HTML Element Containment

HTML Elements

HTML catagorizes elements into specific categories. The two main types of HTML element categories are:

• Block - Include a line break before and after the element.
• Inline - Included with the text as part of a line.

See the section called "HTML Element Categories" for a list of block and inline elements with short descriptions.

In HTML there are specific rules with regard to what elements a specific element may contain. For example some elements may only be contained in the HEAD header element. The paragraph element may not contain block elements. The table below lists elements and what they may contain:

Name	Contained Elements
A	inline elements except A
ABBR	inline elements
ACRONYM	inline elements
ADDRESS	inline elements
APPLET	PARAM, inline elements block elements
AREA	none
B	inline elements
BASE	none
BASEFONT	none
BDO	inline elements
BIG	inline elements
BLOCKQUOTE	block elements, SCRIPT
BODY	inline elements, block elements
BR	none
BUTTON	inline elements excluding A, BUTTON, INPUT, LABEL, IFRAME, SELECT, and TEXTAREA
CENTER	inline elements, block elements
CITE	inline elements
CODE	inline elements
DD	inline elements
DEL	inline elements, block elements
DFN	inline elements
DIR	LI excluding block elements
DIV	inline elements, block elements
DL	DD, DT
DT	inline elements, block elements
EM	inline elements
FIELDSET	inline elements, block elements, LEGEND
FONT	inline elements
FORM	block elements excluding FORM
FRAME	none
FRAMESET	FRAMESET, FRAME, NOFRAMES
H1-H6	inline elements
HEAD	BASE, ISINDEX, LINK, META, OBJECT, SCRIPT, STYLE, TITLE
HR	none
I	inline elements
IFRAME	inline elements, block elements
IMG	none
INPUT	inline elements, block elements excluding BUTTON
INS	inline elements, block elements
ISINDEX	none
HTML	HEAD, BODY, FRAMESET
KBD	inline elements
LABEL	inline elements excluding LABEL
LEGEND	inline elements
LI	inline elements, block elements (MENU and DIR list items exclude block elements)
LINK	none
MAP	block elements, AREA
MENU	LI not containing block elements
META	none
NOFRAMES	inline elements, block elements, BODY
NOSCRIPT	inline elements, block elements
OBJECT	PARAM, inline elements block elements
OL	LI
OPTGROUP	OPTION
OPTION	none (text)
P	inline elements
PARAM	none
PRE	inline elements excluding APPLET, BIG, BASEFONT, FONT, IMG, OBJECT, SMALL, SUB, SUP
Q	inline elements
S	inline elements
SAMP	inline elements
SELECT	OPTION, OPTGROUP
SCRIPT	none (script program)
SMALL	inline elements
SPAN	inline elements
STRIKE	inline elements
STRONG	inline elements
STYLE	none (A style sheet)
SUB	inline elements
SUP	inline elements
TBODY	TR
TD	inline elements, block elements
TFOOT	TR
TH	inline elements, block elements
THEAD	TR
TR	TH,TD
TEXTAREA	none (text)
TITLE	none
TT	inline elements
U	inline elements
UL	LI
VAR	inline elements