HTML5 Standard

This document provides a comprehensive reference to the features and specifications of the HTML5 standard, detailing new elements, attributes, APIs, and concepts that empower modern web development.

Introduction to HTML5

HTML5 is the latest evolution of the standard for the World Wide Web. It introduces a wealth of new features and improvements over HTML4, designed to make web development more powerful, efficient, and user-friendly. Key advancements include improved semantics, native support for multimedia, enhanced form capabilities, and powerful new APIs for client-side interactivity.

Semantic Elements

HTML5 introduces semantic elements that clearly define different parts of a web page, improving accessibility and SEO. These elements help browsers, search engines, and assistive technologies understand the structure and meaning of content.

• <article>: Represents a self-contained piece of content.
• <aside>: Represents content that is tangentially related to the content around it.
• <footer>: Defines a footer for a document or section.
• <header>: Defines a header for a document or section.
• <main>: Specifies the main content of a document.
• <nav>: Defines a set of navigation links.
• <section>: Defines a section in a document.

Key New Elements

HTML5 brings many new elements to the table, enriching the capabilities of web pages.

<article>

Used for independent, self-contained content such as blog posts, news articles, forum posts, or comments.

<article>
    <h2>New HTML5 Features</h2>
    <p>HTML5 introduces many exciting new elements...</p>
    <footer>
        <p>Published on <time datetime="2023-10-27">October 27, 2023</time></p>
    </footer>
</article>

<audio> and <video>

Native support for audio and video playback without the need for third-party plugins like Flash. These elements offer robust controls and programmability.

<audio controls>
    <source src="sound.mp3" type="audio/mpeg">
    Your browser does not support the audio element.
</audio>

<video width="640" height="360" controls>
    <source src="movie.mp4" type="video/mp4">
    Your browser does not support the video tag.
</video>

<canvas>

Provides a drawing surface for graphics and animations via JavaScript. It's a powerful tool for creating games, data visualizations, and interactive image manipulation.

<canvas id="myCanvas" width="200" height="100" style="border:1px solid #000;"></canvas>

<script>
    const canvas = document.getElementById("myCanvas");
    const ctx = canvas.getContext("2d");
    ctx.fillStyle = "red";
    ctx.fillRect(10, 10, 150, 80);
</script>

New Form Controls

HTML5 introduces several new input types for forms, enhancing user input capabilities:

• email, url, number, range, date, time, color, search, tel.
• <datalist>: Provides a predefined list of options for an input field.

<label for="favcolor">Choose a color:</label>
<input type="color" id="favcolor" name="favcolor" value="#ff0000">

<label for="birthday">Birthday:</label>
<input type="date" id="birthday" name="birthday">

Graphics Capabilities

Beyond the <canvas> element, HTML5 also includes the <svg> element for embedding vector graphics directly into web pages.

Multimedia Integration

The <audio> and <video> elements, along with the <source> element for specifying multiple media formats, significantly simplify multimedia integration.

Web APIs

HTML5 is not just about new tags; it also introduces powerful client-side APIs:

• Geolocation API: For accessing the user's geographical location.
• Drag and Drop API: For implementing drag-and-drop functionality.
• Web Storage API: Including localStorage and sessionStorage for client-side data persistence.
• Web Workers API: For running scripts in the background without affecting the UI's responsiveness.
• Application Cache: For offline web applications.

Explore the links in the sidebar for detailed specifications, examples, and best practices for each HTML5 feature.