HTML Tutorial 14

HTML Links - Hyperlinks

HTML links are hyperlinks.

A hyperlink is a text or an image you can click on, and jump to another document.

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HTML Links - Syntax

In HTML, links are defined with the <a> tag:

<a href="url">link text</a>

Example:

<a href="http://www.myblogname.com/html/">Visit our HTML tutorial</a>The href attribute specifies the destination address (http://www.w3schools.com/html/)

The link text is the visible part (Visit our HTML tutorial).

Clicking on the link text, will send you to the specified address.

Local Links

The example above used an absolute URL (A full web address).

A local link (link to the same web site) is specified with a relative URL (without http://www....).

Example:

<a href="html_images.asp">HTML Images</a>

HTML Links - Colors and Icons

When you move the mouse cursor over a link, two things will normally happen:

• The mouse arrow will turn into a little hand
• The color of the link element will change

By default, links will appear as this in all browsers:

• An unvisited link is underlined and blue
• A visited link is underlined and purple
• An active link is underlined and red

You can change the defaults, using styles:

Example

<style>
a:link    {color:#000000; background-color:transparent; text-decoration:none}
a:visited {color:#000000; background-color:transparent; text-decoration:none}
a:hover   {color:#ff0000; background-color:transparent; text-decoration:underline}
a:active  {color:#ff0000; background-color:transparent; text-decoration:underline}
</style>

HTML Links - The target Attribute

The target attribute specifies where to open the linked document.

This example will open the linked document in a new browser window or in a new tab:

Example

<a href="http://www.myblogname.com/" target="_blank">Visit W3Schools!</a>

Target Value	Description
_blank	Opens the linked document in a new window or tab
_self	Opens the linked document in the same frame as it was clicked (this is default)
_parent	Opens the linked document in the parent frame
_top	Opens the linked document in the full body of the window
framename	Opens the linked document in a named frame

If your webpage is locked in a frame, you can use target="_top" to break out of the frame:

Example

<a href="http://www.myblogname.com/html/" target="_top">HTML5 tutorial!</a>

HTML Links - Image as Link

It is common to use images as links:

Example

<a href="default.asp">
  <img src="smiley.gif" alt="HTML tutorial"style="width:42px;height:42px;border:0">
</a>

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HTML Links - The id Attribute

The id attribute can be used to create bookmarks inside HTML documents.

Bookmarks are not displayed in any special way. They are invisible to the reader.

Example

Add an id attribute to any <a> element:

<a id="tips">Useful Tips Section</a>

Then create a link to the <a> element (Useful Tips Section):

<a href="#tips">Visit the Useful Tips Section</a>

Or, create a link to the <a> element (Useful Tips Section) from another page:

<a href="http://www.myblogname.com/html_links.htm#tips">Visit the Useful Tips Section</a>

Chapter Summary

• Use the HTML <a> element to define a link
• Use the HTML href attribute to define the link address
• Use the HTML target attribute to define where to open the linked document
• Use the HTML <img> element (inside <a>) to use an image as a link
• Use the HTML id attribute (id="value") to define bookmarks in a page
• Use the HTML href attribute (href="#value") to address the bookmark