XHTML Elements

Article
08/28/2006

There are many elements in the XHTML language and many derivatives. This topic is designed to help understand which elements are supported in which derivative and within Internet Explorer Mobile.

In This Section

The table shows the possible elements available in some of the main variations on the HyperText Markup Language (HTML) theme. These include HTML, XHTML, CHTML, iHTML and WAP.

The XHTML column shows in which module the element is found.

The HTML column indicates at which version of HTML this element was initially supported.

cHTML is compact HTML and is a subset of HTML for small information devices such as Smartphones and Pocket PC. To accommodate the restrictions placed on such devices, it does not support tables, frames, style sheets and more than 2-color displays. It also assumes that the device will have limited interactive hardware, such as no keyboard or mouse.

iHTML is inline HTML and is a server side scripting language that works with HTML. This allows for dynamic customization of web sites.

XHTML is eXtensible HTML and is the integration of HTML 4.0 into an XML application. XHTML contains the initial building blocks for future HTML extensions. There are Basic and numbered variations of the language. The Basic set contains the minimal set of elements required for an XHTML document type. It has been modularized and where appropriate these nodules have been indicated. These modules include Text, Hypertext, Applet and Client-Side Image Maps.

WAP is the Wireless Application Protocol and is an open standard for applications that with to communicate with wireless devices, such as mobile phones. It is specifically designed to allow web sites to address the challenges of small portable devices.

The table also indicates which features are available to Pocket PC (PPC) and Smartphone (SP).

