HTML 5 <link> Tag

Related:
• HTML <a> Tag
• External Style Sheets

The HTML <link> tag is used for defining a link to an external document. It is placed in in the <head> section of the document.

The <link> tag is commonly used for linking to an external style sheet.

Despite its name ("link"), the link tag is not used for creating a hyperlink to another HTML document. If you need to link to another HTML document, use the HTML <a> tag.

Example

This example references styles an external style sheet. The external style sheet is linked to the document with the <link> tag.

Source Code	Result
<!DOCTYPE HTML> <html> <head> <title>HTML Link Example</title> <link rel="stylesheet" href="/html_5/tags/html_link_tag_example.css"> </head> <body> <p>Here is some text <span class="different">styled differently...</span></p> <p>Try changing/removing the 'link' tag to see the difference it makes to the text.</p> </body> </html>

Attributes

HTML tags can contain one or more attributes. Attributes are added to a tag to provide the browser with more information about how the tag should appear or behave. Attributes consist of a name and a value separated by an equals (=) sign, with the value surrounded by double quotes. Here's an example, style="color:black;".

There are 3 kinds of attributes that you can add to your HTML tags: Element-specific, global, and event handler content attributes.

The attributes that you can add to this tag are listed below.

Element-Specific Attributes

The following table shows the attributes that are specific to this tag/element.

Attribute Description

href Specifies the URL of the resource document.

hreflang Language code of the destination URL. Purely advisory. The value must be a valid RFC 3066 language code.

media

Specifies which media the target URL uses. Only to be used when the href attribute is present.

Value:

[The value must be a valid media query. The default value is all].

rel

Describes the relationship between the current document and the destination URI. Multiple values can be provided, separated by a space.

Possible values:

Attribute	Description
alternate	Gives alternate representations of the current document. For example, here is sample code (taken from the HTML5 specification) for giving the syndication feed for the current page: `<link rel="alternate" type="application/atom+xml" href="data.xml">`
archives	Provides a link to a collection of records, documents, or other materials of historical interest.
author	Gives a link to the current document's author
first	Indicates that the current document is a part of a series, and that the first document in the series is the referenced document.
help	Provides a link to context-sensitive help.
icon	Imports an icon to represent the current document.
index	Gives a link to the document that provides a table of contents or index listing the current document.
last	Indicates that the current document is a part of a series, and that the last document in the series is the referenced document.
license	Indicates that the main content of the current document is covered by the copyright license described by the referenced document.
next	Indicates that the current document is a part of a series, and that the next document in the series is the referenced document.
pingback	Gives the address of the pingback server that handles pingbacks to the current document.
prefetch	Specifies that the target resource should be preemptively cached.
prev	Indicates that the current document is a part of a series, and that the previous document in the series is the referenced document.
search	Gives a link to a resource that can be used to search through the current document and its related pages.
stylesheet	Imports an external stylesheet.
sidebar	Specifies that the referenced document, if retrieved, is intended to be shown in the browser's sidebar (if it has one).
tag	Gives a tag (identified by the given address) that applies to the current document.
up	Provides a link to a document giving the context for the current document.

type The MIME type of content at the link destination. Purely advisory.

sizes

Specifies the sizes of icons for visual media. Can be used for favicons. Multiple values can be provided, as long as they're separated by a space.

Examples:

sizes="16x16" (1 size)
sizes="16x16 32x32 64x64" (3 different sizes)
sizes="any" (any size)

Global Attributes

The following attributes are standard across all HTML 5 tags.

accesskey	draggable	style
class	hidden	tabindex
contenteditable	id	title
contextmenu	lang
dir	spellcheck

For a full explanation of these attributes, see HTML 5 global attributes.

Event Handler Content Attributes

Event handler content attributes enable you to invoke a script from within your HTML. The script is invoked when a certain "event" occurs. Each event handler content attribute deals with a different event.

Here are the standard HTML 5 event handler content attributes.

onabort	onerror*	onmousewheel
onblur*	onfocus*	onpause
oncanplay	onformchange	onplay
oncanplaythrough	onforminput	onplaying
onchange	oninput	onprogress
onclick	oninvalid	onratechange
oncontextmenu	onkeydown	onreadystatechange
ondblclick	onkeypress	onscroll
ondrag	onkeyup	onseeked
ondragend	onload*	onseeking
ondragenter	onloadeddata	onselect
ondragleave	onloadedmetadata	onshow
ondragover	onloadstart	onstalled
ondragstart	onmousedown	onsubmit
ondrop	onmousemove	onsuspend
ondurationchange	onmouseout	ontimeupdate
onemptied	onmouseover	onvolumechange
onended	onmouseup	onwaiting

For a full explanation of these attributes, see HTML 5 event handler content attributes.

HTML

HTML 5 <link> Tag

Example

Attributes

Element-Specific Attributes

Global Attributes

Event Handler Content Attributes

Also see the HTML 4.01 tags

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