HTML Level 1 and 2 Manual

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<BR> Element

Category: Text Blocks
Period: HTML 2.0
Status: core

Description

Forces a line break inside text.

Syntax

Line one<BR>
Line two

Attributes

None in strict HTML 2.0.

Usage Guidelines

• Use BR for addresses, short labels or forced breaks inside a paragraph.
• Use P for separate paragraphs instead of many BR tags.
• Use PRE for poetry, code or exact spacing.
• A BR is empty: it has no closing tag.

Common Mistakes

• BR-based layout becomes fragile when fonts or screen width change.

Example Code

<P>Customer Services<BR>
PO Box 12<BR>
London

Authoring Note

Write the document first, then test it in a graphical browser and a text browser. The page should remain understandable if images fail, colours are ignored, or the browser uses its own fonts.

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