HTML Tags - PreFormat Tag

What is the HTML <pre> tag ?

HTML <pre> tag is used to specify pre formatted texts.

Whatever content is placed inside the <pre> tag is displayed in the browser in a monospace font.

Usually the content is displayed in “Courier” font with maintaining both space and line break.

How HTML <pre> tag works ?

HTML <pre> element contents are display using a monospace font.

Which means tab spaces, indents, newlines, and other typographic formatting will be preserved inside a <pre> tag.

Any element can be placed inside the <pre> tag, except for the <big>, <img>, <object>, <small>, <sub> and <sup> tags.

Text inside the <pre> tag is displayed with a fixed-width font.

We can change the monospace font style can be overridden using CSS.

Note : We cannot use block-level elements, as they create additional indents, changing the space between the lines

Why is the HTML <pre> tag used ?

HTML <pre> is used to insert a preformatted text into an HTML document.

HTML <pre> tag is usually used to display code, or a text (for example, a poem).

HTML <pre> tag is widely used to display language examples e.g. Java, C#, C, C++ etc because it displays the code as it is typed.

All Browsers normally render pre text in a fixed-pitched font, with whitespace and without word wrap.

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Syntax :

<pre> Contents... </pre>

Example :

<html>
        <head>
                <title>pre tag</title>
        </head>
        <body>
                <pre>
                     Welcome to CSTechbook,

		     LEARNING GIVES CREATIVITY, CREATIVITY LEADS TO THINKING, 
		     THINKING PROVIDES KNOWLEDGE, KNOWLEDGE MAKES YOU GREAT 
							– A.P.J ABDUL KALAM
                </pre>
        </body>
</html>

Output :

Example :

<html>
        <head>
                <title>pre tag</title>
		<style>
			pre{
			 color:blue;
			}
		</style>
        </head>
        <body>
                <pre>
                     Welcome to CSTechbook,

		     LEARNING GIVES CREATIVITY, CREATIVITY LEADS TO THINKING, 
		     THINKING PROVIDES KNOWLEDGE, KNOWLEDGE MAKES YOU GREAT 
							– A.P.J ABDUL KALAM
                </pre>
        </body>
</html>

Output :

<pre> Tag Attributes

HTML <pre> tag support following specific attributes.

Sno	Attributes	Value	Description
1	width	number	Specify the maximum number of the character allowed per line. This attributes has been removed in HTML5.

Global Attributes

HTML <pre> tag support following global attributes.

Sno	Attributes	Value	Description
1	id	unique_name	Declared unique id for an element.
2	class	class_name	Declared one or more classnames for an element.
3	style	styles	CSS inline styles specify an element.
4	title	title	Specify extra details of element contain, this will display as a “tooltip” for an elements.

Event Attributes

HTML <pre> tag support following event attributes.

Sno	Attributes	Value	Description
1	onfocus	script	element gets focus on object when script tobe run.
2	onblur	script	element lose the focus on object when scrip tobe run.
3	onabort	script	element gets aborted on object when script tobe run.
4	onchange	script	element gets anytime change on object when script tobe run.
5	onbeforeunload	script	element gets unloaded on object when scrip tobe run.
6	onclick	script	clicked on object when script tobe run.
7	ondblclick	script	double click on object when script tobe run.
8	onkeydown	script	key is pressed when script tobe run.
9	onkeypress	script	key is pressed over element then released when script tobe run.
10	onkeyup	script	key is released over element when script tobe run.
11	onmousedown	script	mouse button was pressed over an element when script tobe run.
12	onmouseout	script	mouse pointer release over an element when script tobe run.
13	onmousemove	script	run mouse pointer moved when script tobe run.
14	onmouseover	script	run mouse pointer move over when script tobe run.
15	onmouseup	script	mouse button is released when script tobe run.
16	onreset	script	form has been reset when script tobe run.
17	onselect	script	Select some content when script tobe run.
18	onsubmit	script	form has been submitted when script tobe run.
19	onload	script	object has load when script tobe run.
20	onchange	script	allow to change the object when script tobe run.
21	onunload	script	unload to the browser window when script tobe run.
22	ondrag	script	element being dragged when script tobe run.
23	ondragend	script	element being stop dragged when script tobe run.
24	ondragenter	script	element being go target dragged when script tobe run.
25	ondragleave	script	element being leave to target dragged when script tobe run.
26	ondragover	script	element being over to target dragged when script tobe run.
27	ondragstart	script	element being start dragged when script tobe run.
28	ondrop	script	element being dropped when script tobe run.
29	onerror	script	element error occurs when script tobe run.
30	onmessage	script	element message display when script tobe run.
31	onerror	script	element error occurs when script tobe run.
32	onmousewheel	script	mouse wheel will be rotate when script tobe run.
33	onscroll	script	scrollbar is scroll when script tobe run.
34	onresize	script	element should be resize when script tobe run.
35	onselect	script	all element content selected when script tobe run.
36	onstorage	script	element should be store in target when script tobe run.

Browser Compatibility

Sno	Browser	Support
1	Chrome	Yes
2	Firefox	Yes
3	Edge	Yes
4	Opera	Yes
5	Safari	Yes
6	Internet Explorer	Yes