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by Ian Lloyd

isindex (HTML element)

Spec
Depr. Empty Version
Yes Yes HTML 2
Browser support full matrix
IE5.5+ FF1+ Saf1.3+ Op9.5
Partial Partial Partial None

Example

This example shows an index prompt contained in the head element:

<head>
⋮
<isindex prompt="Search document ..." href="search-index.txt"/>
⋮
</head>
Type
inline elements
Contains
nothing—empty element
Contained by
applet, blockquote, body, center, dd, del, div, fieldset, form, head, iframe, ins, li, map, noframes, noscript, object, td, th

Description

The isindex element is a deprecated and poorly supported method for providing a searchable index related to the current document. There’s not much to say about this element, given the current lack of support for it.

Originally, it was intended (by the W3C) that the isindex element should be placed inside the head of the document, but browsers were somewhat lax and allowed it to be used anywhere in the document.

There are three attributes for this element:

  • action, which identifies the URL of the script that will process the search
  • href, an older implementation that was used before action was supported by browsers
  • prompt, to provide prompt text that appears next to search input

Use This for…

There are better mechanisms, with better browser support, than the isindex element. This entry is included for the sake of completeness, in case you should ever come across the element and require information about it.

Compatibility

IE5.5Partial
6.0Partial
7.0Partial
Firefox1.0Partial
1.5Partial
2.0Partial
Safari1.3Partial
2.0Partial
3.0Partial
Opera9.2None
9.5None

This attribute is poorly supported and has limited practical value.

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