Element	PPC	SP	XHTML Module	HTML	cHTML	iHTML	Req'd for XHTML Basic?	Req'd for XHTML 2.0	Req'd for WAP 2.1	Req'd for HTML 4.01	Comments
! --	Yes	Yes		2	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No
! DOCTYPE	Yes	Yes		2	Yes	No	No	No	No	No	There is no difference in the way Internet Explorer Mobile handles HTML 3.2 vs. HTML 4.0 in this case. This is also the same as no DOCTYPE specified.
? xml-stylesheet	Yes	Yes		Yes	No	No	No	No	Yes	No	For full details see the W3C Web site.
A	Yes	Yes	Hypertext	2	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	Yes	Designates the start or destination of a hypertext link. The A element is an inline element and requires a closing tag.
A	Yes	Yes		4	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	Yes	Method of giving access/focus to an active HTML element using a keypad number. This feature is only supported on devices with an appropriate input method.
ABBR	Yes	Yes	Text	4	No	No	Yes	Yes	No	Yes
ACRONYM	Yes	Yes		4	No	No	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Renders its contents in italics. Used to specify information such as the address, signature and authorship for the document. ADDRESS is a block element and requires a closing tag.
ADDRESS	Yes	Yes	Text	4	No	No	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Renders its contents in italics. Used to specify information such as the address, signature and authorship for the document. ADDRESS is a block element and requires a closing tag.
APPLET	Yes	Yes	Applet	3.2	No	No	No	No	No	No	This will be ignored by the browser unless a JVM is installed. This element is deprecated in HTML 4.0 in favor of <OBJECT>
AREA	Yes	Yes	Client-Side Image Map	3.2	No	No	No	No	No	Yes	Defines the shape, coordinates, and associated URL of one hyperlink region within a client-side image MAP. The AREA element is not rendered and requires a closing tag.
B	Yes	Yes		2	No	No	No	No	No	Yes	Specifies that the text should be rendered in bold. The B element is an inline element and requires a closing tag.
BASE	Yes	Yes	Base	2	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Specifies an explicit URL used to resolve links and references to external source such as links and images. The BASE element does not require a closing tag
BASEFONT	Yes	Yes	Legacy	3.2	No	No	No	No	No	No	Sets attributes of default font to be used when rendering text. This does not require a closing tag.
BGSOUND	Yes	Yes	Legacy	IE2	No	No	No	No	No	No	Enables a background sound to be played when the page is visited. BGSOUND does not require a closing tag.
BIG	Yes	Yes		3	No	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	Specifies that the enclosed text should be in a larger font than the current font. BIG is an inline element and requires a closing tag
BLOCKQUOTE	Yes	Yes	Text	2	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Sets apart a quotation in text. Text within the tag is indented. BLOCKQUOTE is a block element and requires a closing tag
BODY	Yes	Yes	Structure	2	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Denotes the beginning and end of the document body. BODY is a block element and requires a closing tag.
BR	Yes	Yes	Text	2	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Inserts a line break. This element does not require a closing tag.
CAPTION	Yes	Yes	Tables	3	No	No	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Specifies a brief description/caption for a table. The CAPTION element is a block element and requires a closing tag.
CENTER	Yes	Yes		3.2	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No	Centers subsequent text and images. This element is a block element and requires a closing tag.
CITE	Yes	Yes	Text	2	No	No	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Specifies a citation. The enclosed text is rendered in italics. The CITE element is a block element and requires a closing tag.
CODE	Yes	Yes	Text	2	No	No	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Specifies a code sample. The enclosed text is rendered in a mono-spaced font. The CODE element is an inline element and requires a closing tag.
DD	Yes	Yes	List	2	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Indicates a definition in a definition list (DL). The definition is indented from the definition list. This element is a block element and does not require a closing tag.
DEL	Yes	Yes		4	No	No	No	No	No	Yes
DFN	Yes	Yes	Text	3	No	No	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Indicates the defining instance of a term. The enclosed text is rendered in italics. This element is an inline element and requires a closing tag.
DIR	Yes	Yes	List	2	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No	Denotes a directory list. The DIR element is a block element and requires a closing tag.
DIV	Yes	Yes	Text	3	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Specifies a container/division in the document. This is a block element and requires a closing tag.
DL	Yes	Yes	List	2	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Denotes a definition list. The DL element is a block element and requires a closing tag.
DT	Yes	Yes	List	2	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Denotes a definition term within a definition list (DL). The DT element is a block element and does not require a closing tag.
EM	Yes	Yes	Text	2	No	No	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Emphasizes text by rendering it in italics. The EM element is an inline element and requires a closing tag.
FONT	Yes	Yes	Legacy	3	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No	Specifies a new font, size, and color to be used for rendering the enclosed text. The FONT element requires a closing tag.
