---
title: HTML
path: principles/html
---



## General formatting

* Use soft-tabs with a two space indent. Spaces are the only way to guarantee code renders the same in any person's environment.
* Paragraphs of text should always be placed in a `<p>` tag. Never use multiple `<br>` tags.
* Items in list form should always be in `<ul>`, `<ol>`, or `<dl>`. Never use a set of `<div>` or `<p>`.
* Every form input that has text attached should utilize a `<label>` tag. **Especially radio or checkbox elements.**
* Even though quotes around attributes is optional, always put quotes around attributes for readability.
* Avoid writing closing tag comments, like `<!-- /.element -->`. This just adds to page load time. Plus, most editors have indentation guides and open-close tag highlighting.
* Avoid trailing slashes in self-closing elements. For example, `<br>`, `<hr>`, `<img>`, and `<input>`.
* Don't set `tabindex` manually—rely on the browser to set the order.

```html inert=true
<p class="line-note m-0" data-attribute="106">
  This is my paragraph of special text.
</p>
```

## Boolean attributes

Many attributes don't require a value to be set, like `checked`, so don't set them.

```html inert=true
<input type="checkbox" value="1" checked>

<select>
  <option value="1" selected>1</option>
</select>
```

For more information, [read the WhatWG section](http://www.whatwg.org/specs/web-apps/current-work/multipage/common-microsyntaxes.html#boolean-attributes).

## Lean markup

Whenever possible, avoid superfluous parent elements when writing HTML. Many times this requires iteration and refactoring, but produces less HTML. For example:

```html inert=true
<!-- Not so great -->
<span class="avatar">
  <img src="https://github.com/github.png">
</span>

<!-- Better -->
<img class="avatar" src="https://github.com/github.png">
```

## Forms

* Lean towards radio or checkbox lists instead of select menus.
* Wrap radio and checkbox inputs and their text in `<label>`s. No need for `for` attributes here—the wrapping automatically associates the two.
* Form buttons should always include an explicit `type`. Use primary buttons for the `type="submit"` button and regular buttons for `type="button"`.
* The primary form button must come first in the DOM, especially for forms with multiple submit buttons. The visual order should be preserved with `float: right;` on each button.

## Tables

Make use of `<thead>`, `<tfoot>`, `<tbody>`, and `<th>` tags (and `scope` attribute) when appropriate. (Note: `<tfoot>` goes above `<tbody>` for speed reasons. You want the browser to load the footer before a table full of data.)

```html inert=true
<table summary="This is a chart of invoices for 2011.">
  <thead>
    <tr>
      <th scope="col">Table header 1</th>
      <th scope="col">Table header 2</th>
    </tr>
  </thead>
  <tfoot>
    <tr>
      <td>Table footer 1</td>
      <td>Table footer 2</td>
    </tr>
  </tfoot>
  <tbody>
    <tr>
      <td>Table data 1</td>
      <td>Table data 2</td>
    </tr>
  </tbody>
</table>
```