Base

Base Support Key: [2\|3\|3.2\|4] [X1\|X1.1] [IE1\|M2\|N1\|O2.1]	What is it? Attributes Tag Example	Parent/Content Model Tips & Tricks Browser Peculiarities
= Index DOT Html by Brian Wilson =

What is it?: The BASE element allows global reference information to be set. Use of the HREF attribute provides a base address for interpreting all relative URL references in a document when the document is read out of context. The TARGET attribute specifies a global frame destination name to be used for page activation changes (in links, forms and image maps.)

Common Attributes
%Core%: [2|3|3.2|4] [X1|X1.1] [IE4|M|N6B1|O5]
Specific Attributes
Href
[2|3|3.2|4] [X1|X1.1] [IE1|M2|N1|O2.1]: Standards Details: In all HTML 4.x/XHTML DTDs; Required? Yes; Description:
Indicates the base URL to interpret relative URLS in the current document.; Values: CDATA. [Should be an absolute URL (no relative references.)]
Target
[2|3|3.2|4] [X1|X1.1] [IE3A1|M|N2|O2.1]: Standards Details: Transitional/Frameset HTML 4.x/XHTML 1.0 DTDs only. Dropped in XHTML 1.1.; Required? No; Description:
Specifies the common Target frame for hyperlinks to load to when activated. The value for this attribute can be overridden on a case-by-case basis by indicating a different value in an A, AREA, or FORM element.; Values: CDATA. [The Target reserved names apply.]

Tips & Tricks

DTD Note: Both the Internet Explorer 3 DTD and the HTML 4.0 DTD allow for the TARGET attribute. They both list the HREF attribute as #REQUIRED. This is fine, but this seems to only hold if the browser does not support global frame targeting. In the case of a frames-capable browser, the value would more likely be #IMPLIED (not required.) This would allow for a BASE element with TARGET as the only attribute (which seems reasonable since HREF and TARGET control two mutually exclusive browser features (name resolution and frame targeting.)

Browser Peculiarities

Some older browsers may improperly handle the BASE element if the TARGET attribute is present because they are expecting only the HREF attribute by itself.
[Tests: 1, 2] Netscape and Opera both ignore improperly terminated URLs used as the BASE HREF value. eg: relative URLs in a document that used "http://www.blooberry.com" as the HREF would resolve to "http://[relative URL]", and "http://www.blooberry.com/indexdot" would resolve to "http://www.blooberry.com/[relative URL]". To prevent this problem, use a trailing "/" character to properly terminate the URL. Internet Explorer, by the way, accepts both URL forms.