Comments on: Do we really need the br element? http://techknack.net/do-we-really-need-the-br-element/ The rantings of a techie Wed, 06 Apr 2011 10:23:17 -0400 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: eternicode http://techknack.net/do-we-really-need-the-br-element/comment-page-1/#comment-99 eternicode Wed, 09 Apr 2008 14:51:00 +0000 http://blog.techknack.net/do-we-really-need-the-br-element/#comment-99 Anonymous, to address your address example, I believe that it would be acceptable (even appropriate) to encapsulate the separate parts in separate spans (or divs, as the case may be, to allow sensible CSS-lessness). In fact, there's even an <a HREF="http://microformats.org/wiki/adr#Examples" REL="nofollow">address microformat</a> that does this (also check out the <a HREF="http://microformats.org/wiki/hcard-faq#Should_I_use_ADDRESS_for_hCards" REL="nofollow">Microformats.org explanation of <address></a>).<br/><br/>I would agree about needing it for line breaks within a paragraph, however. This seems to be the only place where it is needed. Anonymous, to address your address example, I believe that it would be acceptable (even appropriate) to encapsulate the separate parts in separate spans (or divs, as the case may be, to allow sensible CSS-lessness). In fact, there’s even an address microformat that does this (also check out the Microformats.org explanation of <address>).

I would agree about needing it for line breaks within a paragraph, however. This seems to be the only place where it is needed.

]]> By: Anonymous http://techknack.net/do-we-really-need-the-br-element/comment-page-1/#comment-98 Anonymous Wed, 09 Apr 2008 13:31:00 +0000 http://blog.techknack.net/do-we-really-need-the-br-element/#comment-98 The <br /> element is both unnecessary and incorrect in both the examples you cited, but there <em>are</em> places where it's needed, like addresses and other things that must appear on multiple lines but are logically part of the same line of text:<br/><br/><address><br/>John Doe<br /><br/>123 Main St.<br /><br/>Anytown, USA 12345<br/></address><br/><br/>Or line breaks within paragraphs, which are common in longer books (there are a few in every reference book on my shelf) but aren't seen very often on the web. I'm fairly certain this use is the whole reason the element exists in the first place. The <br /> element is both unnecessary and incorrect in both the examples you cited, but there are places where it’s needed, like addresses and other things that must appear on multiple lines but are logically part of the same line of text:

<address>
John Doe<br />
123 Main St.<br />
Anytown, USA 12345
</address>

Or line breaks within paragraphs, which are common in longer books (there are a few in every reference book on my shelf) but aren’t seen very often on the web. I’m fairly certain this use is the whole reason the element exists in the first place.

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