Thread: Do You Still Close HTML Tags?

Originally Posted by Andy101

I agree with this.

But I am not in agreement with this statement:


For example: Google inserts a massive amount of Javascript code into web pages that use webmaster tools. Hit F12 in Chrome to inspect the code. And newly popular sites could get a big influx of backlinks.

Fair enough. Boarding my time machine to take me back to 2012 ...

Originally Posted by Andy101

For example: Google inserts a massive amount of Javascript code into web pages that use webmaster tools. Hit F12 in Chrome to inspect the code. And newly popular sites could get a big influx of backlinks.

Do you mean Google Webmaster Tools or Google Analytics? Unlike with Analytics, there is no JavaScript call when using Webmaster Tools. Google would have to circumvent browser security in IE and FF in order to add JavaScript code. I see a delay in first time rendering time when sites use huge JavaScript files, such as MooTools, but I have never noticed a delay with Webmaster Tools.

All I know is that I have definitely seen big chunks of javascript loaded from Google on sites in my browser. I hit F12 in Chrome or FireFox to see it. Sorry I am not a pedantic man needing to remember the exact circumstances where I witnessed it.

But think about it, unless you are on a Google site, or one using Analytics, or you are using Chrome, Google should not be able to deliver anything to your browser--or even be aware of where you are. The thought of what you are saying is scary.

I would not put it past them because I still think they have some kind of a secret deal with the NSA and that is why they get away with so many privacy violations in the USA. Europe seems to go after them for privacy issues, but they pretty much get a free pass in the USA.

Generally it's always good to close your tags. There are two different ways of closing tags though,
Dynamic HTML it's always a close bracket like this />
Generally speaking a > would still indicate a closed bracket

Originally Posted by a1quality

Generally it's always good to close your tags. There are two different ways of closing tags though,
Dynamic HTML it's always a close bracket like this />

Closing the tags like that has nothing to do with dynamic HTML. It is an XHTML standard. Dynamic HTML (DHTML) uses the older HTML coding standards, but is mixed with JavaScript to add interactive features. DHTML has been around since the 1990s when Netscape developed JavaScript.

Dynamic HTML - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

It became a habit with me to close, say image tags with " />", but since seeing the examples in the W3C spec. for HTML5 I am trying to move to ">" which is neater in my eyes. So <br> and <hr> are nice and clean now too.

I agree, but I got so used to closing those tags that it will be difficult for me to regress back to the old way of coding. I really do like HTML 5, so it should not be too difficult to get used to it. However, I will be pissed if the HTML 6 specification calls for once again closing those tags.

Have you checked out the guidelines on image alt tags? Kinda scary since it needs a lot of thought, and getting it wrong could result in legal action, ref:Target (the online store where vision-impaired users were unable to complete a purchase).

I don't think a law suit like that could happen anywhere except the USA where court rulings are not always based upon laws, but on whatever a slick attorney can get away with. But in this case, the National Federation of the Blind did request that Target modify their web site prior to filing a law suit. I don't know why Target balked, but it probably takes much more than alt attributes to make a web site easy for visually impaired people to use.

National Federation of the Blind v. Target Corporation - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Americans with Disabilities Act is a favorite tool for attorneys. The law allows them to call almost anything a disability. The law was intentionally vaguely written so that it could be interpreted by the courts. That sounds like, "Ka-ching!" to an attorney.

Attorneys love to go after Target. Target once lost a law suit after selling a bicycle to parents who sued when their kid fell off of the bike and was injured. The basis for the law suit was that Target should have provided riding instructions when they sold the bike. When I got my first bicycle as a kid, it was my dad's responsibility to teach me.