Basics of Web Authoring and Design

What are HTML5 Elements?

An HTML Element is part of a webpage. HTML documents consist of a set of elements that define the semantic meaning of their content. HTML Elements are the building blocks of HTML documents. They can be "nested" in one another, and if used as an organizational structure can create a hierarchical structure to your document.

DOM Model

The element structure of HTML5 documents can be shown by using a document objecct model:

Kinds of HTML Elements

There are three kinds of elements within an HTML document. Each of these elements are written a different way and serve a different function within the document.

Void Elements

Void elements have only a start tag that contains any HTML attributes. It cannot contain any other elements or content. Void elements typically are placeholders for elements who reference external files. The attributes of the element will point to the external file that you are referencing. These elements are most often found within the < head > document element, but can also be found in the < body > document element as "empty elements."

Syntax:

Raw Text Elements

Raw text elements contain attributes and text content but cannot contain any other elements. These elements have a start tag that includes the element attributes, the visible text content, and the end tag. Raw text elements are inline elements. They are found within the < body > document element.

Syntax:

Normal Elements

Normal elements are elements that can contain attributes, text content, and other elements. They have a start tag with their element attributes, content, and then an end tag. In the content section, other elements can be identified with a start and end tag. These elements are block elements and can be nested. They are found within the < body > document element.

Syntax: