<meta name="description" content="A description of HTML 4.0 Document Type Declarations for giving the version of HTML to which a document adheres.">
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<h1>DOCTYPE - Document Type Declaration</h1>
<p>Each <abbr class=initialism title="HyperText Markup Language">HTML</abbr> document must begin with a <em>document type declaration</em> that declares which version of <abbr class=initialism title="HyperText Markup Language">HTML</abbr> the document adheres to. HTMLá4.0 comes in three flavors, each with a different <strong class=html>DOCTYPE</strong>:</p>
<dl>
<dt><a name=strict>HTML 4.0 Strict</a></dt>
<dd>
<p>HTMLá4.0 Strict is a trimmed down version of HTMLá4.0 that emphasizes structure over presentation. <a href="../deprecated.html">Deprecated</a> elements and attributes (including most presentational attributes), <a href="../frames/index.html">frames</a>, and link targets are not allowed in HTMLá4.0 Strict. By writing to HTMLá4.0 Strict authors can achieve accessible, structurally rich documents that easily adapt to <a href="http://www.htmlhelp.com/reference/css/">style sheets</a> and different browsing situations. However, since many browsers lack full support for style sheets, HTMLá4.0 Strict documents may look bland on common visual browsers such as Netscape Navigator 3.<var>x</var>.</p>
<p>The document type declaration for HTMLá4.0 Strict is</p>
<pre><code class=html><!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0//EN"
<p>HTML 4.0 Transitional includes all elements and attributes of <a href="#strict">HTMLá4.0 Strict</a> but adds presentational attributes, <a href="../deprecated.html">deprecated</a> elements, and link targets. HTMLá4.0 Transitional recognizes the relatively poor browser support for <a href="http://www.htmlhelp.com/reference/css/">style sheets</a>, allowing many <abbr class=initialism title="HyperText Markup Language">HTML</abbr> presentation features to be used as a transition towards HTMLá4.0 Strict.</p>
<p>The document type declaration for HTMLá4.0 Transitional is</p>
<pre><code class=html><!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"
<p>HTML 4.0 Frameset is a variant of <a href="#transitional">HTMLá4.0 Transitional</a> for documents that use <a href="../frames/index.html">frames</a>. The <strong class=html><a href="../frames/frameset.html">FRAMESET</a></strong> element replaces the <strong class=html><a href="body.html">BODY</a></strong> in a Frameset document.</p>
<p>The document type declaration for HTMLá4.0 Frameset is</p>
<pre><code class=html><!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Frameset//EN"