Entities and Special Characters

HTML Entities are special codes used to represent characters that are either reserved in HTML (and would be misinterpreted as code) or characters that are not easily generated on a standard keyboard (like foreign currency symbols or technical symbols).

1. The Structure of an Entity

All HTML entities follow a specific format:

• They begin with an ampersand (&).
• They end with a semicolon (;).
• The middle section is either a name (mnemonic) or a number (decimal or hexadecimal code).

2. Reserved Characters

The most common reason to use an entity is to display characters that the browser would otherwise interpret as the start or end of an HTML tag.

Example: Displaying Code

If you want to display the HTML code for a paragraph element, you must use entities:

<p>
    To create a paragraph, use the tags: &lt;p&gt; and &lt;/p&gt;.
</p>

3. Non-Breaking Space ( )

The non-breaking space entity is crucial for controlling text flow.

• Problem: Normal spaces are collapsed by the browser (multiple spaces are treated as one).
• Solution:   inserts a required space that the browser will not collapse and prevents a line break from occurring at that spot.

<p>
    The price is $500 &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; USD.
</p>

4. Common Symbols and Punctuation

Entities are used for common symbols and typographic elements not found on the keyboard.

Example: Copyright Notice

<footer>
    &copy; 2024 My Website. All Rights Reserved.
</footer>