HTML Entities

HTML entities are special characters or symbols that are used in HTML code to display reserved or non-standard characters on a webpage. They are especially useful when you want to display characters that would otherwise be interpreted as code by the browser.

In this post on The Coding College, we will explore what HTML entities are, why they are important, and how to use them effectively.

What Are HTML Entities?

HTML entities are codes that start with an ampersand (&) and end with a semicolon (;). These entities are translated into specific characters by the browser.

For example:

  • The entity &lt; represents the < character.
  • The entity &gt; represents the > character.

Why Use HTML Entities?

  1. Displaying Reserved Characters: Certain characters, such as <, >, and &, have special meanings in HTML. To display these as text, you must use their entity codes.
  2. Non-Standard Characters: You can use entities to display special symbols like ©, ®, or foreign language characters.
  3. Preventing Errors: Using entities helps prevent misinterpretation of your code by browsers.

Commonly Used HTML Entities

Here are some commonly used entities:

CharacterEntity NameEntity NumberDescription
<&lt;&#60;Less than sign
>&gt;&#62;Greater than sign
&&amp;&#38;Ampersand
"&quot;&#34;Double quotation mark
'&apos;&#39;Apostrophe
©&copy;&#169;Copyright symbol
®&reg;&#174;Registered trademark
€&euro;&#8364;Euro sign
¢&cent;&#162;Cent sign
Â¥&yen;&#165;Yen sign

How to Use HTML Entities

1. In Text

You can use HTML entities directly in your content to display special characters.

<p>To display "less than", use the < symbol.</p>

Output:
To display “less than”, use the < symbol.

2. For Special Symbols

HTML entities are great for inserting special characters like currency symbols or mathematical operators.

<p>The price is €50 or €50.</p>

Output:
The price is €50 or €50.

Reserved Characters in HTML

The following characters have special meanings in HTML and should always be replaced with entities if you want to display them as text:

CharacterMeaning in HTMLEntity
<Starts a tag&lt;
>Ends a tag&gt;
&Starts an entity&amp;
'Attribute value wrapper&apos;
"Attribute value wrapper&quot;

Non-Breaking Space (&nbsp;)

The &nbsp; entity is used to create extra spaces in your HTML content. Browsers normally collapse multiple spaces into a single one, but &nbsp; forces a non-breaking space.

<p>This  is  extra  spacing.</p>

Output:
This is extra spacing.

Example: Displaying HTML Code as Text

When you want to show HTML code on a webpage, you must replace the special characters with their entities.

<p>Example: <h1>Welcome to The Coding College</h1></p>

Output:
Example: <h1>Welcome to The Coding College</h1>

Practical Example

Here’s a practical example of using entities for symbols and reserved characters:

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
    <meta charset="UTF-8">
    <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
    <title>HTML Entities | The Coding College</title>
</head>
<body>
    <h1>HTML Entities</h1>
    <p>To write HTML code: <html></html></p>
    <p>Special symbols: © 2024 The Coding College</p>
    <p>Price: $100 or $100</p>
</body>
</html>

Conclusion

HTML entities are essential for displaying reserved characters, special symbols, or code snippets on your webpage. By using entities properly, you can ensure your content is readable, accessible, and compliant with web standards.

For more HTML tutorials and resources, visit The Coding College and start mastering web development today!

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