HTML < pre > Tag

Example

Preformatted text:

<pre>
Text in a pre element
is displayed in a fixed-width
font, and it preserves
both      spaces and
line breaks
</pre>

Definition and Usage

The <pre> tag defines preformatted text.

Text in a pre element is displayed in a fixed-width font (usually Courier), and it preserves both spaces and line breaks.

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Browser Support

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

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Tips and Notes

Tip: Use the pre element to display computer code!

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Differences Between HTML and XHTML

NONE

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Optional 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
width	number	Deprecated. Use styles instead. Specifies the maximum number of characters per line	TF

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Standard Attributes

The <pre> tag supports the following standard attributes:

Attribute	Value	Description	DTD
class	classname	Specifies a classname for an element	STF
dir	rtl ltr	Specifies the text direction for the content in an element	STF
id	id	Specifies a unique id for an element	STF
lang	language_code	Specifies a language code for the content in an element	STF
style	style_definition	Specifies an inline style for an element	STF
title	text	Specifies extra information about an element	STF
xml:lang	language_code	Specifies a language code for the content in an element, in XHTML documents	STF

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Event Attributes

The <pre> tag supports the following event attributes:

Attribute	Value	Description	DTD
onclick	script	Script to be run on a mouse click	STF
ondblclick	script	Script to be run on a mouse double-click	STF
onmousedown	script	Script to be run when mouse button is pressed	STF
onmousemove	script	Script to be run when mouse pointer moves	STF
onmouseout	script	Script to be run when mouse pointer moves out of an element	STF
onmouseover	script	Script to be run when mouse pointer moves over an element	STF
onmouseup	script	Script to be run when mouse button is released	STF
onkeydown	script	Script to be run when a key is pressed	STF
onkeypress	script	Script to be run when a key is pressed and released	STF
onkeyup	script	Script to be run when a key is released	STF