What’s an HTML icon?

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HTML icons are small images encoded with HTML that can be used on web pages or in browser configurations. They can be built in various sizes and are often used to identify the origin of a page or project. The standard for some common types of icons is 16 x 16 pixels. The World Wide Web Consortium administers the HTML Icon Standard, which includes a link element in a specific part of an HTML document to designate the inclusion of an HTML icon. Different types of browser implementations are used with HTML icons, and developers should explore innovative ways to implement them. Some HTML icons represent HTML elements, such as an HTML audio icon.

An HTML icon is a small image that can be encoded with a hypertext markup language, or HTML, in a web page or browser configuration. Markup languages ​​like HTML allow for icons in various parts of a website which often identify the origin of a page or project. A common type of HTML icon is known as a favicon or website icon. This type of icon appears in the browser address bar and in a bookmark list.

HTML icons can be built in various sizes. The standard for some common types of icons is 16 x 16 pixels. These are generally not high-resolution images, but small, stylized images that show a simple logo that represents the company or individual running a particular website.

Users of HTML icons benefit from a process called standardization, which dictates how web icons are included in web designs. This type of standard is administered by the World Wide Web Consortium, or W3C, an organization responsible for maintaining a wide range of standards for HTML. The HTML Icon Standard includes a link element in a specific part of an HTML document to designate the inclusion of an HTML icon.

Different types of browser implementations are used with HTML icons. Some browsers only accept specific types of image file formats. Specific sizing is also an issue. Instances of the HTML icon come in many forms, including .jpg, .gif, or other file formats.

Developers looking to include HTML icons in a set of web pages should explore if there are any new innovative ways to implement these tiny elements. The W3C stipulates that a link element must be added to every web page, rather than being globally assigned. The specific standards for these icons may change based on your target audience’s devices and browsers.

In addition to icons that are added to represent web sources, some other types of HTML icons simply represent HTML elements. An example is an HTML audio icon. It usually features a cone image of a small speaker and represents sound elements on a web page.

Some HTML icon-like elements are sometimes called character entities. These are elements that do not fit into the standard text. HTML has provided for these symbols. They can be used in ways similar to the uses of some types of HTML icons.




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