Drawing Graphics with the HTML5 `` Element: A Guide to Dynamic 2D Graphics

Learn how to create dynamic 2D graphics on your web pages using the HTML5 `` element and JavaScript. This tutorial covers setting up the canvas, drawing shapes and text, and handling events for creating interactive and visually engaging web content.

Drawing Graphics with the HTML5 `` Element

Understanding the Canvas Element

The HTML5 <canvas> element is a powerful tool for creating dynamic 2D graphics on web pages using JavaScript. Unlike static image elements, the canvas provides a dynamic drawing surface. You use Javascript to draw shapes, text, and images, making it highly versatile for creating interactive and visually rich content.

The <canvas> element itself is just a container; it doesn't display anything on its own. You must use JavaScript code to draw graphics within this container. It is important to always set the dimensions of the canvas using the `width` and `height` attributes; this prevents the canvas from being distorted and allows for more efficient rendering.

Creating a Canvas Element

To create a canvas, you use the <canvas> tag. The key attributes are:

• id: A unique identifier for referencing the canvas in your JavaScript code.
• width: Specifies the canvas width in pixels.
• height: Specifies the canvas height in pixels.

You can add styling (like a border) using the `style` attribute. It's also good practice to include fallback content within the canvas element for browsers that don't support canvas.

<canvas id="myCanvas" width="300" height="150" style="border:1px solid #000000;">
  Your browser does not support the canvas element.
</canvas>

Browser Support for Canvas

The canvas element is supported by all major modern browsers. For a complete reference and details on browser compatibility, refer to the W3Schools Browser Support page for the canvas element.

Attributes of the Canvas Element

The canvas element has a few key attributes:

• height: Specifies the canvas height in pixels (default is 150).
• width: Specifies the canvas width in pixels (default is 300).

The canvas element also supports standard HTML global attributes and event attributes.

Default Canvas Styles

Browsers apply default styles to the canvas element. You can override these with custom CSS styles.

canvas {
  height: 150px;
  width: 300px;
}