Angle bracket (<) without triggering html code

html

html-entities

code-integrity

cross-site-scripting

byAlex Kataev·Nov 24, 2024

Employ the HTML entities < for < and > for > to prevent the browser from interpreting these as HTML syntax. For instance, if you need to display <your text>, represent it in your HTML as:

<!-- Hey, who left this tag open?! -->
<!-- Ah, it's not a tag, it's just chilling here. No panic! 😅 -->
&lt;your text&gt;

Treating these characters as text rather than markup is the key takeaway here.

HTML entities decodified

Why bother with entities?

HTML entities, such as <, >, and &, are incredibly vital for maintaining code integrity. These characters carry specific functions in HTML, and if not escaped, they can lead to syntax errors, security vulnerabilities (like cross-site scripting), and exhibit chaotic behavior on your webpage.

Other players in the entity squad

Beyond < and >, other entities like & (ampersand, &), " (quotation marks, "), and ' (apostrophe, ') are equally crucial in circumventing HTML syntax issues.

This becomes especially crucial when dealing with user-generated content. Always remember to sanitize inputs and protect your site from potential breaches.

Entities in code demonstration

To improve readability in your code snippets and examples, use <code> tags. It helps distinguish between instruction and demonstration:

<!-- Might look like inception, but it's not! -->
<!-- It's just an HTML entity going incognito. 😎 -->
<code>&lt;p&gt;This is a paragraph.&lt;/p&gt;</code>

Entities at a glance

Use HTML Entities	Don't Use HTML Entities
Traffic on the information superhighway runs smoothly. 🚗🛣️🏁	Traffic jam! Code is thinking `<` is the start of an HTML tag. 🚗💥🚧

Remembering and using entities

Associations: < with "less than" (<), > with "greater than" (>), and & with "ampersand" (&).
Use: Use these entities in your coding assignments to familiarize yourself.
References: Have a comprehensive list of entities at your disposal or bookmarked on your browser.
Implementation: Implement these entities in different contexts.