HTML and CSS Reference
In-Depth Information
Chapter 1. HTML5: from documents to applications
This chapter covers
• The basics of using HTML5
• New semantic markup and media features
• New JavaScript APIs
• Closely related web specifications
HTML5 is one of the hottest topics in web development, and with good reason. Not only
is it the latest version of the markup language for the web, but it also defines a whole new
standard for developing web applications. Previous iterations of HTML (and its rigid XML-
based sibling, XHTML) have been centered primarily on the concept of HTML as a markup
language for documents. HTML5 is the first version to embrace the web as a platform for
web application development.
HTML5 defines a series of new elements that you can use to develop rich internet applica-
tions as well as a range of standard JavaScript APIs for browsers to implement natively. A
good example of HTML5's new elements is
<video>
, which provides a means of playing
video content in the browser without requiring an additional plug-in. HTML5 also provides
the Media Element Interface that allows you to control video playback with JavaScript. It
lets you create games, build mobile applications, and much more.
In this chapter, you'll learn
• About great new features introduced in HTML5 and how to immediately use them
in your web applications.
• How to provide fallbacks and workarounds for users with older or incompatible
browsers.
• How to use ARIA (Accessible Rich Internet Applications) roles and microdata to
further enhance the semantics of your HTML pages.
• The wide range of JavaScript APIs available in HTML5 itself, as well as a number
of closely related API specifications you can use in your applications.
