The Web Design Group

DOCTYPE - Document Type Declaration

Each HTML document must begin with a document type declaration that declares which version of HTML the document adheres to. HTML�4.01 comes in three flavors, each with a different DOCTYPE:

HTML 4.01 Strict

HTML�4.01 Strict is a trimmed down version of HTML�4.01 that emphasizes structure over presentation. Deprecated elements and attributes (including most presentational attributes), frames, and link targets are not allowed in HTML�4.01 Strict. By writing to HTML�4.01 Strict authors can achieve accessible, structurally rich documents that easily adapt to style sheets and different browsing situations. However, since many browsers lack full support for style sheets, HTML�4.01 Strict documents may look bland on common visual browsers such as Netscape Navigator 3.x.

The document type declaration for HTML�4.01 Strict is

<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01//EN"
        "http://www.w3.org/TR/html4/strict.dtd">
HTML 4.01 Transitional

HTML 4.01 Transitional includes all elements and attributes of HTML�4.01 Strict but adds presentational attributes, deprecated elements, and link targets. HTML�4.01 Transitional recognizes the relatively poor browser support for style sheets, allowing many HTML presentation features to be used as a transition towards HTML�4.01 Strict.

The document type declaration for HTML�4.01 Transitional is

<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Transitional//EN"
        "http://www.w3.org/TR/html4/loose.dtd">
HTML 4.01 Frameset

HTML 4.01 Frameset is a variant of HTML�4.01 Transitional for documents that use frames. The FRAMESET element replaces the BODY in a Frameset document.

The document type declaration for HTML�4.01 Frameset is

<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Frameset//EN"
        "http://www.w3.org/TR/html4/frameset.dtd">