Obsolete HTML, XTML Tags

Why Tags and Attributes Are Being Declined

The reasoning behind the decline of these tags and attributes is that better ways to define them have been established thus requiring obsolete HTML, XTML tags and attributes to be removed. Sometimes this makes sense, and sometimes it doesn't. For example, the <font> tag is unwieldy and limiting. Style sheets, on the other hand, do everything the <font> tag can accomplish with a lot more features.

Obsolete HTML, XTML Tags

The following list of depreciated tags and attributes provide some but not all of the code now considered obsolete:

Obsolete And Attributes

• align
• alink
• applet - use <object> (this change is not yet well-supported)
• background
• basefont - use style sheets
• bgcolor
• blockquote
• center - use style sheets
• color
• dir - use the ul tag
• em- use style sheets
• font - use style sheets
• hspace
• isindex - use input tag
• link
• listing- use pre tag
• menu- use ul tag
• plaintext- use pre tag
• s - use del tag
• size
• strike - use del tag
• strong- use style sheets
• text
• type
• u - use style sheets
• vlink
• vspace
• xmp - use pre tag

Note that the font tag is on this list, and though it is a commonly used HTML code it has been phased out by using a style sheet.

Validate Your Code

The W3C Markup Validation Service is a free tool available to help examines the validity of Web documents written in HTML or XHTML. Technical specifications define these languages. This validation tests Web documents against constraints found within machine-readable formal grammar. Taking the time to validate your Web documents can noticeably improve quality. However, it's important to note that using a validation service does not always mean that the document has been checked for conformance because some conformance requirements cannot be stated in the grammar. To stay current, pay attention to the standards committees and be diligent to build your web page according to the standard.

Tags to Use

When creating your web site, it is best to use HTML 4.0 tags and attributes so that it will be compliant with most cross-browsers and cross-operating systems. Another tool to incorporate when building your site is the Cascading Style Sheet which is noticeably different than standard HTML in format and usage because it goes beyond what HTML can do and classifies how information is displayed.

What Happens When You Use Obsolete Tags

If you continue to use obsolete tags and attributes they will be supported by browsers for a long time to come because of the billions of Websites that incorporate these tags, but obsolete code will slow the speed at which your page downloads and can even interfere with accessibility of your site. Using a validation service like the one mentioned in this article makes it easy to determine if your web documents are compliant with the new guidelines. .