HTML Tab Space

What is HTML?

HTML or HyperText Markup Language is used to design web pages. It was released in 1993. The HTML file extension is named ".html". CSS and JavaScript are used to construct an HTML file. In other words, HTML explains the skeleton body of the webpage or how the page is formed. The codes have been written as elements. Another name for these components is HTML tags. The tags make use of HTML markup. All of the major tags in HTML have to be opened and closed. This is known as the golden rule. Each tag in a series of several tags needs to be closed.

Using a markup language such as HTML, we can

• Connect the information to other documents, arrange it in our document, and provide context and significance.
• An HTML document has two components: hypertext text links (HyperText) and structured information (Markup) to other documents.

What is Tab?

We use tabs to keep things organized in our daily lives. Assume you are organizing documents in a filing cabinet. Every file has a designated location, and tabs make it easier to get there quickly. Similarly, we utilize tabs to make our code tidy, well-organized, and user-friendly when coding, especially in HTML.

Why do We Use Tab in HTML?

Writing all of your code in a single line makes it challenging for anyone to read and understand, so we use tabs in HTML to make it easy and clear. Understandably, clear code is a key component of skillful coding. It guarantees that your work is understandable to other programmers and that you can comprehend it when you return to it later.

How Do We Create a Tab Space in HTML?

HTML is an acronym for HyperText Markup Language. Unlike Word documents, HTML does not recognize the standard tab key space. If you attempt to use the tab key in your HTML code, you will not see your changes in the final web page output.

With some special characters and components provided by HTML, we can construct the necessary tab spacing.

To improve a web page's appearance, web designers need to learn how to insert tabs and spaces. Our HTML code is also easier to read as a result. Using the spacebar repeatedly is not allowed for adding additional spaces. We employ various spacing characters to divide the HTML code into distinct lines. Additionally to improving the code's readability, spaces in the code also help with its design. When more than one space is allowed in our code, the browser eliminates the extra spaces and only lets one. However, it is not true that we cannot add multiple spaces and tabs in the code.

Using   for Space

The unique character &nbsp in HTML stands for "Non-Breaking Space." One space can be inserted using this character. Thus, you would need to use numerous   in a row if you wanted to add a tab space.

Example:

<p>This is a line of text.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; And this is a line of text after a tab space.</p>

Using   for Space

This special character indicates the half-point size, often known as en spaces, of the present fonts.

Example:

<p>This is a &ensp; for two spaces gap.</p>

Using   for Space

This special character, commonly known as an em space, indicates the full size of the current fonts. It might produce four times as much shared space.

Example:

<p>This is a &emsp; for four spaces gap.</p>

Using <pre> for Preserved Spaces

The HTML element <pre> denotes 'Preformatted Text' and is another useful tool. Line breaks and spaces are maintained in this component.

This code's spaces and line breaks will remain in place when it runs.

Example:

<pre>

    This is a line of text.

    This is a line of text after a tab space.

</pre>

Using CSS for Tab Spaces

CSS (Cascading Style Sheets being a stylesheet language) describes the style and formatting of an HTML document. If you are familiar with CSS, using its 'text-indent' property, you can add a tab space.

Example:

<style>

    p {

        text-indent: 50px;

    }

</style>

<p>This is a line of text.</p>

<p> This is a line of text after a tab space.</p>

We have introduced a style element showcased above with a text-indent value of 50px. This means that a 50px tab space is supposed to be used at the start of every paragraph (<p>).

Adding a Line Break in HTML

We can add a line break using the tag <br> in the HTML code. Using this tag, you can start a new line.

Example:

<html>

<body>

  <p> This is my first line.

  <br> This is the second line.

  </p>

</body>

</html>

Conclusion

Though tab spaces are not very important, they actually play a critical part in HTML coding. They help to keep the coding legible and well organized. While HTML does not have a standard tab space character, manually adding the appropriate tabs is still possible by including special characters such as  HTML/CSS elements such as <pre> and ‘text-indent’.