What does href refer to

It's used for a number of different reasons. Unordered lists are often created with the intent of using them as a menu, but an li list item is text. Because the list li item is text, the mouse pointer will not be an arrow, but an "I cursor".

Users are accustomed to seeing a pointing finger for a mouse pointer when something is clickable. Using an anchor tag a inside of the li tag causes the mouse pointer to change to a pointing finger. The pointing finger is a lot better for using the list as a menu.

If the list is being used for a menu, and doesn't need a link, then a URL doesn't need to be designated. The I-cursor might make the user think that the menu item is not clickable. Therefore, you still need an href , but you don't need a link to anywhere. You could use lots of div or p tags for a menu list, but the mouse pointer would be an I-cursor for them also. You could use lots of buttons stacked on top of each other for a menu list, but the list seems to be preferable.

You can set the pointer style in CSS, so that is another option. To avoid this, for older browsers or non-HTML5 doctypes, use. The main point of the link is served by executing the JavaScript code; browsers with JS support then ignore the real link target. See also unobtrusive JavaScript. As some of the other answers have pointed out, the a element requires an href attribute and the is used as a placeholder, but it is also a historical artifact. From Mozilla Developer Network :.

This was the single required attribute for anchors defining a hypertext source link, but is no longer required in HTML5. Omitting this attribute creates a placeholder link.

A URL fragment is a name preceded by a hash mark , which specifies an internal target location an ID within the current document. Also, per the HTML5 spec :.

If the a element has no href attribute, then the element represents a placeholder for where a link might otherwise have been placed, if it had been relevant, consisting of just the element's contents.

The href attribute defines the URL of the resource of a link. If the anchor tag does not have href tag then it will not become hyperlink.

The href attribute have the following values:. Stack Overflow for Teams — Collaborate and share knowledge with a private group. Create a free Team What is Teams? Collectives on Stack Overflow. Learn more. Ask Question. Asked 10 years, 9 months ago. Active 1 year, 11 months ago. Viewed k times.

Improve this question. Samir Ghobril Samir Ghobril 4, 4 4 gold badges 16 16 silver badges 15 15 bronze badges. Add a comment. To create links that open in the user's email program to let them send a new message, use the mailto: scheme:. See Referer header: privacy and security concerns for information. See browser compatibility for details. The content inside a link should indicate where the link goes , even out of context. Assistive software has shortcuts to list all links on a page.

Anchor elements are often abused as fake buttons by setting their href to or javascript:void 0 to prevent the page from refreshing, then listening for their click events. They also convey incorrect semantics to assistive technologies, like screen readers. In general, you should only use a hyperlink for navigation to a real URL. People experiencing low vision conditions, navigating with the aid of screen reading technology, or with cognitive concerns may be confused when a new tab, window, or application opens unexpectedly.

Older screen-reading software may not even announce the behavior. If an icon is used to signify link behavior, make sure it has alt text :.

Usually, CSS hides a skip link offscreen until focused. Skip links let keyboard users bypass content repeated throughout multiple pages, such as header navigation. Interactive elements, like links, should provide an area large enough that it is easy to activate them. This helps a variety of people, including those with motor control issues and those using imprecise inputs such as a touchscreen.

Interactive elements, like links, placed in close visual proximity should have space separating them. Spacing helps people with motor control issues, who may otherwise accidentally activate the wrong interactive content.

Spacing may be created using CSS properties like margin. The HTML for that hyperlink looks like this:. To be more precise, the link above uses an absolute URL to specify a destination on a different website. As discussed above, an absolute URL points to a file on another website. Bonus tip: Notice how the link text describes what the link does. This makes your site more accessible to those using assistive technologies. A relative URL references a file on the same website.

See how the href value looks different? When this part of the URL is left out, the browser assumes that the specified file is located on the same domain as the current page in this case, hubspot. The answer is that relative URLs come in handy if the file path of the linked file changes, such as in the case of a website restructuring or a domain change.

If this happens, the relative URL will still work, since it only contains the name of the linked resource and not the entire file path. Use a URI fragment to link to a different part of the same web page. URI fragments begin with the hash symbol, followed by the id of the desired page element. For example, this link directs you to the H3 above this one.

However, we can use other protocols with href too, like mailto: and file:. For example, click this link to send an email to example gmail. Originally published Apr 13, AM, updated April 13 Logo - Full Color.

Contact Sales. Overview of all products.