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HTML 5 <pre> tag

Definition and Usage

The pre element defines preformatted text. The text enclosed in the pre element usually preserves spaces and line breaks. The text renders in a fixed-pitch font.

Differences Between HTML 4.01 and HTML 5

The "width" attribute was deprecated in HTML 4.01, and is no longer supported in HTML 5.

Tips and Notes

Tip: Use the <pre> element when displaying text with unusual formatting, or some sort of computer code.

Example

Source Output
<pre>
This text is
in a fixed-pitch
font, and it preserves
both      spaces and
line breaks
</pre>		 
This text is 
in a fixed-pitch 
font, and it preserves 
both      spaces and 
line breaks

Attributes

Attribute Value Description 4 5
width number Defines the maximum number of characters per line (usually 40, 80, or 132). Not supported. 4  

Standard Attributes

class, contenteditable, contextmenu, dir, draggable, id, irrelevant, lang, ref, registrationmark, tabindex, template, title

For a full description, go to Standard Attributes in HTML 5.

Event Attributes

onabort, onbeforeunload, onblur, onchange, onclick, oncontextmenu, ondblclick, ondrag, ondragend, ondragenter, ondragleave, ondragover, ondragstart, ondrop, onerror, onfocus, onkeydown, onkeypress, onkeyup, onload, onmessage, onmousedown, onmousemove, onmouseover, onmouseout, onmouseup, onmousewheel, onresize, onscroll, onselect, onsubmit, onunload

For a full description, go to Event Attributes in HTML 5.

Try-It-Yourself Demos

Preformatted text
How to control line breaks and spaces with the pre tag.

From http://www.w3schools.com (Copyright Refsnes Data)