The Unordered List element represents a list of items in which order is not
necessarily important. Typical rendering is a bulleted list of items. Many
browsers may change the appearance of the bullet when the list is nested in
another list. The only content of this list structure is the <li>
(list item) element. As with other list content elements, the closing </li>
tag is optional in HTML (Required in XHTML), as it is implied by a subsequent
<li> or end </ul> tags.
This attribute helps an author in situations with floating objects (images,
tables, etc.) produced through the Left and
Right ALIGN attributes. It allows content to stop being
flowed around the floated element.
[DEFAULT - No special line breaking
effects are applied relative to the floating element.] Left [breaks line after this element
and moves down vertically until the left margin is clear of floated objects.] Right [breaks line after this element
and moves down vertically until the right margin is clear of floated objects.] All [breaks line after this element
and moves down vertically until both margins are clear of floated objects.]
This is an SGML Document Access
(SDA) attribute. SDA attributes are designed to transform HTML (and
other SGML-based documents) to the ICADD
DTD - which is used in creating accessible documents for users with
visual disabilities (rendering in Braille, large print, speech
synthesis, etc.) The attribute value specifies the name of the element
to convert this element to in the SDA element group (in this case the
'List' element - "list of items".)
This attribute is used to indicate a number other than "1"
to use in incrementing the list structure when it is set to a numeric list type.
Values are automatically converted to the TYPE attribute, if present.
Some people leverage on a behavioral defect in browsers whereby
embedding data in a list structure without LI tags will induce
indentation. Strictly speaking, this HTML is not valid with respect to
the established standards. Even using an HTML 3.0 element like the "List
Header" (LH) at the beginning of a list structure would produce this
effect, but this syntax has never been a part of an accepted standard.
Such syntax is illegal in current HTML standards and not recommended.
Other methods can be used to
enforce indentation that are much safer.
Changing the font attributes (size, color, etc.) of the contents of a List
Item will not affect the appearance of the listing mechanism (bullets.)
Lists are nestable.
Internet Explorer, Mosaic, Netscape and Opera all produce the above
described indenting behavior for the mentioned invalid HTML.
Both Internet Explorer and Netscape alter the listing mechanism (the
bullets) if a font changing tag (e.g. FONT SIZE) spans a list structure
or if it is placed incorrectly before the first LI tag.