a ... ⁄a
HTML5 a element
The a element allows you to create a hyperlink, a hypertext anchor, or represents simply a placeholder. »video
About a
- is an optional element
- multiple a elements allowed per HTML5 document
Display & support a
- display in browser »video
Parents, children a
- a nested within elements »a parents
- elements nested within a »a children
»examples
Attributes a
- required: none
- optional: specific attributes, global attributes, event attributes
Observations:
- if href attribute is not present → a placeholder; a element has no attribute
- if href attribute is present → a hyperlink or a hyper anchor
- if href attribute is present → all other specific attributes can be specified on a element
Warning
Within the a element (between the start tag and the end tag), interactive content is not allowed »details
Syntax a
| 1 | <> ... </> »video |
Attributes and Values a (comma separated)
| < | attribute | = | "attribute_value(s)" | > | Video | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. specific attributes | ||||||
| 1. | download | = | resource name | »video | < href="getinfo/cours.pdf" download> ... <⁄> | |
| 2. | href | = | URL | »video | < href="file.php"> ... <⁄> | |
| 3. | hreflang | = | language code | »video | < href="file.php" hreflang="en"> ... <⁄> | |
| 4. | ping | = | URL | - | < href="#demo" ping="test.php/demo"> ... <⁄> | |
| 5. | rel | = | alternate, author, bookmark, help license, next, nofollow, noreferrer prefetch, prev, search, sidebar, tag | »video | < href="http://..." rel="nofollow"> ... <⁄> | |
| 6. | target | = | _blank, _self, _parent, _top, a valid browsing-context name | »video | < href="file.php" target="_blank"> ... <⁄> | |
| 7. | type | = | MIME type | »video | < href="file.php" type="text/html"> ... <⁄> | |
| All Specific Attributes | ||||||
| 2. global attributes | ||||||
| 1. | accesskey | = | keyboard key | »img | < accesskey="h"> ... </> | |
| 2. | class | = | class name | »html »img | < class="class_name"> ... </> | |
| 3. | contenteditable | = | "", , true, false | »html | < contenteditable="true"> ... </> | |
| 4. | contextmenu | = | menu id value | »html | < contextmenu="menu_id_value"> ... </> | |
| 5. | data-* | = | value | - | < data-http-error="404"> ... </> | |
| 6. | dir | = | ltr, rtl, auto | »html | < dir="ltr"> ... </> | |
| 7. | draggable | = | true, , false | »img | < draggable="false"> ... </> | |
| 8. | dropzone | = | copy, move, link, string:, file: | - | < dropzone="copy"> ... </> | |
| 9. | hidden | = | "", , hidden | »html »img | < hidden="hidden"> ... </> | |
| 10. | id | = | id name | »html »img | < id="unique_id_name"> ... </> | |
| 11. | itemid | = | URL | - | - | |
| 12. | itemprop | = | string | »link »a | < href="http://..." itemprop="url"> ... </> | |
| 13. | itemref | = | string | - | - | |
| 14. | itemscope | = | "", , itemscope | - | - | |
| 15. | itemtype | = | absolute URL | - | - | |
| 16. | lang | = | language code | »html »head»title »img | < lang="en"> ... </> | |
| 17. | spellcheck | = | "", , true, false | »html | < spellcheck="true"> ... </> | |
| 18. | style | = | CSS property:value | »html »img | < style="color:red"> ... </> | |
| 19. | tabindex | = | integer | »img | < tabindex="3"> ... </> | |
| 20. | title | = | text | »html »link»style »abbr»dfn »img »meter | < title="html page"> ... </> | |
| 21. | translate | = | "", yes, no | »html »img | < translate="yes"> ... </> | |
| All Global Attributes | ||||||
| 3. global event attributes | ||||||
| 1. | onclick | = | script | » list | <element onclick="script" > ... | |
| 2. | ondblclick | = | script | » list | <element ondblclick="script" > ... | |
| All Event Attributes | ||||||
Video demonstration a element
HTML5 a tag: hyperlink, hypertext anchor, placeholder
| min | video details |
|---|---|
| 00:06 | video tutorial: a element objective: understanding the a element |
| 00:10 | a element allows you to: 1. create a hyperlink 2. create a hypertext anchor 3. when href attribute is absent, represents nothing but a placeholder |
| 00:21 | create a hyperlink using a element |
| 00:24 | linking the 'a hyperlink' text to w3-video.com: - adding the a start tag and end tag - adding href attribute on a start tag - adding a value (a valid URL) to the href attribute |
| 00:37 | saving the modifications in Notepad++ |
| 00:38 | refreshing the page in browser |
| 00:40 | the text 'a hyperlink' became blue |
| 00:41 | text: clicking the blue text |
| 00:43 | test result: OK , the linked resource, w3-video.com, displays |
| 00:50 | create a hypertext anchor using a element |
| 00:53 | - adding the a start tag and end tag - adding href attribute on a start tag - see 01:26 |
| 01:08 | adding some random text on page, for example purpose |
| 01:20 | adding an id to this last text, value="last" |
| 01:26 | - adding the value of the id - the value is: last - to a element, as value of the href attribute, preceded by # |
| 01:35 | the hypertext anchor is created |
| 01:36 | saving the modifications in Notepad++ |
| 01:37 | refreshing the html page in browser |
| 01:38 | the text: 'a hypertext anchor' became blue |
| 01:39 | test: clicking the blue text |
| 01:41 | test result: ok , we were taken to the element that has the id="last" |
| 01:47 | a represents just a placeholder |
| 01:47 | when href attribute is absent, a element represents nothing but a placeholder → it means that in the future we could add the href attribute on this a element and make the text contained by the a element: - a hyperlink, - a hypertext anchor or - a hyperlink with a hypertext anchor |
| 01:50 | adding just the start tag and the end tag of the a element |
| 01:54 | saving the modification in Notepad++ and refreshing the page in browser |
| 00:58 | note: the text: 'or represents just a placeholder' did not turn to blue; that text is not clickable, that text does not represent a hyperlink or an anchor, it's simply a placeholder |
| 02:05 | "a hyperlink": this text links to w3-video.com |
| 02:07 | "a hypertext anchor": this text links to an element from the same page, having the id="last" |
| 02:12 | "or represents just a placeholder": this text links to nothing |
| 02:15 | a element allows you to create a: - hyperlink - hypertext anchor - hyperlink with a hypertext anchor |
For more information about the element, please see the specs: W3C ⁄ WHATWG