FORM	Yes	Yes	Basic Forms	2	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Specifies that the contained controls are part of a form. The FORM element is a block element and requires a closing tag
FRAME	Yes	No	Frames	4	No	No	No	No	No	Yes	Specifies an individual frame within a FRAMESET. FRAME is a block element and does not require a closing tag.
FRAMESET	Yes	No	Frames	4	No	No	No	No	No	Yes	Specifies a frameset consisting of 1 or more frames. The FRAMESET element is a block element and requires a closing tag.
H1...H6	Yes	Yes	Text	2	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Renders text in heading style. Use H1 through H6 to specify different sizes and styles of headings. The Hn element is a block element and requires a closing tag.
HEAD	Yes	Yes	Structure	2	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Provides an unordered collection of information about the document. The HEAD element requires a closing tag.
HR	Yes	Yes	Text	2	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	Yes	Draws a horizontal rule. The HR element is a block element and does not require a closing tag.
HTML	Yes	Yes	Structure	2	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Identifies the document as containing HTML elements. The HTML element requires a closing tag.
I	Yes	Yes		2	No	No	No	No	No	Yes	Specifies that the enclosed text should be rendered in italics. The I element is an inline element and requires a closing tag.
IMG	Yes	Yes	Image	2	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Embeds an image in the document.
INPUT TYPE=button	Yes	Yes	Basic Forms	4	No	No	No	No	No	Yes	Creates a button control. The input type=button element is an inline element and does not require a closing tag.
INPUT TYPE=checkbox	Yes	Yes	Basic Forms	2	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Creates a checkbox control. The checkbox element is an inline element and does not require a closing tag.
INPUT TYPE=file	Yes	Yes		4	No	No	No	No	No	No
INPUT TYPE=hidden	Yes	Yes	Basic Forms	2	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Used to transmit information about the client/server interaction. This control is not rendered but sends the name/value pair as defined by the attributes below. The hidden element does not require a closing tag.
INPUT TYPE=image	Yes	Yes	Basic Forms	2	No	No	No	No	No	Yes	Creates an image control, when clicked, causes the form to be immediately submitted. The coordinates where the click are measured from the upper-left of the image and are submitted w/the form as two name/value pairs. The x-coordinate is submitted under the name of the control with .x appended, and the y-coordinate is submitted under the name of the control with .y appended.
INPUT TYPE=password	Yes	Yes	Basic Forms	2	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Creates a single-line text entry control similar to the text control, except that text is not displayed as the user enters it. The input type=password element is an inline element and does not require a closing tag.
INPUT TYPE=radio	Yes	Yes	Basic Forms	2	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Creates a radio button control. The input type=radio element is an inline element and does not require a closing tag. Use a radio button control to limit a user's selection to a single value within a set of values. To do this, you must group each button in a set of radio buttons by assigning each button the same name. When a user submits a form, a selected radio button only generates a name/value pair in the form data if the button has a value. Note: if a radio button is in a group and the button has no value, the button name is submitted without a value.
INPUT TYPE=reset	Yes	Yes	Basic Forms	2	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Creates a button that, when clicked, resets the form's controls to their initial values. The reset element is an inline element and does not require a closing tag.
INPUT TYPE=submit	Yes	Yes	Basic Forms	2	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Creates a button that, when clicked, submits the form. The input type=submit element is an inline element and does not require a closing tag.
INPUT TYPE=text	Yes	Yes	Basic Forms	2	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Creates a single-line text entry control. The input type=text element is an inline element and does not require a closing tag. Note: if the author places an INPUT without a TYPE attribute or with an invalid TYPE, Internet Explorer Mobile will treat it as an INPUT TYPE=text.
INS	Yes	Yes		4	No	No	No	No	No	Yes
KBD	Yes	Yes	Text	2	No	No	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Renders enclosed text in a fixed-width font. The KBD element is an inline element and requires a closing tag.
LABEL	Yes	Yes	Basic Forms	4	No	No	Yes	Yes	No	Yes
LEGEND	Yes	Yes		4	No	No	No	No	No	Yes	LEGEND is not technically supported (you won't see any border, etc.) but the text in the legend will be displayed in boldface.
LI	Yes	Yes	List	2	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Denotes one item in a list. The LI element is an inline element and does not require a closing tag.
LINK	Yes	Yes	Linking	4	No	No	Yes	Yes	No	Yes
LISTING	Yes	Yes		2	No	No	No	No	No	No	Visually and functionally works like PRE
MAP	Yes	Yes	Client-Side Image Map	3.2	No	No	No	No	No	Yes	Defines a client side image map which contains one or more AREAs that specify hot zones on the associated image and bind these zones to URLs. The MAP element requires a closing tag.
MENU	Yes	Yes		2	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No	Creates an unordered list of items (consisting of LI elements).
