Jan said:
The www has something they call ... what do they call it ...
the W3C - the www consortium.
And they always try to improve the standards for the internet.
So they have discussions with brucie's little men in the server -
they give their best.
But I don't want to exclude myself.
So I make now a contribution to this and translate
some stuff concerning this topic on
www.teamone.de from
Mr. Stephan Muenz's 'selfhtml' which is very popular
in areas with german as the local language.
There is a english version on
http://en.selfhtml.org/css/index.htm
for the css section
but there is still a lot of work to do.
So I will post here what I use that isn't translated yet (Maybe I should
join the translation team.)
HTML variants 'strict', 'transitional' and 'frameset'
In order that a HTML document is valid it has to conform completely the
rules that are *defined* in the HTML DTD (DTD = document type definition).
Those rules define which elements may be used, how they may be nested, which
attributes according to which elements are allowed and what allocations of
values to those attributes are allowed.
Now there are right three html DTDs in HTML 4.0 and HTML 4.01. It is a
matter of three different variants.
Variant 'strict'
--------------------
The variant 'strict is by the W3-consortium the recommended and preferred
variant. It is to be distinguished that it only allows slim HTML. Many
elements and attributes for formatting and displaying of text are missing
within this variant.
Instead authors of webpages are encouraged to use css stylesheets for
formatting. A further specific feature of the variant 'strict' is that
inside of <body> and </body> any content must stand in block elements.[1]
The variant 'strict' is suitable especially for new webpages to be produced
which formatting consequently overemphasizes css. [2]
To use the variant 'strict' explicitly in HTML 4.01 the following notation
is required on the very beginning of a HTML file:
<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01//EN"
"
http://www.w3.org/TR/html4/strict.dtd">
Variant 'transitional'
----------------------------
The variant 'transitional' is a compromise which the w3 consortium provides
in view of some own mistakes in the past (definitions from the HTML version
3.2) and in view of the high spreading of webpages that use those features.
The variant 'transitional' allows the use of divers elements and attributes
that are branded as 'deprecated' and that no longer appear in the variant
'strict'. Such favoured HTML elements like 'font' or often used attributes
like 'align=' or 'bgcolor=' belong to that.
At the variant 'transitional' it is allowed aswell to note text or inline
elements[3] within <body> and </body>.
First of all the variant 'transitional' is adviseable for already existing
webpages that are to be brought on a state without all-too big effort which
presents valid HTML 4.0 or 4.01.
To use the variant 'transitional' explicitly in HTML 4.01 the following
notation is required on the very beginning of a HTML file:
<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Transitional//EN"
"
http://www.w3.org/TR/html4/loose.dtd">
remark: Due to the distinction of the name of the variant and the name of
the DTD, you find the expression 'loose' variant aswell sometimes. Which
means 'transitional' variant.
Variant 'frameset'
----------------------
The variant 'frameset' in HTML 4.01 is identic with the variant
'transitional' with the only exception that the necessary nesting of the
elements below the root element 'html' differs. In this variant instead of
a 'body' element a 'frameset' element is required.
To use the variant 'frameset' explicitly in HTML 4.01 the following notation
is required on the very beginning of a HTML file:
<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Frameset//EN"
"
http://www.w3.org/TR/html4/frameset.dtd">
[1]
Block elements produce a new line in floating Text. Depending on the type of
element the browser can insert automatically a bigger space to the
preceding content. E.g. the browser produces a visible space
in order that the switching of a paragraph is distinguishable from a simple
new line. In contrast the 'div' element for instance just causes a new
line.
As a general rule block elements can contain ordinary text and inline
elements[3]. Some block elements can contain other block elements aswell.
Exeptions have to be studied in detail according to the single elements.
The following elements belong to block elements:
address | blockquote | center | dl | dir | div | fieldset | form | h1-6 | hr
| isindex | menu | noframes | noscript | ol | p | pre | table | ul
(center, dir, menu, noframes and isindex only at HTML transitional)
[2]
applet
basefont
body alink
body background
body bgcolor
body link
body text
body vlink
br clear
caption align
center
dir
div
dl compact
font
frame
frameset
h1-h6 align
hr align
hr size
hr noshade
hr width
html version
iframe
img align
img hspace
img vspace
img border
input align
isindex
legend align
li type
li value
menu
object align
object border
object hspace
object vspace
ol compact
ol start
ol type
p align
pre width
s
script language
strike
table align
table bgcolor
td bgcolor
td height
td nowrap
td width
th bgcolor
th height
th nowrap
th width
tr bgcolor
u
ul compact
ul
[3]
Inline elements don't produce a new line within floating text. Inline
elements are intended to be subsidiary 'inner' elements of block elements.
In most cases they can contain ordinary text and other inline elements but
no block elements. Exeptions have to be studied in detail according to the
single elements.
The following elements belong to inline elements:
a | abbr | acronym | applet | b | basefont | bdo | big | br | button | cite
| code | dfn | em | font | i | img | input | iframe | kbd | label | map |
object | q | samp | script | select | small | span | strong | sub | sup |
textarea | tt | var
(applet, basefont, font, iframe, u, s and strike only
