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Modularization of XHTML
Pulling XHTML Apart to Put It Together in New Places
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By Jennifer Kyrnin

On 10 April 2001, the W3C released the modularization of XHTML as a recommendation. This will allow XHTML to reach a wider audience and more platforms. Soon, you may see XHTML on things like your cell phone or television.

What is XHTML
XHTML is HTML rewritten to be a valid XML language. There are three XML types that correspond to the three HTML DTDs: strict, transitional, and frameset.

  • strict - the most restrictive version of HTML
  • transitional - a more lax version to allow for older documents that are updated to XHTML
  • frameset - the specific HTML definition for frames

What is Modularization?
Modularization takes apart the language into separate modules or subsets that provide various types of functionality. These modules may be combined with one another and with other modules to create extended XHTML. This allows XHTML, which stands for eXtensible HTML to really become extensible.

The W3C has split up XHTML into a number of abstract modules. The following core modules are required to be present in any XHTML family conforming Document Type:

  • structure module
    The structure of your XHTML document is defined by the <html>, <head>, <title>, and <body> tags. They define the basic structure of an XHTML document.
  • text module
    There are several tags that define all the basic text elements in HTML. This module includes tags such as <br>, <p>, the <h1> heading tags, <cite>, <div>, <em>, <strong>, <kbd<, and so on. These are the text tags that define the form of the text, specifically, what the text is - read this article for more information.
  • hypertext module
    This module includes only one tag <a>, but it is the tag that allows for links within XHTML documents.
  • list module
    Create ordered, unordered, and definition lists with this module.

Using those four modules, you can create basic XHTML documents. One thing to note: images are not a part of the core XHTML modules. Some might argue that adding images to a document is integral to XHTML, but images are not as readily portable to other systems, such as cell phones and PDAs. There is an image module, so it is simple to add them into your XHTML documents, it is just not a part of the core modules.

There are other modules for adding additional functionality, such as tables, applets, forms, images, frames, and much more. And, as mentioned above, XHTML developers can also create additional modules for extending the functionality of XHTML.

 

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