems like they all yield the same output.

Please advise. Thanks!!

 

[Mark Parnell]

Whats the differences between the following:

1) <input type="text" name="username">
2) <input type="text" name="username" />

This one has a space and a / before the >

3) <input type="text" name="username"></input>

This one has a </input> added at the end.

BTW: 1 is HTML, 2 and 3 are XHTML.

 

[Neal]

Whats the differences between the following:

1) <input type="text" name="username">
2) <input type="text" name="username" />
3) <input type="text" name="username"></input>

I always use #1, but I have seen people using #2 and #3, but
seems like they all yield the same output.

Please advise. Thanks!!

1) is correct HTML. 2) is correct XHTML. 3) is valid but incorrect XHTML.

 

[Geoff Ball]

(e-mail address removed) (Matt) wrote in @posting.google.com:

Whats the differences between the following:

1) <input type="text" name="username">
HTML.

2) <input type="text" name="username" />
3) <input type="text" name="username"></input>

XHTML. For compatibility with older browsers, use #2 over #3 (because you
can't have content within the input element anyway).

I always use #1, but I have seen people using #2 and #3, but
seems like they all yield the same output.

If you're using HTML, use #1. If you're using XHTML, use #2.

Regards,
Geoff

 

[rf]

Whats the differences between the following:

HTML element.

1) <input type="text" name="username">

XHTML elements: (an entirely different animal)

2) <input type="text" name="username" />
3) <input type="text" name="username"></input>

If you are writing HTML then 1) is the only valid one. In fact, 2) in

I always use #1, but I have seen people using #2 and #3, but
seems like they all yield the same output.

Yep, mainly because many browsers (well the MS one at least) simply do not
understand XHTML and it gets error corrected back to HTML.

Cheers
Richard.

 

[Toby A Inkster]

3) is valid but incorrect XHTML.

There's nothing incorrect about it.

 

[David Dorward]

Whats the differences between the following:

1) <input type="text" name="username">

In HTML: An input element
In XHTML: An opening tag for an input element

2) <input type="text" name="username" />

In HTML: An input element followed by a ">" sign
In XHTML: An input element

3) <input type="text" name="username"></input>

In HTML: An input element followed by an invalid tag
In XHTML: An input element

I always use #1, but I have seen people using #2 and #3, but
seems like they all yield the same output.

Browsers tend to perform error correction to cope with author's screwups. It
is best to avoid conditions which trigger error correction as not all
browsers will guess the author's intentions in the same way.

 

[Neal]

There's nothing incorrect about it.

"C.2. Empty Elements

Include a space before the trailing / and > of empty elements, e.g. <br
/>, <hr /> and <img src="karen.jpg" alt="Karen" />. Also, use the
minimized tag syntax for empty elements, e.g. <br />, as the alternative
syntax <br></br> allowed by XML gives uncertain results in many existing
user agents."

Ok, maybe "incorrect" is too strong. But it's definitely "uncertain" and
therefore unadvisable.

 

[David Håsäther]

"C.2. Empty Elements

Include a space before the trailing / and > of empty elements,
e.g. <br />, <hr /> and <img src="karen.jpg" alt="Karen" />. Also,
use the minimized tag syntax for empty elements, e.g. <br />, as
the alternative syntax <br></br> allowed by XML gives uncertain
results in many existing user agents."

Appendix C is informative.

Ok, maybe "incorrect" is too strong. But it's definitely
"uncertain" and therefore unadvisable.

Yes, when sending it with the wrong Content-Type.

 

[Neal]

Yes, when sending it with the wrong Content-Type.

.... which you must do for most users, who use a particular browser-like
piece of software.