The HTML paragraph tag defines a block as a paragraph, allowing specific styles to be applied. It can only contain inline formatting tags and is used to define formatting in place of line breaks. Some attributes have been replaced by CSS.
A HyperText Markup Language (HTML) paragraph is a tag used within an HTML document to define a block as a paragraph. It is a block-level element and is prohibited by the HTML language specification from containing most other block-level elements. Including a block of text within an HTML paragraph tag has the effect, in most web browsers, of inserting a blank line before the start of the paragraph and after the end of the block. Defining an area as a paragraph also has the benefit of allowing specific styles to be applied to the entire content through the use of cascading style sheets (CSS). It is generally considered bad form to use multiple paragraph blocks as the only formatting on a page, although there are some situations where this may be necessary.
The HTML paragraph tag is one of the most basic elements that can be contained in an HTML document. It is also a block-level element, which means it defines a block of code or text. This limits the type of code that an HTML paragraph can actually contain, excluding most other block-level elements such as structured lists and other paragraphs. Only inline formatting tags can be used within a paragraph block, including tags for italic, bold or address links.
The reason an HTML paragraph tag is needed is that, when an HTML document is read by a web browser, it removes most of the used spaces and line breaks. There are a number of reasons for this, but one is due to the different ways that computer operating systems actually define a line break, making it easier to remove than to translate. Without the ability to use line breaks, HTML tags must be used to define formatting. Often used in conjunction with the HTML paragraph tag is another tag known as a line break, which simply inserts a blank line wherever the tag is. Using multiple line breaks within a larger paragraph block is the preferred way to provide spacing, as opposed to many paragraph tab stops which, when placed at the same time, will actually cause multiple line breaks between paragraphs.
There are several attributes that an HTML paragraph tag can use, although some of them have been replaced by CSS attributes that provide more accurate spacing and layout options. Paragraph alignment, right, left, or center, is one such depreciated attribute. Some other elements of a paragraph that can be changed are the direction of the text for foreign languages and the reaction to normal user actions such as hovering over the block or clicking on it.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
