HTML a Tag

Definition and Usage

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

1. To create a link to another document, by using the href attribute
2. To create a bookmark inside a document, by using the name attribute

The a element is usually referred to as a link or a hyperlink.
The most important attribute of the a element is the href attribute, which indicates the link’s destination.
By default, links will appear as follows in all browsers:

• An unvisited link is underlined and blue
• A visited link is underlined and purple
• An active link is underlined and red

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Browser Support

The <a> tag is supported in all major browsers.

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Differences Between HTML and XHTML

In XHTML, the name attribute of the <a> tag is deprecated, and will be removed. Use the id attribute instead.

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Tips and Notes

Tip: Use CSS to style links!

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Optional Attributes

DTD indicates in which HTML 4.01/XHTML 1.0 DTD the attribute is allowed. S=Strict, T=Transitional, and F=Frameset.

Attribute	Value	Description	DTD
charset	char_encoding	Specifies the character-set of a linked document	STF
coords	coordinates	Specifies the coordinates of a link	STF
href	URL	Specifies the destination of a link	STF
hreflang	language_code	Specifies the language of a linked document	STF
name	section_name	Specifies the name of an anchor	STF
rel	text	Specifies the relationship between the current document and the linked document	STF
rev	text	Specifies the relationship between the linked document and the current document	STF
shape	default rect circle poly	Specifies the shape of a link	STF
target	_blank _parent _self _top framename	Specifies where to open the linked document	TF

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Standard Attributes

The <a> tag supports the following standard attributes:

Attribute	Value	Description	DTD
accesskey	character	Specifies a keyboard shortcut to access an element	STF
class	classname	Specifies a classname for an element	STF
dir	rtl ltr	Specifies the text direction for the content in an element	STF
id	id	Specifies a unique id for an element	STF
lang	language_code	Specifies a language code for the content in an element	STF
style	style_definition	Specifies an inline style for an element	STF
tabindex	number	Specifies the tab order of an element	STF
title	text	Specifies extra information about an element	STF
xml:lang	language_code	Specifies a language code for the content in an element, in XHTML documents	STF

More information about Standard Attributes.

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Event Attributes

The <a> tag supports the following event attributes:

Attribute	Value	Description	DTD
onblur	script	Script to be run when an element loses focus	STF
onclick	script	Script to be run on a mouse click	STF
ondblclick	script	Script to be run on a mouse double-click	STF
onfocus	script	Script to be run when an element gets focus	STF
onmousedown	script	Script to be run when mouse button is pressed	STF
onmousemove	script	Script to be run when mouse pointer moves	STF
onmouseout	script	Script to be run when mouse pointer moves out of an element	STF
onmouseover	script	Script to be run when mouse pointer moves over an element	STF
onmouseup	script	Script to be run when mouse button is released	STF
onkeydown	script	Script to be run when a key is pressed	STF
onkeypress	script	Script to be run when a key is pressed and released	STF
onkeyup	script	Script to be run when a key is released	STF