META	Yes	Yes	Meta-information	2	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Conveys hidden information to the server and the client. The META element does not require a closing tag.
NOFRAMES	Yes	Yes	Frames	4	No	No	No	No	No	Yes	Contains HTML for browsers that do not support FRAMES. The NOFRAMES element is a block element and requires a closing tag.
NOSCRIPT	Yes	Yes	Scripting	3.2	No	No	No	No	No	Yes
OBJECT	Yes	Yes	Object Module	4	No	No	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Inserts an ActiveX control onto the page. The OBJECT element is a block element and requires a closing tag.
OL	Yes	Yes	List	2	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Creates a numbered list consisting of LI elements.
OPTGROUP	Yes	Yes		4	No	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	Recurse into all siblings and show all options regardless of OPTGROUPing.
OPTION	Yes	Yes	Basic Forms	2	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Denotes one choice in a SELECT element. The OPTION element does not require a closing tag.
P	Yes	Yes	Text	2	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Denotes a paragraph. The P element is a block element and does not require a closing tag.
PARAM	Yes	Yes	Object	3.2	No	No	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Sets the property value for a given OBJECT. This tag must be inside the associated OBJECT tag. The PARAM element does not require a closing tag.
PRE	Yes	Yes	Text	2	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Denotes preformatted text and renders it in a fixed pitch font. Spaces and carriage returns within the PRE tag are preserved. The PRE element is a block element and requires a closing tag.
Q	Yes	Yes		3.2	No	No	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Sets apart quotation in text.
S	Yes	Yes		3	No	No	No	No	No	Yes	Renders text in strike-through type. The S element is an inline element and requires a closing tag.
SAMP	Yes	Yes	Text	2	No	No	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Denotes a code sample. Contents inside the tag are rendered in a fixed pitch font. The SAMP element is an inline element and requires a closing tag.
SCRIPT	Yes	Yes	Scripting	4	No	No	No	No	No	Yes	Specifies a block containing script to be interpreted by the script engine.
SELECT	Yes	Yes	Basic Forms	2	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Denotes a list box or drop-down list. The SELECT element is an inline element and requires a closing tag.
SMALL	Yes	Yes		3	No	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	Specifies that the enclosed text should be rendered in a smaller font.
SPAN	Yes	Yes	Text	4	No	No	Yes	Yes	No	Yes
STRIKE	Yes	Yes		3.2	No	No	No	No	No	Yes	Renders enclosed text in strike-through type. The STRIKE element is an inline element and requires a closing tag.
STRONG	Yes	Yes	Text	2	No	No	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Renders enclosed text in boldface. The STRONG element is an inline element and requires a closing tag
STYLE	Yes	Yes	Stylesheet	4	No	No	Yes	Yes	No	Yes
SUB	Yes	Yes	Text	3	No	No	No	No	No	Yes	Specifies that the enclosed text should be displayed in subscript, using a smaller font than the current font. The SUB element is an inline element and requires a closing tag.
SUP	Yes	Yes	Text	3	No	No	No	No	No	Yes	Specifies that the enclosed text should be displayed in superscript, using a smaller font than the current font. The SUP element is an inline element and requires a closing tag.
TABLE	Yes	Yes	Tables	3	No	No	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Specifies that the contained content is organized into a table with rows and columns. The TABLE element is a block element and requires a closing tag.
TBODY	Yes	Yes	Tables	4	No	No	No	No	No	Yes
TD	Yes	Yes	Tables	3	No	No	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Specifies a cell in a table. The TD element is a block element and requires a closing tag.
TEXTAREA	Yes	Yes	Basic Forms	2	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Specifies a multi-line text input control. The TEXTAREA element is an inline element and requires a closing tag
TFOOT	Yes	Yes	Tables	4	No	No	No	No	No	Yes
TH	Yes	Yes	Tables	3	No	No	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Specifies a header column of a table. Contents of the TH are centered within the cell and bold, unless overridden. The TH element is a block element and requires a closing tag. Note: this is almost the same as a TD except for the default formatting.
THEAD	Yes	Yes	Tables	4	No	No	No	No	No	Yes
TITLE	Yes	Yes	Structure	2	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Contains the title of the document. The TITLE element is a block element and requires a closing tag.
TR	Yes	Yes	Tables	3	No	No	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Specifies a row in a table. The TR element is a block element and requires a closing tag.
TT	Yes	Yes		2	No	No	No	No	No	Yes	Renders text in a fixed pitch font. The TT element is an inline element and requires a closing tag.
U	Yes	Yes		3	No	No	No	No	No	Yes	Renders text that is underlined. The U element is an inline element and requires a closing tag.
UL	Yes	Yes	List	2	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Creates a bulleted list consisting of list items (LI). The UL element is a block element and requires a closing tag.
VAR	Yes	Yes	Text	2	No	No	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Renders enclosed text in italics. The VAR element is an inline element and requires a closing tag.
XML	Yes	Yes		IE5	No	No	No	No	No	No	Defines a XML data island.
XMP	Yes	Yes		2	No	No	No	No	No	No	Visually and functionally works like PRE

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XHTML Elements

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