Format Submenu

The Format submenu contains commands that modify a section of text by placing it into a specific construct, such as various types of lists, menus, directories, glossaries, etc., as apart from semantic or physical character formatting such as <EM>Emphasis </EM>.

You can add HTML tags to a selection of text either before or after you type it. By creating a selection of text with the mouse, you then select the HTML format for the selection from the Format command under the HyperText menu, or a physical or logical text style from the Font menu. Alternately, if the cursor is inserted into the document but there is no selection, choosing an HTML format will insert the tags into the text surrounding the current insertion point – you are ready to type. Note that the Command keys for many HTML formats and Font styles can be found on the Palette Help display.

Note that you can select any number of lines of text, and then choose a list command to format the lines, each becoming a list item. Definition lists require that the number of lines be an even number, as each odd/even pair becomes term and definition.

Command-L inserts a new list item tag <LI>. Holding down the Option key before choosing the command provides for alternate renderings, such as COMPACT or WIDTH attributes where available.

HTML Formats

Following is a brief description of each format, based on the text of the June 1995 HTML 2.0 draft DTD:

Block Structuring Elements

Block structuring elements include paragraphs, lists, and block quotes. They must not contain heading elements, but they may contain phrase markup, and in some cases, they may be nested.

Preformatted Text: PRE
The PRE element represents a character cell block of text and is suitable for text that has been formatted for a monospaced font. 

The PRE tag may be used with the optional WIDTH attribute. The WIDTH attribute specifies the maximum number of characters for a line and allows the HTML user agent to select a suitable font and indentation. [The WIDTH attribute may be added by holding down the Option key before performing the command. The default width is set under HTML Preferences.]

Within preformatted text: 

• Line breaks within the text are rendered as a move to the beginning of the next line.
• Anchor elements and phrase markup may be used.
• Elements that define paragraph formatting (headings, address, etc.) must not be used.
• The horizontal tab character (code position 9 in the HTML document character set) must be interpreted as the smallest positive nonzero number of spaces which will leave the number of characters so far on the line as a multiple of 8. Documents should not contain tab characters, as they are not supported consistently. 

Example of use: 

<PRE>
Line 1.
    Line 2 is to the right of line 1.  <a href="abc">abc</a>
    Line 3 aligns with line 2.         <a href="def">def</a>
</PRE>

Example and Listing: XMP, Listing
Previous versions of HTML included support for examples and listings of program code, which had a number of unfortunate interactions with processing techniques and tended to be used and implemented inconsistently. HTML documents should no longer contain XMP nor LISTING elements -- the PRE tag is more expressive and more consistently supported. [Neither XMP or LISTING are supported in HTML.edit]

Address: ADDRESS
The ADDRESS element contains such information as address, signature and authorship, often at the beginning or end of the body of a document. 

Typically, the ADDRESS element is rendered in an italic typeface and may be indented. 

Example of use: 

<ADDRESS>
Murray Altheim<BR>
Equinox Development<BR>
P.O. Box 6831<BR>
Wheeling, WV 26003<BR>
</ADDRESS>

Block Quote: BLOCKQUOTE

The BLOCKQUOTE element contains text quoted from another source. 

A typical rendering might be a slight extra left and right indent, and/or italic font. The BLOCKQUOTE typically provides space above and below the quote. 

Single-font rendition may reflect the quotation style of Internet mail by putting a vertical line of graphic characters, such as the greater than symbol (>), in the left margin. 

Example of use: 

<P>Every detail of the universe is seen as proposing a view of the whole. These are the people for whome Blake wrote the famous advice in the &quot;Auguries of Innocence:&quot;</P>
<BLOCKQUOTE>
<P>To see the World in a Grain of Sand,
And a Heaven  in a Wild Flower,
Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand,
And Eternity in an hour.</P>
</BLOCKQUOTE>

List Elements

HTML includes a number of list elements. They may be used in combination; for example, a OL may be nested in an LI element of a UL. 

The COMPACT attribute suggests that a compact rendering be used. [The COMPACT attribute may be added by holding down the Option key before performing the command.]

Unordered List: UL, LI
The UL represents a list of items -- typically a bulleted list. 

The content of a UL element is a sequence of LI elements. For example: 

<UL>
<LI>First list item
<LI>Second list item
 <p>second paragraph of second item
<LI>Third list item
</UL>

Ordered List: OL
The OL element represents an ordered list of items, sorted by sequence or order of importance. It is typically rendered as a numbered list. 

The content of a OL element is a sequence of LI elements. For example: 

<OL>
<LI>Click the Web button to open URI window.
<LI>Enter the URI number in the text field of the Open URI 
window. The Web document you specified is displayed.
  <ol>
   <li>substep 1
   <li>substep 2
  </ol>
<LI>Click highlighted text to move from one link to another.
</OL>

Directory List: DIR
The DIR element is similar to the UL element. It represents a list of short items, typically up to 20 characters each. Items in a directory list may be arranged in columns, typically 24 characters wide.

The content of a DIR element is a sequence of LI elements. Nested block elements are not allowed in the content of DIR elements. For example: 

<DIR>
<LI>A-H<LI>I-M
<LI>M-R<LI>S-Z
</DIR>

Menu List: MENU
The MENU element is a list of items with typically one line per item. The menu list style is typically more compact than the style of an unordered list. 

The content of a MENU element is a sequence of LI elements. Nested block elements are not allowed in the content of MENU elements. For example: 

<MENU>
<LI>First item in the list.
<LI>Second item in the list.
<LI>Third item in the list.
</MENU>

Definition List: DL, DT, DD
A definition list is a list of terms and corresponding definitions. Definition lists are typically formatted with the term flush-left and the definition, formatted paragraph style, indented after the term. 

The content of a DL element is a sequence of DT elements and/or DD elements, usually in pairs. Multiple DT may be paired with a single DD element. Documents should not contain multiple consecutive DD elements. 

Example of use: 

<DL>
<DT>Term<DD>This is the definition of the first term.
<DT>Term<DD>This is the definition of the second term.
</DL>

If the DT term does not fit in the DT column (typically one third of the display area), it may be extended across the page with the DD section moved to the next line, or it may be wrapped onto successive lines of the left hand column. 

The optional COMPACT attribute suggests that a compact rendering be used, because the list items are small and/or the entire list is large. 

Unless the COMPACT attribute is present, an HTML user agent may leave white space between successive DT, DD pairs. The COMPACT attribute may also reduce the width of the left-hand (DT) column. 

<DL COMPACT>
<DT>Term<DD>This is the first definition in compact format.
<DT>Term<DD>This is the second definition in compact format.
</DL>

Check A Beginner's Guide to HTML  for more details on each HTML format, especially the section "Additional Markup Tags".

Back to HyperText menu, on to Image Utility, or return to Tool Palette Menus.