A Complete Guide to Web Design

126 Chapter 7 – Formatting Text

Layout Techniques with HTML

Web Design in a Nutshell, eMatter Edition

Centering Text Elements

There are two methods for centering text elements horizontally on a page: the

<center>tag, and thealignattribute. Bear in mind that these tags have been

deprecated by the HTML 4.0 Specification in favor of style sheet controls (although

browsers will continue to support them for a while).

The align attribute

The preferred way to center elements is to use the block-level tags’align

attribute with its value set tocenter. Thealignattribute can be added to the

paragraph tag (<p>), any heading tag (<h1>through<h6>), or a page division

(<div>). Be sure to close the tags at the end of the element.

In Figure 7-17, each element is centered individually usingalign=center.

As an alternative, you could enclose all three elements in a<div>tag with

align=center. Unfortunately, thealignattribute in a<div>tag is only recog-

nized by Internet Explorer version 3.0 and higher and by Navigator version 4.0, so

Figure 7-16: Use of the <wbr> tag within <nobr> text

Figure 7-17: Centering text

<NOBR>Good food gives more than immediate<WBR> pleasure.

It's a key to your family's health and vitality.</NOBR>

<WBR> tag breaks line at

designated point only if

entire line extends beyond

browser window.

<H2 ALIGN="center">Choosing the Best Foods</H2>

<P ALIGN="center">Good food gives more than immediate pleasure.

It's a key to your family's health and vitality, affecting the

way young people grow, the way you feel right now, and good

health in later years.</P>

<P ALIGN="center">There are simple guides to help you plan meals

that are interesting and varied.</P>