Introduction

HTML 3.2 and Netscape 3.0

This document is based on the HTML Specifications from the W3C, Netscape's own documentation, and the author's own experience. It is a synthesis of these separate elements, distilled down into syntax and examples. The obscure SGML used in the HTML 3.2 DTD is replaced with straightforward examples and syntax that you can use in your own pages.

The May 1996 HTML 3.2 specification closely matches the capabilities of Netscape 2.0 and Explorer 2.1, the current state of the art at that time.

- From the HTML 3.2 DTD

Very few formerly Netscape-specific tags or attributes (NHTML) are absent from HTML 3.2. Elements like CENTER, FONT, CELLPADDING/ SPACING, WIDTH, BORDER, and even SCRIPT and Java applets are all accounted for in this new "widely deployed" version. Thankfully, the BLINK  tag is still absent. Tags that were introduced after the specification came out (MULTICOL, FRAMEBORDER, BORDERCOLOR, etc.) are of course not included. As recent history shows, these tags have a habit of appearing in subsequent HTML drafts, so they are also covered.

In fact, the next version of the HTML draft (code-named Cougar) will probably include the popular FRAME tag:

All the major tags and attributes are discussed, with proper and improper use shown through examples. The intent is to provide a practical guide to HTML 3.2 tags that actually work with popular browsers. There are still a few exceptions to total HTML 3.2 compliance, for example Netscape 3.0 does not yet support the ALIGN attribute of the TABLE element. For transition situations like these, alternatives are given which work universally.

Comments are welcome