HTML Entities

• HTML entities are a way to represent special characters in HTML that would otherwise be interpreted as HTML code or cannot be easily typed into a document. They allow authors to insert characters into their web pages that might otherwise conflict with the syntax of HTML or be absent from the keyboard. Entities are used for various purposes, such as displaying reserved characters, inserting non-Latin characters, adding mathematical symbols, and more.

Syntax of HTML Entities:

• An HTML entity consists of an ampersand (`&`), followed by an entity name or a `#` and an entity number, and ending with a semicolon (`;`). There are two types of entities:

• Named Entities: These have a name that's easy to remember. For example, `&lt;` represents the less-than sign (`<`).

• Numeric Entities: These use a `#` followed by a number and represent characters based on their Unicode code point. They can be specified in decimal (`&#60;` for `<`) or hexadecimal (`&#x3C;` for `<`).

Common HTML Entities:

• `&lt;` and `&gt;`: Represent the less-than (`<`) and greater-than (`>`) signs. They are essential when you want to display these characters without the browser interpreting them as part of an HTML tag.

• '&amp;': Represents the ampersand (`&`) character. It's used because the ampersand initiates the start of an HTML entity.

• '&quot;': Represents a double quotation mark (`"`). Useful within attributes defined with quotes.

• '&apos;': Represents an apostrophe (`'`). This is useful for including apostrophes within attributes that use single quotes.

• '&nbsp;': Represents a non-breaking space. It can be used to create space that doesn't break into a new line.

Examples of HTML Entities:

• Displaying a Less-than Sign:

    <p>To display a less-than sign, we write &lt; in HTML.</p>

• This will render as: "To display a less-than sign, we write < in HTML."

• Including an Ampersand in Text:

    <p>Use &amp; to include an ampersand in your text.</p>

• This will render as: "Use & to include an ampersand in your text."

Spacing with Non-Breaking Spaces:

    <p>This sentence uses&nbsp;non-breaking&nbsp;spaces.</p>

• This ensures that the spaces between "uses non-breaking spaces" do not break across lines.

Why Use HTML Entities:

• Display Reserved Characters: Certain characters are reserved in HTML. If you need to display these characters as part of your content (like `<`, `>`, or `&`), you must use entities.

• Special Characters: For inserting special or non-standard characters, like © (`&copy;`), ™ (`&trade;`), or arrows (like `&rarr;` for →), entities provide a straightforward method.

• Character Unavailability: When the character cannot be easily typed or is not available on the keyboard, entities offer a way to include them in HTML documents.

• HTML entities are a crucial part of HTML markup, enabling the inclusion of a wide range of characters and symbols that enhance the expressiveness and functionality of web content.