The forgotten formatting elements of HTML
It seems like ages, since I have seen code written by a web developer, that uses one of the many forgotten text formatting elements that HTML provides. Not that I am complaining. I do understand that many of these elements are no longer in use and some are even considered obsolete.
But I figured it might be a good time to revise the basics and while I am at it, make a posting about it to help other web developers get their revision as well.
1. The <b> and <strong> tags
The <b> tag is used to write bold text in HTML. The <strong> tag does the same, by adding a bit more emphasis. Simply put, it adds semantic importance to the text. See example
2. The <i> and <em> tags
The <i> tag is used to make your text italic. The <em> tag does the same, but by giving your italic text, semantic importance. See example
Basically, both the <em> and <strong> tags appear the same as <i> and <b> on your browser display. However, they don’t mean the same things. One is used for simply making the text italic or bold, the other is used for adding emphasis on the text.
3. The <small> and <big> tags
The <small> tag is used to make the text appear small. The <big> tag does the opposite. These are sadly, one of the obsolete ones in my opinion. I rarely ever see them used except for in scientific publications and journals posted online. See example
4. The <mark> tag
Another element, which is rarely used but useful all the same. The <mark> tags marks your text with a yellow marker to highlight. See example
5. The <del> tag
A useful tag for showing removed or deleted text. It displays text with a line crossed through the middle of it. I have seen this tag around a bit, but not enough to say its commonly used. See example
6. The <ins> tag
Used for displaying inserted or added text. It underlines the text to highlight the fact that its been added in the middle of a line or a paragraph. I have rarely ever seen it used and have, myself, never used it either. Why should I anyway? See example
7. The <sub> and <sup> tags
The <sub> tag is used for displaying subscripts, the kind that you would probably see in chemical equations. The <sup> script on the other hand, displays the superscripts. Its most commonly used in displaying mathematical equations with power symbols. All in all, they are pretty useful tags, I think. See example
