W3C XHTML Activity

XHTML is a more rigorous and纯净 version of HTML.

XHTML Tutorial

To learn how to convert your website to XHTML, please read our XHTML Tutorial.

XHTML Versions

XHTML 1.0

As a W3C Recommendation, XHTML 1.0 was released on January 26, 2000.

XHTML 1.0 Revision

As a W3C Recommendation, the second edition of XHTML 1.0 was released on August 1, 2002. It is not a new version but an update and bug fix.

XHTML 1.1

As a W3C Recommendation, XHTML 1.1 was released on May 31, 2001.

XHTML 1.1 Second Edition

As a W3C Recommendation, XHTML 1.1 (SE) was released on November 23, 2010.

About XHTML 1.0

XHTML 1.0 is the first major change to HTML since 1997 and is a very important step towards providing richer web pages for a wider range of user agents, including desktop computers, mobile devices, and phones.

XHTML is an XML application that can smoothly migrate from HTML 4.01. The W3C's first step in restructuring HTML 4.01 into XML led to the birth of XHTML 1.0. XHTML 1.0 relies on the semantics provided by HTML 4.01 tags.

The next step is to modularize XHTML into smaller sets of elements, making it easier to combine XHTML with other markup languages such as vector graphics and multimedia.

At the same time, the modularization of XHTML can reduce development costs, improve collaboration with other applications such as databases, facilitate communication with different user agents (browsers), and provide a cleaner integration between HTML and different XML standards.

W3C XHTML Activity

XHTML 1.0

XHTML 1.0 is a re-representation of HTML 4.01 using XML.

To learn more about XHTML, please visit our XHTML Tutorial.

XHTML 1.1 (Modular XHTML)

Small devices like mobile phones cannot support the full functionality of XHTML. XHTML 1.1 divides the specification into models with limited functionality. Small browsers can reduce their complexity by supporting selected models (but once a model is chosen, it must support all its features).

XHTML 1.1 is a strict language. XHTML 1.1 is not backward compatible with HTML 4.

XHTML Basic

XHTML Basic is a small subset of XHTML 1.1. It includes only basic XHTML features such as text structure, images, basic forms, and basic tables. It is designed for small browsers (such as those in handheld devices).

XHTML Events

Due to the support for the W3C Document Object Model Level 2 in XHTML, event handlers can be attached to XHTML elements, allowing parent elements to handle events before or after child elements.

To learn more about the DOM, please study our DOM Tutorial.

XHTML Print

XHTML-Print is part of XHTML 1.1 (Modular XHTML).

XHTML-Print is designed for mobile devices and inexpensive printers, which can typically print a page from start to finish without print caching or custom print drivers.

XForms

With XHTML forms, users can access a page, add information to it, and then submit the page to a web server.

XForms is the successor to HTML forms, providing a more comprehensive and presentation-independent way of handling web interactions. As it is designed to integrate with XHTML, we expect future e-commerce applications to require XForms.

XHTML Modularization

XHTML modularization refers to dividing XHTML 1.0 into a collection of small models that provide specific functionality.

The modularization of XHTML 1.0 is achieved using XML DTD (Document Type Definition).

The modularization of XHTML 2.0 is achieved using XML Schemas.

To learn more about DTDs, please study our DTD Tutorial.

To learn more about XML Schemas, please study our XML Schemas Tutorial.

XHTML 2.0

XHTML 2.0 is the next generation of markup language. Its functionality is expected to be similar to XHTML 1.1 but may be changed to comply with XML standards such as XML Linking and XML Schema.

XLink

XLink is a language for creating hyperlinks within XML documents. XLink is similar to HTML links but offers more powerful support for both simple links (like HTML) and extended links (used to connect multiple resources together).

You can learn more about XLink in our XLink Tutorial.

HLink

HLink adds the capability to specify which elements in XHTML can represent hyperlinks and how these hyperlinks should be traversed.

HLink is an extension of XLink.

W3C HTML Specifications and Timeline

W3C Reference Manual:

W3C HTML Homepage