Using the HTML `` Element to Highlight Code Snippets: Improving Readability and Accessibility

Learn how to effectively highlight code snippets in your web pages using the HTML `` element. This tutorial explains its semantic value, demonstrates its usage within `

` tags for preserving formatting, and shows how to customize its appearance using CSS for improved readability and accessibility.



Using the HTML `` Element to Display Code

Understanding the `` Element

The HTML `<code>` element is designed to highlight fragments of computer code within your web page. This improves readability by visually distinguishing code from regular text. While the `<code>` tag itself doesn’t change the appearance of the text, browsers typically render it using a monospace font (a font with fixed-width characters). This makes it easier to read code snippets. While you can achieve similar visual effects using CSS (Cascading Style Sheets), the `<code>` tag adds semantic meaning, making your code more accessible to those using assistive technologies. The use of the `<code>` tag also improves SEO (search engine optimization) by making it easier for search engines to identify and index code examples within your pages.

Using the `` Element

To mark up a piece of code, simply place the code within the opening and closing `<code>` tags. For example:

Example: Basic `` Usage

<p>The code to add two numbers is: <code>x + y</code>.</p>

Note that, by itself, the `<code>` tag does not preserve whitespace or line breaks. To preserve formatting, use it within a `<pre>` (preformatted text) element.

Styling Code with CSS

You can customize the appearance of code using CSS. For example, you could apply different colors or add a background color for enhanced readability:

Example: Styling Code with CSS

code {
  background-color: #f0f0f0;
  padding: 2px 5px;
  border-radius: 3px;
  font-family: monospace;
}

Browser Support for ``

The `<code>` element is supported by all major modern browsers.

Browser Support
Chrome Yes
Edge Yes
Firefox Yes
Opera Yes
Safari Yes

Global and Event Attributes

The `<code>` element supports standard HTML global attributes and event attributes, allowing for further customization if needed.