Connected: An Internet Encyclopedia
5.2.5. Associated Meta-information: META
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5.2.5. Associated Meta-information: META
5.2.5. Associated Meta-information: META
The <META> element is an extensible container for use in identifying
specialized document meta-information. Meta-information has two main
functions:
- to provide a means to discover that the data set exists
and how it might be obtained or accessed; and
- to document the content, quality, and features of a data
set, indicating its fitness for use.
Each <META> element specifies a name/value pair. If multiple META
elements are provided with the same name, their combined contents--
concatenated as a comma-separated list--is the value associated with
that name.
NOTE - The <META> element should not be used where a
specific element, such as <TITLE>, would be more
appropriate. Rather than a <META> element with a URI as
the value of the CONTENT attribute, use a <LINK>
element.
HTTP servers may read the content of the document <HEAD> to generate
header fields corresponding to any elements defining a value for the
attribute HTTP-EQUIV.
NOTE - The method by which the server extracts document
meta-information is unspecified and not mandatory. The
<META> element only provides an extensible mechanism for
identifying and embedding document meta-information --
how it may be used is up to the individual server
implementation and the HTML user agent.
Attributes of the META element:
- HTTP-EQUIV
-
binds the element to an HTTP header field. An HTTP
server may use this information to process the document.
In particular, it may include a header field in the
responses to requests for this document: the header name
is taken from the HTTP-EQUIV attribute value, and the
header value is taken from the value of the CONTENT
attribute. HTTP header names are not case sensitive.
- NAME
-
specifies the name of the name/value pair. If not
present, HTTP-EQUIV gives the name.
- CONTENT
-
specifies the value of the name/value pair.
Examples
If the document contains:
<META HTTP-EQUIV="Expires"
CONTENT="Tue, 04 Dec 1993 21:29:02 GMT">
<meta http-equiv="Keywords" CONTENT="Fred">
<META HTTP-EQUIV="Reply-to"
content="fielding@ics.uci.edu (Roy Fielding)">
<Meta Http-equiv="Keywords" CONTENT="Barney">
then the server may include the following header fields:
Expires: Tue, 04 Dec 1993 21:29:02 GMT
Keywords: Fred, Barney
Reply-to: fielding@ics.uci.edu (Roy Fielding)
as part of the HTTP response to a `GET' or `HEAD' request for
that document.
An HTTP server must not use the <META> element to form an HTTP
response header unless the HTTP-EQUIV attribute is present.
An HTTP server may disregard any <META> elements that specify
information controlled by the HTTP server, for example `Server',
`Date', and `Last-modified'.
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5.2.5. Associated Meta-information: META