HTML <script> Tag

Example

Insert a JavaScript in an HTML page:

<script type="text/javascript">
document.write("Hai Everyone!")
</script>
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Definition and Usage

The <script> tag is used to define a client-side script, such as a JavaScript.

The script element either contains scripting statements or it points to an external script file through The source attribute.

The required type attribute specifies the MIME type of the script.

Common uses for JavaScript are image manipulation, form validation, and dynamic changes of content.

Browser Support

The <script> tag is supported in all major browsers.

Differences Between HTML and XHTML

HTML 4 and XHTML deal different with the content inside scripts:

  • In HTML 4, the content type is declared as CDATA, which means that entities will not be parsed.
  • In XHTML, the content type is declared as (#PCDATA), which means that entities will be parsed.

This means that in XHTML, all special characters should be encoded or all content should be wrapped inside a CDATA section.

To ensure that a script parses correctly in an XHTML document, use the following syntax:

<script type="text/javascript">//<![CDATA[
var i=10;
if (i<5)
  {
  // some code
  }
//]]></script>

Tips and Notes

Hint: Also look at the noscript element for users that have disabled scripts in their browser or have a browser that doesn�t support client-side scripting.

Required Attributes

DTD indicates in which HTML 4.01/XHTML 1.0 DTD the attribute is allowed. S=Strict, T=Transitional, and F=Frameset.

Attribute Value Description DTD
type MIME-type Specifies the MIME type of a script STF

Optional Attributes

Attribute Value Description DTD
charset charset Specifies the character encoding used in an external script file STF
defer defer Specifies that the execution of a script should be deferred (delayed) until after the page was loaded STF
src URL Specifies the URL of an external script file STF
xml:space preserve Specifies whether whitespace in code should be preserved  

Standard Attributes

The <script> tag does not support any standard attributes.

More information about Standard Attributes.

Event Attributes

The <script> tag does not support any event attributes.

More information about Event Attributes.

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