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What are the attributes of a font tag?

Published in HTML Attributes 3 mins read

The primary attributes of the HTML <font> tag are size, color, and face, though it is now deprecated.

The HTML <font> tag was historically used to specify the font size, color, and typeface for text within a web page. While it also supported global attributes like id, class, or style, the three core attributes unique to the <font> tag were its primary means of control.

Key Attributes of the HTML <font> Tag

According to the reference, apart from global attributes, the font tag in HTML has three specific attributes:

  • size: This attribute specified the size of the font. It could accept numerical values from 1 to 7 (where 1 was the smallest and 7 the largest) or relative values like +1 or -2 to adjust the size relative to the base font size.
  • color: This attribute defined the color of the text. It could accept color names (like "red", "blue") or hexadecimal color codes (like "#FF0000", "#0000FF").
  • face: This attribute specified the typeface or font family to be used for the text. You could list multiple font names, separated by commas, as a fallback mechanism. The browser would use the first font in the list that was available on the user's system.

Here is a quick overview of these attributes:

Attribute Description Values Accepted
size Specifies the font size. 1-7 (absolute), +/- value (relative), or px, pt, etc. (less common, non-standard)
color Specifies the font color. Color names, Hex codes (#RRGGBB), or RGB values (rgb(R,G,B))
face Specifies the font typeface (font family). Comma-separated list of font names (e.g., "Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif")

Deprecation and Modern Web Development

It is crucial to note, as highlighted in the reference, that the font tag in HTML is no longer used. The <font> tag is deprecated in HTML5. This means it is outdated and should not be used in new web development projects.

Instead of using the <font> tag and its attributes, modern web design relies on Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) to control text styling. CSS provides a much more powerful, flexible, and efficient way to manage typography across a website.

Common CSS properties used as alternatives include:

  • font-size: To control text size.
  • color: To control text color.
  • font-family: To control the typeface.
  • font: A shorthand property that combines several font-related properties.

Example: Deprecated vs. Modern Approach

Deprecated HTML using <font>:

<p><font size="4" color="blue" face="Arial, sans-serif">This text was styled with the deprecated font tag.</font></p>

Modern HTML and CSS approach:

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<title>Modern Font Styling</title>
<style>
  .styled-text {
    font-size: 1.2em; /* Equivalent to a relative size or slightly larger */
    color: blue;
    font-family: Arial, sans-serif;
  }
</style>
</head>
<body>

<p><span class="styled-text">This text is styled using modern CSS.</span></p>

</body>
</html>

Using CSS separates content (HTML) from presentation (CSS), making code easier to maintain, read, and update.

In summary, while the historical <font> tag had size, color, and face as its core attributes, it is obsolete. Modern web development uses CSS properties like font-size, color, and font-family to achieve the same styling effects.

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