The <a> tag

Definition and Usage

The <a> tag defines an anchor element. An anchor can be used in two ways:

To create a link to another document by using the href attribute
To create a bookmark inside a document, by using the name or id attribute

Tips and Notes

Note: A linked page is normally displayed in the current browser window, unless you specify another target:

Examples

Linking to W3Schools:
<a href="http://www.w3schools.com">W3Schools</a>

Opening W3Schools a new browser window:
<a href="http://www.w3schools.com" target="_blank">W3Schools</a>

Create a bookmark in a file called "test.htm", which resides on "http://www.w3schools.com":
<a name="examples"><h2>Examples</h2></a>

Link to bookmark:
<a href="http://www.w3schools.com/test.htm#examples">Go to the examples section in "test.htm"</a>

Optional Attributes

DTD indicates in which XHTML 1.0 DTD the attribute is allowed. S=Strict, T=Transitional, and F=Frameset.

Attribute	Value	Description	DTD
charset	character_encoding	Specifies the character encoding of the target URL	STF
coords	if shape="rect" then coords="left,top,right,bottom" if shape="circ" then coords="centerx,centery,radius" if shape="poly" then coords="x1,y1,x2,y2,..,xn,yn"	Specifies the coordinates appropriate to the shape attribute to define a region of an image for image maps	STF
href	URL	The target URL of the link	STF
hreflang	language_code	Specifies the base language of the target URL	STF
name	section_name	Names an anchor. Use this attribute to create a bookmark in a document. In future versions of XHTML the name attribute will be replaced by the id attribute!!	STF
rel	alternate designates stylesheet start next prev contents index glossary copyright chapter section subsection appendix help bookmark	Specifies the relationship between the current document and the target URL	STF
rev	alternate designates stylesheet start next prev contents index glossary copyright chapter section subsection appendix help bookmark	Specifies the relationship between the target URL and the current document	STF
shape	rect rectangle circ circle poly polygon	Defines the type of region to be defined for mapping in the current area tag. Used with the coords attribute.	STF
target	_blank _parent _self _top	Where to open the target URL. _blank - the target URL will open in a new window _self - the target URL will open in the same frame as it was clicked _parent - the target URL will open in the parent frameset _top - the target URL will open in the full body of the window	TF
type	mime_type	Specifies the MIME (Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions) type of the target URL	STF

Standard Attributes

id, class, title, style, dir, lang, xml:lang, tabindex, accesskey

For a full description, go to Standard Attributes.

Event Attributes

onfocus, onblur, onclick, ondblclick, onmousedown, onmouseup, onmouseover, onmousemove, onmouseout, onkeypress, onkeydown, onkeyup

For a full description, go to Event Attributes.

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